steve0557 I consider the true history of the American Revolution, and the establishment of our present Constitution, as lost forever; and nothing but misrepresentations, or partial accounts of it, will ever be recovered. (John Adams) Never was that quote so true as with this pathetic, over reaching example of the American revolution in film. I missed it on Television so I purchased the set on Amazon. I watched part 1 and some of part 2. I was literally cringing and screaming at my TV. So as not to have debris spread all over my living room for taking a hammer to it I calmed myself long enough to toss the garbage into the trash. In case my views are not clear. The makers should be tarred and feathered. At least then they could claim that they have some knowledge of what it was actually like to live during that time. As it stands now, its clear the producers haven't a single clue.

cristo111 I'm pleased that someone has finally captured the character of Sam Adams, as the "Assassin's Creed" style ninja and impoverished pub-keeper he truly was - not the rich middle-aged brewer I mis-remembered from supposed history books. And John Adams, his wise, established older cousin. I was so surprised to hear that John was older after having read the fictional account in David McCullough's novel "John Adams". Silly David. Though I must confess, I love your voice-overs on Ken Burns' fictional movies about America! Imagine the chilling frisson of historical recognition as you hear Benjamin Franklin deliver his historical and immortal line to our intrepid trio of freedom-seeking Bostonians: "Come on in, just don't ransack the place". Wow. History comes alive. Totally believable. This is so believable you don't need to ever believe anything else. Bravo.

james-seaford Actually, it was the first five minutes, but I persevered. I guess I had an expectation that there would be some actual history in it. This is like that Japanese Restaurant where no Japanese would set foot in the place, much less work there. Not an authentic experience. Characters are all one-dimensional, lead actor is putting on a rather strong American actor for the period (which is very odd because the actor is British). The dialogue is even odder, and reminds me of something you would find in Buffy the Vampire rather than a TV series on a subject matter Americans all take rather seriously - when done right, the results are amazing i.e. John Adams. Use a long stick to avoid this hazard.

Robert J. Maxwell I haven't seen the whole series so maybe my judgment is compromised.Yet I did watch the episode dealing with the Boston Tea Party and it struck me as terrible. It's not so much the narrative that was bothersome, as the writing and the directorial technique.Of course, much of the dialog must be fabricated, since there were no TV cameras recording the event. Yet, the actors have voices that originated in the San Fernando Valley, and they speak lines that sound as if they were copied directly from the action movies we've seen recently. "That's rich," laughs one character. "I'm the damned governor and whatever I do is permitted and legal."As they go about heaving the boxes of tea overboard, they make wisecracks, just as Steven Segal might. An American hero is outlined like Dirty Harry at the amusement park, daring the British soldiers to shoot him."Do not fire!" shouts the British commander. "That's what he wants. You'll just make a martyr out of him." Really. Here's what the Journal of the American Revolution has to say about it: "The takeaway from this is that the Sons of Liberty program is highly entertaining historical fiction. We hope it energizes more people to study the Revolution and discover the truth behind these events. In many cases, the real story is better than fiction."There's something far more disturbing than the historical inaccuracies and the extreme slow motion of firing muskets. It's revealed, I think, in the series' tag line:"There's the revolution you know. And the one that's about to begin."The government is the enemy, and shown to be brutal in the use of military force to suppress yearnings for freedom and independence. The British officers look mean. They torture and kill prisoners. The Americans are handsome, resolute, proud, and don't like the treatment they receive from an alien government they feel is invalid and is overreaching its authority. The colonials react the only way real men would -- with violence.Is it possible that this series is designed deliberately to tap into the current unfocused anger that seems so common in the US today? Is the intended audience to include those of us who feel the current government should somehow be dismantled, that it's invalid? You know, the Americans who look forward to the revolution "that's about to begin"? If it's all like this, no six year old should miss it.