TV
The Looming Tower (Hulu 2018, Bill Camp, Peter Sarsgaard)
Based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning book, The Looming Tower traces the rising threat of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in the late 1990s and how the rivalry between the FBI and CIA during that time may have inadvertently set the path for the tragedy of 9/11.
The series follows members of the I-49 Squad in New York and Alec Station in Washington, D.C., the counter-terrorism divisions of the FBI and CIA, respectively, as they travel the world fighting for ownership of information while seemingly working toward the same goal – trying to prevent an imminent attack on U.S. soil.
production details
USA / Hulu -Legendary Television / 10×42 minutes / Broadcast 28 February – 18 April 2018
Alex Gibney as Executive Producer
Dan Futterman as Creator and Executive Producer
Lawrence Wright as Original Author and Executive Producer
cast
Bill Camp as Robert Chesney
Jeff Daniels as John O’Neill
Ella Rae Peck as Heather
Wrenn Schmidt as Diane Priest
Yul Vazquez as Jason Sanchez
Peter Sarsgaard as Martin Schmidt
Tahar Rahim as Ali Soufan
Louis Cancelmi as Vince Stuart
Jamie Neumann as Toni-Ann Marino
Sullivan Jones as Floyd Bennet
Annie Parisse as Liz
Virginia Kull as Kathy Shaughnessy
Michael Stuhlbarg as Richard Clarke
Alec Baldwin as George Tenet
EPISODE GUIDE
1. Now it Begins… | Airdate: 28 February 2018
The chief of the FBI’s counter-terrorism unit, John O’Neill, invites rookie Muslim-American agent, Ali Soufan, onto his squad. Fighting to get information from the CIA, they soon realize their work is just beginning…as two American embassies are bombed.
2. Losing My Religion | Airdate: 28 February 2018
Following the simultaneous embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the FBI begins its investigation on the ground, while the CIA starts working on a retaliation plan.
3. Mistakes Were Made | Airdate: 28 February 2018
The FBI finds one of the surviving terrorists and discovers a game changing lead in Nairobi, while the CIA’s retaliation plan in approved.
4. Mercury | Airdate: 7 March 2018
Continuing to keep information from the FBI, Schmidt is fired from Alec Station. Diane makes an important discovery about the owner of the phone number Owhali gave Chesney. O’Neill searches for solace in his faith as his personal and professional lives crumble before him.
5. Y2K | Airdate: 14 March 2018
The CIA and FBI are on high alert as threats surrounding the new millennium abound. O’Neill and Soufan raid an AQ cell in Brooklyn. The CIA continues to hide vital information from the FBI while they track suspicious individuals entering the U.S.
6. Boys at War | Airdate: 21 March 2018
Vince continues asking for permission to share Mihdhar’s visa with the FBI. O’Neill loses his briefcase and an investigation into his handling of classified materials begins. A boy, radicalized after the CIA’s retaliation attack killed his friend, travels to Yemen to start his own martyrdom journey.
7. The General | Airdate: 28 March 2018
O’Neill and Soufan travel to Yemen to begin the investigation into the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole. The FBI becomes aware of a meeting in Malaysia and of Khallad, without knowing the CIA has been aware of both of those things for months.
8. A Very Special Relationship | Airdate: 4 April 2018
Everyone adjusts to a new president and, with it, a shift in threat priority. Soufan learns of the importance of UBL’s bodyguard and is refused access to him. O’Neill is denied re-entry into Yemen and forced to resign. The terrorists in the U.S., Hazmi, Mihdhar and Atta, are lost by their U.S. handler.
9. Tuesday | Airdate: 11 April 2018
The CIA becomes aware that Hazmi and Mihdhar are gone and must relay that to the FBI. O’Neill accepts a job as head of security at the World Trade Center. Soufan is sent back to Yemen. Hazmi, Mihdhar and Atta head to Vegas for a final indulgence.
10. 9/11 | Airdate: 18 April 2018
Nobody can get a hold of O’Neill on Sept. 11, 2001; Soufan’s evacuation from Yemen stops short as the CIA Station Chief gives him the answers he has been seeking from the CIA; Schmidt is reinstated into Alec Station; Soufan interrogates abu Jandal.