''Generation Kill'' is an American seven-part television

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

produced for

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

that aired from July 13 to August 24, 2008. It is based on Evan Wright's 2004 book '' Generation Kill'', about his experience as an embedded reporter with the US Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and was adapted for television by David Simon, Ed Burns, and Wright. The miniseries was directed by Susanna White and Simon Cellan Jones and produced by

Andrea Calderwood Andrea Calderwood is a British film and television producer. She produced ''Mrs Brown'' and ''The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind'' which was distributed by Netflix. Life Calderwood was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Scotland. She won a Brit ...

. The ensemble cast includes Alexander Skarsgård as Sergeant Brad "Iceman" Colbert, Jon Huertas as Sergeant Tony "Poke" Espera, James Ransone as Corporal Josh Ray Person, and

Lee Tergesen Lee Allen Tergesen (; born July 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayals of Chett Donnelly on USA Network's '' Weird Science'' (1994–1998), Tobias Beecher on HBO's '' Oz'' (1997–2003), Peter McMillan on the second seas ...

as Wright.

Production

The cable channel

gave the go-ahead to a seven-part miniseries based on Evan Wright's book about his experiences as an embedded reporter with the U.S. Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

's first phase. The series is set during the invasion of Iraq, from late March to early April 2003. The miniseries was shot over a six-month shoot from mid-to-late 2007 in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, and

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. The miniseries was produced on a budget of $56 million, with an emphasis on the realism of the production design.

Crew

David Simon and Ed Burns co-wrote and executive produced the miniseries alongside Company Pictures' George Faber and Charles Pattinson, and HBO's Anne Thomopoulos.

was the producer; Nina Noble served as co-executive producer; author Evan Wright was credited as a consulting producer; Susanna White and Simon Cellan Jones directed the episodes; and two former U.S. Marines, Eric Kocher and Rudy Reyes, served as the production's military advisors as well as starred in the series.

Cast and characters

There are 28 starring cast members with a large supporting cast. The majority of the characters were drawn from the Second Platoon of the First Reconnaissance Battalion's Bravo Company.

played embedded reporter Evan Wright, though throughout the series he is only referred to as "Reporter,” “Scribe,” or "Rolling Stone". Wright was assigned to the lead vehicle of Bravo Company, which he shared with Staff Sergeant Brad "Iceman" Colbert, played by Alexander Skarsgård, Corporal Josh Ray Person, played by James Ransone and Lance Corporal Harold James Trombley, played by Billy Lush. To prepare for their roles as Recon Marines, the cast attended a six-day boot camp led by Eric Kocher and Rudy Reyes. Other starring characters, from 2nd platoon include: * Stark Sands as

First lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

Nathaniel Fick * Marc Menchaca as Gunnery Sergeant Mike "Gunny" Wynn * Jon Huertas as

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

Antonio "Poke" Espera * Mike Figueroa as Sergeant Leandro "Shady B" Baptista * Josh Barrett as Sergeant Larry Shawn "Pappy" Patrick * Sergeant Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes as himself * Jonah Lotan as Hospital Corpsman Second Class Robert Timothy "Doc" Bryan * Wilson Bethel as

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

Evan "Q-Tip" Stafford * Pawel Szajda as Corporal Walt Hasser * Rey Valentin as Corporal Gabriel "Gabe" Garza * Sean Brosnan as Corporal Daniel Redman *

Kellan Lutz Kellan Christopher Lutz (born March 15, 1985) is an American actor, martial artist and model. He made his film debut in '' Stick It'' (2006), and is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series (2008–2012). He has ...

as Corporal Jason Lilley * Rich McDonald as Corporal Anthony "Manimal" Jacks * Eric Ladin as Corporal James Chaffin * Daniel Fox as Private First Class John Christeson Additional characters: * Robert John Burke as Major general James "Chaos" Mattis, commanding officer of 1st Marine Division * Chance Kelly as Lieutenant colonel Stephen "Godfather" Ferrando, commanding officer of the First Reconnaissance Battalion * Benjamin Busch as

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Todd Eckloff, executive officer of the battalion * Michael Kelly as

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Bryan Patterson, commanding officer of Alpha Company * Brian Patrick Wade as Captain Craig "Encino Man" Schwetje, commanding officer of Bravo Company * Eric Nenninger as Captain Dave "Captain America" McGraw, the erratic commanding officer of 3rd platoon, Bravo company * Neal Jones as

Sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

John Sixta, a loudmouth Battalion SNCO * David Barrera as Gunnery Sergeant Ray "Casey Kasem" Griego, Bravo Company's operations chief *

Owain Yeoman Owain Sebastian Yeoman is a Welsh actor, best known for playing CBI Agent Wayne Rigsby in the CBS series ''The Mentalist''. His additional credits include ''The Nine (TV series), The Nine'', ''Kitchen Confidential (TV series), Kitchen Confident ...

as Sergeant Eric Kocher, a long-suffering team leader under the command of "Captain America". The real-life Eric Kocher portrays another Marine (Gunnery Sergeant Rich Barrott) who drives Captain Patterson's command Humvee in Alpha. * J. Salome Martinez Jr. as Corporal Jeffrey "Dirty Earl" Carazales * Nabil Elouahabi as "Meesh", the battalion translator

Episodes

Soundtrack

Although the series has no score, it features a large collection of music, much of it songs that were popular among the American populace in late 2002 and early 2003. The newer music (in the show's context) serves to illustrate pop culture during the time of the invasion. All of the songs are sung ''

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

'' by cast members, with the exception of

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

's " The Man Comes Around" and Josh Ray Person's "Re-Up Time".

Episode 1: "Get Some"

:" Merry Christmas from the Family", by Robert Earl Keen :" Sk8er Boi", by

Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is a key musician in popularizing pop-punk music, as she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. List of awa ...

:" Lovin' You", by Minnie Riperton :" Use Me", by

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...

Episode 2: "The Cradle of Civilization"

:" Beyoğlu", by D.J. Kambo :" The Marines' Hymn", Traditional :"Smoke Signals", by Dada Flair :" Complicated", by

:" Bodies", by Drowning Pool :" Boyz-n-the-Hood", by Dynamite Hack :" Hot in Herre", by

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

Episode 3: "Screwby"

:" Hot in Herre", by

:" It Was a Good Day", by

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

:" Tainted Love", by Ed Cobb

Episode 4: "Combat Jack"

:" The "Fish" Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag", by Country Joe and the Fish :"Attahaddiat", by Kadhum Al Sahir :"Entaha Almeshwar", by Kadhum Al Sahir :"Copenhagen Song", by Josh Ray Person :" Teenage Dirtbag", by

Wheatus Wheatus is an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. They are known principally for their 2000 single, "Teenage Dirtbag". They also experienced success with their 2001 cover version of Erasure (duo), Erasure's "A Little ...

Episode 5: "A Burning Dog"

:" On the Road Again", by

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

:" Sundown", by

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, ...

:" My Cherie Amour", by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

:" Gangsta Gangsta", by N.W.A

Episode 6: "Stay Frosty"

:"It Ain't Easy", by

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

:" Let Me Ride", by Dr. Dre :" Fuck tha Police", by N.W.A :"

Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" is a country music song first recorded by Ed Bruce, written by him and his wife Patsy Bruce. His version of the song appears on his Ed Bruce (1976 album), 1976 self-titled album for United Artis ...

", by

Ed Bruce William Edwin Bruce Jr. (December 29, 1939 – January 8, 2021) was an American country music songwriter, singer, and actor. He was known for writing the 1975 song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and recording the 1982 cou ...

:" Can I Kick It?", by

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

:" So Fresh, So Clean", by

Outkast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...

Episode 7: "Bomb in the Garden"

:" 9 to 5 (Morning Train)", by

Sheena Easton Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress who achieved recognition in an episode of the reality television series ''The Big Time (TV series), The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to gain a ...

:" Come Sail Away", by Styx :" King of the Road", by

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country hits " King of the Road", "Dang Me", and " England Swing ...

:"Re-Up Time", by Josh Ray Person :" The Man Comes Around", by

Reception

Critical response

The miniseries received very positive reviews from critics. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, it received a score of 80 out of 100 based on 27 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the miniseries has an approval rating of 86% based on 42 reviews, with an average rating of 9.1/10. The critical consensus reads, "''Generation Kill'' plunges the viewer into war with a visceral force that's still somehow reined in by masterful storytelling and a strong command of period details." A red carpet screening of ''Generation Kill'' was held for U.S. Marines at

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where the series was favorably received. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' gave the series an "A−" rating, and critic Ken Tucker remarked favorably on its avoidance of cliché, self-consciousness, and agenda-driven storytelling, and praised its execution, nuance, and verisimilitude. Robert Bianco of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' wrote: "the seven-part ''Generation Kill'' is what you'd hope for from the people behind ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'': an honest, barely adorned, sometimes painfully vivid representation of life as we live it now. It's journalism converted to art, with both benefiting". Nev Pierce of ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'' gave the miniseries a perfect five out of five stars. Brian Lowry of '' Variety'' says "HBO nails the target with ''Generation Kill''". Tim Goodman of '' SFGate'' praised the series' authenticity and attention to detail. Writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Alessandra Stanley remarked "''Generation Kill'' has a superb cast and script, provides a searingly intense, clear-eyed look at the first stage of the war, and it is often gripping". Noel Murray of '' The A.V. Club'' wrote: "By the time ''Generation Kills final chapter ends, Wright and company have created not just a nuanced, necessary explication of recent events, but an epic that can stand alongside the greatest long-form movies ever made". Pattie Pegler of

Stuff Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to: *Physical matter *General, unspecific things, or entities Arts, media, and entertainment Books *''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly *''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jeremy Strong Fictional c ...

said, "This is a complex, unwieldy tale that draws you in and isn't afraid to take its time. And, in that way it reminds me of ''The Wire'' – a brilliant piece of television that left you thinking long after you switched off. ''Generation Kill'' promises to be equally unforgettable." Conversely, Austin Smith of the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' was not as impressed. He described the series "as dull and throbbing as a severe headache". Similarly, Troy Patterson of ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

'' wrote: "''Generation Kill'' is too skeptical about authority to entertain neocons or red-meat nationalists and too depressing to delight a good liberal. It plays like it's been built for antisocial boys—armchair heroes in love with guns and in search of demented adventure."

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{HBONetwork Shows Iraq War in television War television series 2000s American television miniseries Television shows about the United States Marine Corps HBO television dramas Television shows written by David Simon Television series by All3Media Television shows set in Iraq American military television series Television shows based on non-fiction books