“The Suck,” a Vietnam War drama produced by the Emmy-winning producers of “thirtysomething” Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz has received a 10-episode commitment from Discovery Channel, the cable network announced Wednesday.
“The Suck” is based on an unpublished memoir by Vietnam veteran and former Greenpeace International executive Stephen McAllister, described by Discovery Channel and Lionsgate, which will produce the series, as “by turns funny, terrifying and tragic.”
“The Suck” “presents a unique and unexpected view of the American experience in the Vietnam War. At the same time, it dramatizes the story of the Vietnamese in a way not previously explored in television,” according to Discovery Channel and Lionsgate.
Zwick will direct the first episode. He directed the Oscar-winning films “Glory” and “Legends of the Fall.”
Herskovitz and Zwick were among the producers of the 1987-91 ABC drama “thirtysomething,” which won the Emmy for best drama series in 1988.
Zwick and Herskovitz produced the acclaimed ABC 1994-95 teen drama “My So-Called Life” and produce the country music drama “Nashville,” now airing on CMT after four seasons on ABC.
Former ABC Entertainment President Tony Thomopoulos is also among the executive producers of “The Suck.”
“This series brings together an incredible property, the brilliant creative team of Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz and the perfect partner in our friends at Discovery,” said Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs.
“Ed and Marshall have done a remarkable job of shepherding the success of `Nashville’ this season, and we’re proud to bring their singular talents to the television portrayal of Stephen McAllister’s unconventional Vietnam memoir.”
McAllister served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army’s 25th Division. He joined the crew of the Greenpeace vessel the Rainbow Warrior in 1981, later becoming campaign director for Greenpeace USA, executive director of Greenpeace Australia and deputy executive director/campaign director of Greenpeace International.
After leaving Greenpeace in 1991, he pursued a business career in the Washington D.C. area, from which he recently retired. McAllister is a member of the of the board of directors of the ocean advocacy group Oceana as is Keith Addis, another producer of “The Suck.”
