Manhattan (2014–5)
From 2014 to 2017, WGN—the Chicago-based superstation that gave me Bozo in my youth—became a purveyor of original, scripted television as WGN America. Though short-lived, the experiment yielded a quartet of fascinating series: Salem (2014–7), created by Brannon Braga & Adam Simon; Manhattan (2014–5), created by Sam Shaw; Outsiders (2016–7), created by Peter Mattei; and Underground (2016–7), created by Misha Green & Joe Pokaski. Each had elements to recommend it, but my favorite was Manhattan, a fictionalized account of the development of the atom bomb, that reminded me of the works of Costa-Gavras, Gilliam, and Kafka.
