The Looming Tower

:

Season 1
  • Network: HULU
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 28, 2018
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 104 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 104
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 104
  3. Negative: 40 out of 104
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User Reviews

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  1. maniac4tv
    Feb 28, 2018
    10
    The biggest story of the decade. The biggest tv series of the year. A must watch for everyone. 10/10
  2. lovefortv
    Feb 28, 2018
    10
    Finally a good political TV-drama. Super excited for more from this outstanding story. A good watch for everyone. Solid 10-10
  3. dominicv
    Mar 1, 2018
    10
    I was very sceptical before release (after the book), but right now I can't say a bad word about whole project. With a crew and cast like this, I'm not surprised. 10!
  4. adore11
    Feb 28, 2018
    10
    Best tv series of the year for sure. Amazing story, dreamy cast and awesome directed. Can't wait to watch more and more. Thanks, Hulu!
  5. hirexeth
    Feb 28, 2018
    10
    No words do describe how good this mini-series is. Just can't wait for more episodes. A must watch for sure now!
  6. benjamino
    Mar 1, 2018
    10
    Outstanding mini-series. Not surprised most reviews are so high. No words and congrats!
  7. anoe_
    Feb 28, 2018
    10
    A TV at its finest. Everything on the highest level. Congrats to cast&crew for this masterpiece.
  8. amanda_O
    Mar 1, 2018
    10
    Love this series so much. Jeff Daniels and Tahar Rahim are the best! Can't wait for more episodes. Strong 10 points from me!
  9. 1220
    Mar 1, 2018
    10
    This what a good TV (and us) really needs. Great script, amazing director and outstanding cast (especialy Tahar Rahim and Jeff Daniels). Thx HULU!
  10. tvaaaa
    Mar 1, 2018
    10
    Finally a good political mini-series. Thanks to Hulu for saving us. Watch first 3 episodes on Hulu in US and Amazon Prime in Europe (today UK, next week Germany/France)
  11. tywinjax
    Mar 1, 2018
    10
    Thank you for making this mini series. What a pleasure to watch. Keep going and happy to watch more! 10!
  12. ferrisharley
    Mar 1, 2018
    9
    What can I say? It's almost perfect. Can't say any bad thing about this mini series. Good luck with the rest of the show.
  13. adonislehi
    Mar 1, 2018
    10
    No words... What a mini-series. I need to watch whole thing ASAP. Worth the waiting!
  14. amitairoen
    Mar 7, 2018
    10
    I love the show and I'm happy that most critics agree with me. 10/10 for Hulu! PS. Too bad some hater here using multiple accounts giving "1" over and over. Get a life.
  15. sedricleighton
    Mar 7, 2018
    10
    Amazing job, Hulu. From great cast to amazing script. Can't wait to see the rest of the show. (please report this user with multiple accounts who gives "1" all the time and gives "10" to Crime Story Versace. Get some taste!)
  16. saishlizandro
    Mar 7, 2018
    10
    Best show of 2018!!! No wonder it's "#4 Most Discussed TV Season of 2018". Poor haters here hahahahaha!
  17. Richman
    Mar 27, 2018
    8
    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 same quality actors or story lines as Homeland but good enough for me to keep watching.
  18. tejaysuveer
    Mar 1, 2018
    9
    Hulu did IT again. Outstanding mini series. Deserves all the acclaim. Of course 10!
  19. yacinejermain
    Mar 1, 2018
    10
    I was a little afraid about this show (love the book tho), but I'm happy to see the show like this. Amazing work. The cast is great. 10/10.
  20. londenskyler
    Mar 1, 2018
    10
    So happy to write this little review. Everything on this show is just perfect. From how it's direct to wonderful cast. HULU always delivered. 10/10
  21. denahieason
    Mar 1, 2018
    9
    Amazing show + amazing cast. Well done and I hope it's gonna be as good later.
  22. section20mi6
    Mar 11, 2018
    8
    A realistic look at the roles of CIA and FBI that examines the internal struggle for control and power. With well-developed and well-performed characters, the story elevates the experience of recounting history.
  23. thenewdimenshun
    Mar 5, 2018
    0
    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 so I was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately, the show doesn't add up. I'm not totally sureI 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
  24. tatianasorrey
    Mar 5, 2018
    1
    I went into this expecting the most - and it did not deliver. The ensemble cast was underused in this format, and I found the story extremely boring after just two episodes. The premise was promising, but it just does not deliver. I won't be watching the rest.
  25. ellamarsh
    Mar 5, 2018
    1
    Seriously, though. What was HULU thinking? Off the superb success of Handmaiden's Tale, this seemed like an afterthought. I felt like I was watching people argue in various offices, over various spaces of time. Over and over. About events we already have immense knowledge of. About a topic that has been done and re-done. The characters were grating - you have the genius Stuhlbarg, andSeriously, though. What was HULU thinking? Off the superb success of Handmaiden's Tale, this seemed like an afterthought. I felt like I was watching people argue in various offices, over various spaces of time. Over and over. About events we already have immense knowledge of. About a topic that has been done and re-done. The characters were grating - you have the genius Stuhlbarg, and that's what you do to him? Where is his justice?! I stopped after two episodes, maybe others can handle more.… Expand
  26. sarahlee
    Mar 1, 2018
    3
    From the initial episode, it largely reads as just another dry procedural. Acting is sub-par, and on the nose. It also does not measure up to the book at all, as it largely focuses on the Americans. Major thumbs down.
  27. fashionfocused0
    Mar 5, 2018
    1
    Ten years ago, this show might have made sense (and been more appealing). Now, with so much great television available, it's too easy to pick and choose. I thought I would like this (it has a big-name cast and is based off an excellent book), but I'm just totally bored by it. Some people might like that kind of thing, and I totally get it. But there is so much more exciting and energeticTen years ago, this show might have made sense (and been more appealing). Now, with so much great television available, it's too easy to pick and choose. I thought I would like this (it has a big-name cast and is based off an excellent book), but I'm just totally bored by it. Some people might like that kind of thing, and I totally get it. But there is so much more exciting and energetic and unique television on right now that I can't see myself sticking with this for too much longer.… Expand
  28. mcq767
    Mar 7, 2018
    4
    Idk how more people aren't put off by the dialogue in this, but it. is. awful. People don't talk like this at all. Every sentence is cliche. The cast and production are excellent, but wow. Get someone to proofread a script.
  29. dweezell
    Mar 1, 2018
    5
    Watched the first episode of The Looming Tower last night on HULU. It was well done except for the extensive use of gratuitous profanity. I think I will read the book instead.
  30. vegemitebear
    Apr 8, 2018
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a great show which is more about the self righteousness in the US intelligence system than the desire for safely. It highlights that the US has too many cooks messing up the broth, with some wanting to be the hero, while others just want to get the job done. It only takes one self driven leader to hide intelligence and the mess begins.

    While I'm from Australia, it seems that the British have a better communication among this form of policing. How many near problems have the solved?    … Expand
  31. Paddyy
    Mar 22, 2018
    9
    Great show and underrated! If you like Homeland and/or The Americans give it a try!
  32. Cinemaphile
    Jul 10, 2018
    9
    One cannot believe this is now living history. A must watch for anyone who wants to seriously discuss current geopolitics.
  33. rauleliseo1
    Mar 7, 2018
    10
    That's #4 Most Discussed TV Season of 2018 for a reason, ha? Love everything bout the show. Great cast!
  34. Bertaut1
    Nov 13, 2020
    8
    Complex, intelligent, and sobering

    Based on Lawrence Wright's 2006 book, The Looming Tower tells the story of how the 9/11 attacks were made possible by the internecine squabbling between the CIA and FBI. However, whereas the majority of the book deals with al-Qaeda, the series focuses almost exclusively on the American perspective. Certainly, there are depictions of some of the    Complex, intelligent, and sobering

    Based on Lawrence Wright's 2006 book, The Looming Tower tells the story of how the 9/11 attacks were made possible by the internecine squabbling between the CIA and FBI. However, whereas the majority of the book deals with al-Qaeda, the series focuses almost exclusively on the American perspective. Certainly, there are depictions of some of the terrorists; but this is an American story. And although the binary of CIA=bad/FBI=good is too neat, this is sobering TV, at its best as it depicts how easily these events could have been prevented.

    Although framed by the 9/11 Commission in 2004, the story begins in 1998, with both the CIA and FBI each having a dedicated "bin Laden unit". The CIA's Alec Station is run by Martin Schmidt (a pretentious and reptilian Peter Sarsgaard playing a thinly-fictionalised Michael Scheuer), whilst the FBI's I-49 is run by John O'Neill (a boisterous and foul-mouthed Jeff Daniels). Each unit is required to share intelligence with the other, but, in reality, they don't share much of anything except insults, whilst in between the two is Richard Clarke (Michael Stuhlbarg), National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-terrorism. As the show begins, bin Laden (referred to primarily as UBL) is interviewed for ABC News, promising a grand statement unless the US pull out of the Middle East. The majority of Americans, however, are more interested in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

    Developed for TV by Wright, Dan Futterman, and Alex Gibney, an element to which the show returns time and again is the underestimation of UBL. This is initially touched on in "Now It Begins...", with Ali Soufan (Tahar Rahim), a young Lebanese-born FBI agent, telling O'Neill, "he used the interview to appear strong by threatening the United States as he looked an American directly in the eye." In "Mercury", Soufan explains, "killing Bin Laden is only going to secure his legend and inspire more martyrs." Later in this episode, O'Neill tells Schmidt, "this isn't a war about one man. Bin Laden is an ideologue, not some plutocrat running a banana republic. His people actually believe. It's bin Laden-ism we're up against, not just bin Laden."

    This underestimation is even more pronounced under the Bush presidency, leading to some of the show's best scenes. For example, in "A Very in Relationship", newly appointed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Eisa Davis) interrupts Clarke as he's giving a presentation on al-Qaeda, telling him he's being too long-winded. A later scene in the same episode has O'Neill stunned when Rice doesn't know who he is. An extraordinarily well-written scene, it's the only time we see O'Neill lost for words.

    Another major theme is faith, especially the lapsed faith of O'Neill and Soufan. O'Neill was raised a catholic, but no longer practices, which troubles Liz (Annie Parisse), one of his two mistresses, who believes him (incorrectly) to be divorced. Soufan no longer practises Islam, but the faith-based nature of al-Qaeda troubles him ("when people use my religion to justify this s**t, it affects me"). Indeed, one of the most welcome elements of the show is the depiction of Muslims in general, challenging the notion that all Muslims are Islamic fundamentalists. Important here is Hoda al-Hada (July Namir), wife of one of the hijackers. She doesn't subscribe in any way to her husband's belief in UBL and is more concerned with her children knowing their father than the otherworldly blessings of Allah.

    When it comes to the acting, Bill Camp (playing Robert Chesney, one of O'Neill's most reliable agents) and Michael Stuhlbarg are the standouts. Camp is given an amazing eight-minute scene in "Mistakes Were Made" where he is quiet and calm, fondly remembering his military service, before exploding at the right moment. Stuhlbarg plays Clarke as perennially frustrated, and although he never lets Clarke's quiet politeness slip, on several occasions, he hovers tantalisingly close, in what is an exceptionally subtle and nuanced performance.

    In terms of problems, there's nothing on al-Qaeda's background, hugely important context that was one of Wright's main themes. The various romantic subplots feel rote, generic, and emotionally inauthentic; elements forced into the story so as to counter the testosterone-soaked main narrative. Another issue is the rigid binary distinction between the FBI and CIA (and between O'Neill and Schmidt), which never feels completely authentic.

    Nevertheless, The Looming Tower is taut and complex. The story is streamlined, but it hasn't been drained of moral complexity, serving as a reminder of something with great importance today – with UBL literally telling the US he was going to attack, everyone was more focused on a semen-stained dress. And living, as we do, in an era where the American media is routinely distracted by irrelevancies, it seems the lessons of history have not been heeded.    … Expand
  35. geewah
    Jan 15, 2021
    9
    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.

Awards & Rankings

60
#60 Best TV Season of 2018
25
#25 Most Discussed TV Season of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    Mar 1, 2018
    80
    The Looming Tower is a taut, tense restaging of the internecine squabbles between the FBI and the CIA in the lead-up to 9/11.
    Read full review
  2. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Brian Tallerico
    Feb 28, 2018
    80
    Every time The Looming Tower threatens to spin off into melodrama completely, the cast (and talented directors) find a way to ground it. Ultimately, The Looming Tower is a dissection of incompetence, and how lack of communication and teamwork led to an international tragedy. It’s just complicated enough to feel historically accurate but not to push out viewers. In that sense, it balances historical commentary with what we still need from television most of all, whether it’s on cable or Hulu: entertainment.
    Read full review
  3. Vox.com
    Reviewed by: Emily VanDerWerff
    Feb 28, 2018
    80
    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
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