A Boring ‘Band’

Originally, I couldn’t wait to see HBO’s “Band of Brothers” miniseries (“Easy Company’s Hard Times,” by Susan King, Aug. 26). Talk about anticipation! Having seen the first three episodes, I’m not so sure I want to see the rest of it. This miniseries has three huge problems:

(1) Incredibly bland casting. I have never, and I mean never, seen such a large group of actors who are so instantly forgettable, so nondescript and featureless.

(2) Dreary, lackluster writing. There isn’t a single, interesting characterization to be found anywhere. Couldn’t the writers have taken a little bit of screen time to explore a few soldiers in depth? And why does the dialogue have to be so tedious, so lifeless?

(3) Really bad sound. Forget the quality of the script: 50% of the words are unintelligible or just pain mumbled by the actors.

If this show doesn’t improve, I’m gone. Frankly, I’m surprised that so many amazing things from the book could be made into such a numbing, listless series. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg should show a little less of the battles and concentrate more on the people.

LAWRENCE BROOKS

Los Angeles