FX Series Makes Military Family Fume

FX's new prime-time Iraq war series "Over There" hasn't aired yet, but it's already angering some military family members.

The show is scheduled to debut this July. According to the network, it will feature a U.S. Army unit on its first tour of duty in Iraq and spotlight the challenges encountered by soldiers and the war's effects on families back home.

The program is co-created by Chris Gerolmo and Steven Bochco (of "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue" fame).

"The show doesn't really take any political stance on the war," an FX spokesperson told The Associated Press. "It's not about policy."

Michelle Tucker saw an FX commercial promoting "Over There" and didn't like it at all. "It stunned me, angered me and I was horrified," Tucker said.

Tucker calls it "disrespectful and distasteful." Her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Wayne Tucker, is in Iraq. A member of his unit died recently when a bomb exploded near his military vehicle, which eerily resembled events that were depicted in the ad for "Over There."

Now Tucker is asking military families to write letters of protest to the FX network.

"This series may have fictional characters but our loved ones are real and we don't need to be reminded [of] the dangers they face everyday from a series whose sole purpose is for entertainment and ratings," she wrote.

Some other military family members have written or plan to compose similar letters.

But Angela Dodge wants to wait until the show airs. Her husband, Sgt. Gregory Dodge, is serving in the 2113th.

"What my hope would be is that they would approach the series in a manner in which it would remind people exactly what our soldiers are doing over there, not something [with] sensationalism," Dodge said.

The Left Coast Report muses, Could sensationalism possibly be part of a game plan on a network that features "Nip Tuck," "The Shield" and reruns of "Supermodel Fear Factor"?