The Looming Tower: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 104 Ratings

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5.7

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5.7	Your Score
5.7	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 104 Ratings

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Season Details & Credits

HULU | Season Premiere Date: February 28, 2018

Summary: CIA analyst Martin Schmidt (Peter Sarsgaard) defies orders to share information about potential terrorists with John O'Neill (Jeff Daniels), the head of the New York FBI's Counter-Terrorism unit, believing only the CIA can handle terrorist threats in this 10-part drama based on Lawrence Wright's non-fiction book about how infightingCIA analyst Martin Schmidt (Peter Sarsgaard) defies orders to share information about potential terrorists with John O'Neill (Jeff Daniels), the head of the New York FBI's Counter-Terrorism unit, believing only the CIA can handle terrorist threats in this 10-part drama based on Lawrence Wright's non-fiction book about how infighting between FBI and CIA may have led to the rise of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in the late 1990s.… Expand

Genre(s): Drama, Movie/Mini-Series

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E10. 9/11
Air Date: April 18, 2018
tbd
S1:E9. Tuesday
Air Date: April 11, 2018
tbd
S1:E1. Now It Begins...
Air Date: February 28, 2018

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

IndieWire Ben Travers

Feb 26, 2018

From the remarkable cast (Michael Stuhlbarg and Bill Camp deserve analysis all to themselves, so enthralling are their beautifully developed supporting characters) to deft direction (Gibney, an Oscar-winning documentarian, brings his past expertise to scripted TV in clever, efficient fashion — the flash-forward testimonials and found footage both speak to his storytelling brilliance), this is a limited series worth seeking out. It may be an unmissable history lesson, but it’s also just one helluva story, told very, very well. Read full review

Kelly Lawler

Feb 27, 2018

Many streaming series have bloated lengths and extraneous subplots, but almost every scene in Tower feels vital, even if it's occasionally guilty of being a bit too on the nose. ... In its softer-touch moments, the series excels at creating a sense of existential dread, offering answers to questions we wish we didn't have to ask, and finding something new to say about a story we all already know. Read full review

Kristi Turnquist

Feb 23, 2018

Instead of being heavily self-important, The Looming Tower is swift and urgent, with an outstanding cast and zingy writing. Read full review

Emily VanDerWerff

Feb 28, 2018

The Looming Tower, despite its high stakes and its ostensibly true story (though many details have been changed), is a cop show. A really well-done cop show, admittedly, but a cop show. And more power to it. Read full review

David Wiegand

Feb 26, 2018

The three episodes made available to critics are masterful and smart in how they use our knowledge of what happened on 9/11 to supply retroactive suspense to the events of the late 1990s. That may be more challenging to maintain over the remaining seven episodes, but even if the the construct falls short, the series still has a core of complex, morally various characters, brilliantly embodied by Daniels and others, to hold our attention. Read full review

Hank Stuever

Feb 27, 2018

The show’s disclaimer about fudging some facts to smooth the story out makes it difficult to decide if you should Google along with it (or thumb through Wright’s book) trying to nail down its accuracy. Maybe it’s more watchable if you let yourself get lost in it and pay closer attention to its themes rather than its footnotes. Read full review

Collider Chris Cabin

Feb 23, 2018

The performers offer flashes of persona in quiet moments, gesticulations, and a handful of exchanges but for the most part, the characters come off as little more than figures meant to convey information from Wright’s book. Read full review

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User Score

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User Reviews

anoe_

Feb 28, 2018

A TV at its finest. Everything on the highest level. Congrats to cast&crew for this masterpiece.

20 of 22 users found this helpful202

amanda_O

Mar 1, 2018

Love this series so much. Jeff Daniels and Tahar Rahim are the best! Can't wait for more episodes. Strong 10 points from me!

13 of 13 users found this helpful130

rauleliseo1

Mar 7, 2018

That's #4 Most Discussed TV Season of 2018 for a reason, ha? Love everything bout the show. Great cast!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

maniac4tv

Feb 28, 2018

The biggest story of the decade. The biggest tv series of the year. A must watch for everyone. 10/10

18 of 18 users found this helpful180

geewah

Jan 15, 2021

Excellent series that looks at the infighting between the FBI and the CIA throughout the 1990's and the rise of Al-Qaeda in that same period.
Well cast & cleverly written. One of 2018's best shows.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Richman

Mar 27, 2018

Wow Hula has done 2 great show with Handmaids Tale and Looming Towers. Let hope they continue with great programs like this in the future. Looming Towers is a poor mans Homeland. They do not have the big budget like Showtime but still are doing a great job with this show. Not the sameWow Hula has done 2 great show with Handmaids Tale and Looming Towers. Let hope they continue with great programs like this in the future. Looming Towers is a poor mans Homeland. They do not have the big budget like Showtime but still are doing a great job with this show. Not the same quality actors or story lines as Homeland but good enough for me to keep watching.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

thenewdimenshun

Mar 5, 2018

I must be watching a different show than the one that this user below is watching (it's literally one user, creating multiple accounts, saying the same exact thing). This should be more carefully monitored. Anyways, onto the show itself. I loved the trailer and the book this was based on soI must be watching a different show than the one that this user below is watching (it's literally one user, creating multiple accounts, saying the same exact thing). This should be more carefully monitored. Anyways, onto the show itself. I loved the trailer and the book this was based on so I was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately, the show doesn't add up. I'm not totally sure why I'm not liking Jeff Daniels in this. It might be that he's just in too many television shows now, and I'm a little bored with his performance. It's pretty much the same kind of character in all of his shows, and it's not the standout role that I thought it would be for me. I know it's cliche to say the book is better than the show...but the book IS much better than the show. I really don't enjoy how they switched the narrative to more of an American focus. Not a fan. I saw all three eps, but I struggled to get through them. I read that there are 7 more...how? I think three episodes in, I'm ready to quit watching. Too bad as I was looking forward to this.… Expand

3 of 15 users found this helpful312

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Seasons & Episodes

74

Series Overview
Season 1

74
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: February 28, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E10. 9/11
  Air Date: April 18, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E9. Tuesday
  Air Date: April 11, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E1. Now It Begins...
  Air Date: February 28, 2018