erasmusbushman

Lavishly produced, very well acted and generally quite entertaining, but I did think the Spanish Princess drifted into soap opera a little too often. Massive liberties taken with history, but we should all know by now that any show "based on historical events" is just that - most of the people existed, some of the things happened, but most of it is pure fiction. Still, I often find these kinds of shows interesting because they lure me into checking the historical facts, which is educational. I was surprised to find, for instance, that Catherine actually did have a black woman as one of her retinue of 'ladies'.

I kind of expected a propaganda piece - either pro or anti America - but Baghdad Central isn't like that at all. This is a really thought-provoking series with great characters and great performances. There are plenty of good guys and bad guys but there are mainly people either just trying to survive or just doing their job as best they can in a bad and unfamiliar situation. The lead character is exceptionally well drawn and beautifully played by Waleed Zuaiter - great actor. Maybe I like this so much because I came in with fairly low expectations, but I don't think so. I think this is genuinely one of the best pieces of TV produced this year.