User reviews

This show started out painfully slow and I almost gave up on it in the first three episodes. I'm glad I've stuck with it because now it is getting to the more interesting story.

Firstly, let me comment on other reviewers that somehow see this as taking shots at Trump. I personally do not see that at all. Oh, and to those reviewers that think Germany would have won the war without the U.S., think again. Russia pushed back hard against Germany and eventually would have succeeded although it would have taken more time, the end for Germany was inevitable.

Some things that most people forget about this show is that times were different. Looking at this show with PC coloured glasses is wrong. Attitudes towards people of different races and religions were not only tolerated but encouraged with jokes and skits in radio shows and movies. During that time in U.S. history was a very delicate time and this shows how close America came to not only tolerating the Nazis but actually embracing some of their ideology. Heaven help us if a scenario like this had actually taken place.

I do not know how well this show follows the book but I honestly appreciate the actors who I believe are doing a great job, ESPECIALLY the kids. I understand completely how back in those times they would react the way they did. All in all, this show is excellent and I strongly suggest viewing it.

I've been waiting for this movie or series for about 15 years. Philip Roth is one of my favorite writers and from the moment I read 'The Plot Against America' I visualized the film in my imagination and I knew that someone would come to make it. Roth's book is his last great novel. It was followed by four more (the cycle 'Nemesis'), which are more personal meditations on life, old age, death, far from the scope of this book. 'The Plot Against America' instead belongs to a popular genre (alternative historical fiction), has a solid narrative structure and suspense, and a social and political message that remains valid for much of American history of the last century until the present. Paradoxically, it is the least Roth-esque novel of Roth and at the same time the book with the clearest autobiographical touch, the writer himself being one of the heroes of the book, as a boy at the age of 7 to 9. The HBO series largely met expectations. I can't say I heard Roth's 'voice' in the movie as when reading the book, but that's not what I was looking for. On the other hand, I experienced a dense, authentic cinematic version, with political and emotional impact, of the topic approached by the novel. Some of the characters have a different weight than the one in the book, but paradoxically, for the better, being developed intelligently and interestingly. The format chosen by the producers (a mini-series of 6 episodes) was appropriate, with an excellent final episode, even if it offers an ending that is a debatable variant of the one in the book.

Philip Roth's novel includes a well-articulated warning about the dangers of the encounter between ethnic and racial prejudice and populism in the American political system. The book was written at the beginning of the millennium, and does not imply any direct reference to the immediate American political reality, intending to be more general and metaphorical than the solution chosen in the screenplay. There is a tension in this production between a few direct references that borrow words from contemporary political discourse and the precise location of the action in the early 1940s in a Jewish-populated district in New Jersey. The alternative historical fiction that describes Charles Lindberg's conquest of power in 1940, and America's reorientation toward an isolationist policy and sympathizing with Nazi Germany followed by gradual adoption of anti-Jewish policies, includes a clear dystopian note about the fragility of democratic systems. Philip Roth appears in the credits as a producer and he was consulted in the initial discussions related to this project, but the political nuances and the imagined ending no longer belong to him. We can only speculate whether he would have agreed or not. To me, the historical part and the one related to the identity dilemmas and conflicts within the Jewish community seemed to me the best made and most authentic. However, I accept that other viewers may conclude differently after watching the six episodes.

Ed Burns and David Simon, the creators of 'The Plot Against America' are the authors 'The Wire' which in my opinion is to this day the best series ever created by HBO. Their achievement here is close to the same high level of quality. America and New Jersey in the years 1940-1942 are unfolding before our eyes. The Jewish community and the people belonging to it, the identity conflicts that exist in almost every such group in the Jewish Diaspora, the diverse individual responses to political developments and social and economic threats from outside are excellently rendered. Some of the acting performances are exceptional. Herman Levin (played by Morgan Spector) is a father who evolves from a deep trust in American values and institutions to a late awareness of the totalitarian degradation that is happening around him and the fact that the system betrays him. His wife Bess is his partner in this evolution, which offers to Zoe Kazan the opportunity for perhaps the most memorable role in the series and in her career so far, that of a Jewish mother who fights the external pressures and the centrifugal tendencies in the family. Her sister Evelyn (Winona Ryder) and Rabbi Bengelsdorf (John Turturro) represent that part of American Jewry willing to go much further on the path of compromise, blinded and later deceived by the demagoguery of the politicians, avoiding any form of resistance and confrontation, endangering the whole community and finally themselves. The combination of fictional and documentary scenes, including newsreels, newspapers and radio shows, is perfect. The story flows smoothly, with rhythm and suspense, and there is enough time for both action and character development. The series 'The Plot Against America' has some debatable moments and aspects, but overall it is an impressive achievement, a production that invites reflection and debate.

The acting is amazing and the production value is fantastic. The lead actor is probably the best but everyone does a great job.

A lot of Reviewers seem to be complaining about the pace of Series. I have not read the book, I don't know how the series sends but I think the slow pace is precisely the point. If the end is something akin to the "Nazis take over America" by definition it isn't something that would happen quickly. Say what you will about the USA in 1940, while there was antisemitism, hostility to Jews had never reached levels present in Europe or, specifically, Germany prior to the Nazi takeover there. It follows that the build up wouldn't be the same. The changes have to be ordinary enough that most folks wouldn't notice them.

The show depicts how Charles Lindberg defeats FDR in the 1940 elections and how a country, in this case the US, can gradually slide into fascism and totalitarism. The show depicts a struggle between America's ideals and racism/bigotry/intolerance and shows is how fragile our liberties and freedoms really are.

The cast is amazing. Every main character seems real and fleshed out. Morgan Spector and Zoe Kazan are brilliant as Herman and Bess. The kid actors are wonderful and every supporting actor is perfectly cast. I really felt like I got a unique perspective into the Jewish community in the 1940s.

The dialogue is engaging and insightful. Characters debate about issues and you feel invested in the arguments. The shows beauty and horror is how the scenarios in these arguments don't remain distant possibilities for long and start to materialize. What the show really excels at is how an atmosphere of uncertainty and dread starts to creep in and it really shows how suddenly you can lose your country.

This show is shot beautifully and it really transports you to the 40s. The lighting is soft and creamy and the color palette really captures the era. The details are meticulous: the costumes, old cars, locations and even pinball machines. I haven't really seen a show shot like this and it feels more like a movie than a mini series.

It seems crazy that we still need to be reminded about equality and human rights in the 21st century. We are all human. We are all created equal. We all have the same rights. Anyone who tries to divide a country and claim otherwise should not be in charge. I will fight for your freedom and I hope you will fight for mine.

I urge you to watch this show. I maybe a more patient viewer but I never felt like the show was moving slowly. The plot moves quickly through time and I felt like almost each scene sets up relevant plot points that are payed off later, just like in the Wire.

I have watched all five episodes so far and I wanted to write a review and recommend the show to others. Can't wait to see how the show continues.

The user review posted is ridiculous and asinine. "Mostly boring with many pointless scenes" ?? Is Siddhartha14 even watching the same miniseries? Every scene is revealing, powerful, and beautifully moves the story and characters forward. Also, the concept is not only riveting but incredibly timely, considering what's going on in the US (and, in fact, much of the western world) at this time. Highly recommended.

This is an adaptation of a Philip Roth novel. Philip Roth was a great American novelist, possibly the last great American novelist. He died two years ago at 85. One of his themes is optimism turning to pessimism and then back to a more mature optimism. This is not a flashy story: you are not going to find "The Handmaid's Tale" here, nor any depictions of the Third Reich in the U.S.A. You are going to find a story about how U.S. isolationism could have changed the course of history from 1940 on, with devastating results. You are also going to find the quality of production that was once synonymous with HBO. Having read the book, I can say that the story is going to go in some fairly grim directions. But you shouldn't watch this expecting flash: instead, watch it for a vibrant story, brilliant characterizations, and great themes...such as what it means to be American. It doesn't hurt that some very good actors who have rarely been fully utilized have some excellent material to work with. I think Morgan Spector, Winona Ryder, and especially Zoe Kazan - she is the foundation of the story - are all outstanding.

Philip Roth's fiction has been described by critics as pervaded by "a kind of alienation that is enlivened and exacerbated by what binds it".

In this fictional account of what may have occurred in America in 1940 if Charles Lindbergh had been elected President instead of Franklin D Roosevelt while I found the concept and consequences interesting I agree with the above quote describing Philip Roth's concept as "a kind of alienation" because everyone in this story except the Jewish characters seemed evil and I don't think I saw one African American character in the series so for me it was a little alienating and unreal.

It's told through the eyes of a working-class Jewish family in New Jersey as they endure the political rise of Charles Lindbergh, an aviator-hero and xenophobic populist, who captures the presidency and turns the nation toward fascism.

Roth's account of a celebrity-turned-politician winning the presidency on a platform of fearmongering and untruths proved more prophetic than he could have predicted.

I did a fact check and while partly based on accuracy there's more fiction than fact in this 6 part limited HBO series.

Charles Lindbergh , for example, really did accuse Jews of being "war agitators." He also cautioned against "the infiltration of inferior blood" and "dilution by foreign races." He did not, however, declare, as Roth does in the book, that with the German invasion of the U. S. S. R., "Adolf Hitler has established himself as the world's greatest safeguard against the spread of communism and its evils." I prefer my fiction not to include characters that lived or to reinterpret actual events because it risks the character or historical event in question of becoming distorted or just inaccurate.

Imagine other scenarios like Hillary Clinton winning the Presidency in 2016 or The Duke of Windsor not marrying Wallis Simpson ,they are both hypotheticals and didn't occur so while interesting it's impossible to change actual history.

That's enough about my views on the concept of the story of "The Plot Against America." the performances and the Production values are excellent and I enjoyed the portrayal of the characters enormously.

The two sisters Evelyn Finkel wonderfully played by Winona Ryder and Elizabeth "Bess" equally well played by Zoe Kazan are great roles as both their lives follow totally different paths resulting in conflict and alienation from each other and their families.

Three other standout performances I enjoyed made this series enjoyable for me they were from Anthony Boyle as Alvin Levin whose terrible war injury incurred while fighting in Europe against Germany causes him bitterness and anger when the new regime rejects his sacrifice branding him an outcast.

His loyal cousin Herman Levin repatriates Alvin with difficult outcomes for his home and family. Morgan Spector gives an impressive performance as the head of the Levin family as he tries to navigate dangerous changes like the involuntary relocation of his family and neighbours to redneck hostile American States as punishment for his outspoken advocacy for Jewish equality and acceptance.

The standout role in this series is its most unsystematic character the deluded and egotistical Rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf played by the talented John Turturro he believes the "fake news" the Lindbergh administration feeds him . He loves the veneer of false prestige and respect that he and his wife are shown ,especially by The First Lady Anne Lindbergh this soon runs out when his usefulness is questioned.

In summing up this is an interesting and entertaining story worth watching more for me by the fine performances of this great ensemble cast than its content.

It's very well directed by Thomas Schlamme and Minnie Spiro who directed 3 episodes each.

Demagoguery that preys on intolerance is not a concept foreign to those who lived in the 20th century, and also the 21st, and it often tiptoes in amongst us before we're aware of it. In relation to other reviews here, the methodical pacing of the series is entirely the point, the characters slotted into largely contrasting points of view as the ground seismically yet almost imperceptibly shifts below them. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" is an old saw, but recycled often for good reason; think it couldn't have happened here? Well crafted, well acted and well paced, anxieties build slowly as this series shines a stylistic but sharp light on precisely how easily it can happen, and how a society allows it to happen.

If you enjoy period pieces and alternative histories (like Man in the High Castle), you'll like this. There is at least one whopper of an alternative fact here that is woven throughout the series, namely, that FDR was a friend of the Jews. Never mind that FDR, as a member of Harvard's Board of Overseers, was instrumental in putting a quota on Jewish acceptances in the late 1920s. He also appointed anti-Semite Joe Kennedy ambassador to England, and his administration limited Jewish immigration in the late 1930s as the targeted and panicked European Jewish population continued their efforts to flee annihilation. In Episode 5, I think, it was funny to watch a fictional Walter Winchell political rally broken up by rioting thugs, only to have the growing fascist media blame the innocent side. Reminded me of the liberal USA media blaming Trump when self-admitted democrat plants started trouble and were thrown out of his rallies.

Great writing. Very well acted. As for the review about the pledge, the words "under God" were not added until 1954, so it is historically accurrate.

1st episode seemed to have interesting promise, but now degenerating to tired, boring, predictable political rants. Yes, Hitler's terrible, and so is anyone who supports him, I think we get it

As alternate histories go, this is not a great success. "Man in the High Castle" is probably best of this ilk. "The Hunters" was fun but ridiculous. "The Plot Against America" had a promising cast, and seems to be a well produced period piece. But after four slow boring episodes, I gave up.

The thesis of the series has problems. It certainly was not the case in 1940 that the Democrats were enlighten and Republicans were bigots. FDR turned away Jewish refugees, put Japanese Americans in concentration camps, denied the benefits of the G.I. Bill to Black Americans. FDR's administration was quite friendly with Mussolini in the 1930s, and the New Deal was often compared to Germany's economic recovery policies. It feels like we are meant to associate the fictional fascism of America in this series with Hollywood's imagined fascism of modern day America.

I loved the novel, which serves as a great reminder that in 1940 the defeat of the Nazis was not an inevitable conclusion, and it was only made possible due to our intervention. It's also worth mentioning that it was written many years before Donald Trump even considered running for office. To those coming here to defend the president against any real or imagined comparisons to the Lindbergh depiction, "methinks you doth protest too much".

Buyer's market out there. (templton@the wire)

I was looking forward to a new show by David Simon, as the author 'the wire', which I consider to be the best TV show in history. And what happened in the end.

A beautiful atmosphere, interesting actors, and a weak, absolutely politicized scenario. This show is not about suffering from the ideas of nazis. It's tv show about what will happen "if the Republicans win in 2020" from the democratic party, like a "Forrest Gump" from republicans in 1994.

Make movie, not politics.

All art speaks to its time, and this miniseries is no different. The not-so-veiled parallels between the subject matter and our own time are apt. Many of the negative reviews here seem to reflect awareness and resentment of that fact. Not all of the criticism is disingenuous or unwarranted, but enough of it is to be recognizable.

I'm in the middle of the third episode and I gave up, can't force myself to watch. Maybe partially because I finished reading the book few weeks ago, everything is so fresh and I know sad scenes are coming, scenes that will make me angry. While reading though I had sympathy for the characters. I can't feel it now, What was going through Philip's head was of great importance and so far in the TV series it doesn't seem like anything is happening there... And Bess' face expression, like she's the unhappiest women in the entire world make is simply painful. Everything goes so slow, and it usually works well in a production where the characters are to my liking, but here it is not the case.

I get the creators can't just take everything from the book and put it on a screen. They chose their way, they put a lot of effort into visual side. I am still prejudiced because of the way I received the book but I will not recommend that tv series to anyone. And since I do consider myself to be prejudiced I am giving it 6 stars - if you haven't read the book you may find the show being nicer than I did.

This is a fascinating adaptation of the Phillip Roth novel. The cast is superb and the characters and story line are quite believable. The tension is slowly building up through episode 5. I never read the novel, but I suspect what is coming, and it will not be pretty. The reviewer who was upset over the omission of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is in need of a history lesson. Those words were not added until 1954!

I've not read the source novel by Phillip Roth but was engrossed throughout by this thought-provoking alternative history wartime drama, at least up until the final episode which somehow failed to deliver on the promise and indeed for me premise of the five preceding episodes.

Focusing the action on a respectable, financially comfortable Jewish family of a mother and father and their two young boys living in Newark, plus by extension the wife's single, middle-aged spinster sister and the father's idealistic young adult male cousin, we see the different points of view and reactions of these everyday people to the apparent changes in a world where America doesn't re-elect Roosevelt in 1940 but instead turns to all-American hero, high-flier Charles Lindbergh, known for his Nazi-leaning, anti-Semitic views at the time and in particular his isolationist "America First" views aimed at keeping America out of "Europe's war" even as news of German atrocities against the Jewish race in particular were becoming known.

The series cleverly made use of real-life characters in the narrative to give the plotting plausibility by for example giving prominence to the likes of the hard-line right-wing anti-Semitic Henry Ford on the one side and the Jewish-supporting radio-journalist Walter Winchell on the other, although I found it strange that the dominant political personality of the time, FDR was so easily sidelined by events as to be barely mentioned at all.

Much of the action is seen from the point of view of the two young sons, the older of the two, a budding artist, who blindly hero-worships Lindbergh all the way to the White House while the younger, too young to really comprehend events, is nevertheless inveigled into the maelstrom when he unwittingly puts in harm's way a neighbouring mother and young son. The two boys are also an obvious but nonetheless telling metaphor for the loss of innocence which befalls the whole country.

As has been said, the storyline is at once both preposterous yet believable and greatly helped by the recreation of the period and mostly convincing acting of the large cast. The two biggest names here are probably John Turturro as the influential rabbi who sees himself elevated to the cabinet by the patronage of the new president and especially the new First Lady but fails to identify this as tokenism on Lindbergh's part and Winona Ryder as the afore-mentioned wife's sister who hooks up with him to get herself off the shelf but who likewise doesn't recognise her own hypocrisy in accepting the surface prestige that goes with her social elevation to a fascist-leaning inner-circle. They're both fine in relatively unsympathetic parts but better were John Hamm lookalike Morgan Spector and especially Zoe Kazan as the husband and wife trying to keep themselves and their family together as the storm breaks.

With tension and expectation ratcheted up over five credible and convincing episodes I must admit to being disappointed with the extra-length series finale. The transformation of the previously gung-ho resistance fighter cousin Alvin to an out-for-himself cheap gangster seemed too dramatic an example of disillusionment, the eventual explanation of Lindbergh's motivation seemed over-contrived while the inconclusive ending left things too much up in the air and almost seemed like a back-door way to eke out a follow-up series which I hope doesn't occur.

Nevertheless this was superior TV drama with many an important underlying and topical message not the least of which I'd venture is to beware the rise of populist demagogues in the political firmament.

This is a gripping account of what can happen to a country and did happen to several in the first half of the twentieth century and how people react to it. It is slow but it is also often a slow decline toward the dissapearance of the rule of law. Hitler was appointed as prime minister in 1933 by democratic vote in parliament and only gradually instituted the Nazi state. I don't understand the rather low rating in comparison with other series: An inconvenient truth or a mirror image some people don't like? Freedom is a very precious human right.

This definitely has a huge potential but it's already on episode 4 by the time I wrote this but nothing happens yet. The real conflict has yet to come and by the look of it, I doubt that something surprising is going to happen on episode 5. This show is taking things too slow. It won't make u fall asleep, but definitely will disappoint u at the end of each episode.

Just finished it. The book was way better. They skipped alot of the tension in the book. Left out alot too. I always wanted this to be made as a show but 6eps was to short to make this book. Maybe oneday we get a better version. But for now stick to the book which is way better.

My dad read Philip Roth's novel "The Plot Against America", depicting a hypothetical version of US history in which aviator - and Jew-hating demagogue - Charles Lindbergh gets elected president, causing the situation to become increasingly hostile for the country's Jewish population.

To my knowledge, Roth didn't intend the novel as any sort of analogy. When the HBO miniseries got announced, a lot of people saw it as an allusion to the current state of affairs. The point is that the moment a leader starts exalting a country's dominant population over the "other", you have fascism.

The miniseries doesn't pound this point in our faces. It's merely a warning about what could happen (is happening?) to the US. Be aware.