Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Based on "A Place Called Waco" by David Thibodeau & Leon Whiteson, and "Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator" by Gary Noesner, Developed by John Erick Dowdle, and Drew Dowdle, Written by John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle, Salvatore Stabile, and Sarah Nicole Jones, Directed by John Erick Dowdle, and Dennie Gordon, Starring: Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, Andrea Riseborough, Paul Sparks, Rory Culkin, Shea Whigham, Melissa Benoist, John Leguizamo, Julia Garner, Glenn Fleshler, with Composers: Jeff Russo, and Jordan Gagne, Country of origin: United States, Original language: English, No. of episodes: 6, Executive producers: Harvey Weinstein (uncredited), David C. Glasser, Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, Megan Spanjian, Salvatore Stabile, John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle, and Ted Gold, Producer: Kelly A. Manners, with Cinematography by Todd McMullen, and Editors: Elliot Greenberg, and Christopher Nelson, Running time: 47–52 minutes, Production companies: The Weinstein Company (uncredited), Brothers Dowdle Productions, Original network: Paramount Network. (2018)

‘Waco’ – Official Trailer:

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Waco is a television miniseries, based on A Place Called Waco: A Survivors Story by David Thibodeau & Leon Whiteson, and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator by Gary Noesner, it was developed by John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle, and it premiered on January 24, 2018 and ran as a six part event airing on Paramount Network that ended on February 28, 2018. The six-episode series dramatizes the the 51-day 1993 standoff between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and David Koresh‘s religious faction, the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas that culminated in a fatal fire. The miniseries investigates the tragedy before and during the standoff, from a variety of viewpoints of those most personally associated with the two sides of the dispute.

The miniseries stars  Michael ShannonTaylor KitschAndrea RiseboroughPaul SparksRory CulkinShea WhighamMelissa BenoistJohn LeguizamoJulia Garner, and Glenn Fleshler. Waco received a mixed response from critics who praised the performances and tension, but criticized the show’s sympathetic approach to Branch Davidian leader David Koresh. A sequel titled Waco: The Aftermath is premiering on April 16, 2023, on Showtime.

The events of the siege and attack, particularly the origin of the fire, are disputed by various sourcesDepartment of Justice reports from October 1993 and July 2000 conclude that although incendiary tear gas canisters were used by the FBI, it was the Branch Davidians who started the fire, this was considered proven by evidence from audio surveillance recordings of very specific discussions between Koresh and others about pouring more fuel on piles of hay as the fires started, and from aerial footage showing at least three simultaneous ignition points at different locations in the building complex. The FBI contends that none of their agents fired any live rounds on the day of the fire. Critics contend that live rounds were indeed fired by law enforcement, and suggest that a combination of gunshots and flammable tear gas was the true cause of the fire.

The Waco siege was cited by Timothy McVeigh as the main reason for his and Terry Nichols‘s plan to execute the Oklahoma City bombing exactly two years later, on April 19, 1995, as well as the modern-day American militia movement and a rise in opposition to firearm regulation.

The chief conspirators, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, met in 1988 at Fort Benning during basic training for the U.S. Army. McVeigh met Michael Fortier as his Army roommate. The three shared interests in survivalism. McVeigh and Nichols were radicalized by white supremacist and antigovernment propaganda. They expressed anger at the federal government's handling of the 1992 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) standoff with Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, as well as the Waco siege, a 51-day standoff in 1993 between the FBI and Branch Davidian members that began with a botched Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) attempt to execute a search warrant. There was a firefight and ultimately a siege of the compound, resulting in the burning and shooting deaths of David Koresh and 75 others. In March 1993, McVeigh visited the Waco site during the standoff, and again after the siege ended. He later decided to bomb a federal building as a response to the raids and to protest what he believed to be US government efforts to restrict rights of private citizens, in particular those under the Second Amendment. McVeigh believed that federal agents were acting like soldiers, thus making an attack on a federal building an attack on their command centers. Photo Credit: Google Images
The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, on April 19, 1995, the second anniversary of the fiery end to the Waco siege. It was the deadliest act of terrorism in U.S. history until the September 11 attacks in 2001, and remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, and the second-deadliest overall. Perpetrated by two anti-government extremists and white supremacists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing occurred at 9:02 a.m. and killed 168 people, injured 680, and destroyed more than one-third of the building, which had to be demolished. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius, shattered glass in 258 buildings, and destroyed 86 cars,[1][2] causing an estimated $652 million worth of damage.[3] Local, state, federal, and worldwide agencies engaged in extensive rescue efforts in the wake of the bombing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activated 11 of its Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces, consisting of 665 rescue workers who assisted in rescue and recovery operations. Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
The American militia movement is a term used by law enforcement and security analysts to refer to a number of private organizations that include paramilitary or similar elements. These groups may refer to themselves as militia, unorganized militia, and constitutional militia. While groups such as the Posse Comitatus existed as early as the 1980s, the movement gained momentum after standoffs with government agents in the early 1990s. By the mid-1990s, such groups were active in all 50 US states, with membership estimated at between 20,000 and 60,000. The movement is most closely associated with the American right-wing, though other groups may range from the far right to the far left of the political spectrum. Photo Credit: Google Images

Waco is the Featured Television Blog of the Month for March and with that comes a Critique that will look that the 1993 standoff, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. You can also expect a Recommendation for the two books that the miniseries is based on by Waco survivor David Thibodeau & novelist Leon Whiteson, and the other book by FBI negotiator from that standoff, Gary Noesner. There will also be a Review of the 2018 Paramount Network miniseries, along with the cast of Waco, and an episode critique of all six episodes. As usual there is also an Interview included in the Featured Television Blog section so you will find a promotional interview from the Paramount Network with Taylor Kitsch, Rory Culkin, Paul Sparks, Melissa Benoist, and Julia Garner where they describe their complicated roles as members of a religious cult. There is also a Top Ten List included with every Featured Television Blog and to commemorate the miniseries Waco you will find in the Featured Television Blog section My Top Ten FBI Series. And as always there is an Official Trailer for the Featured Blog section choice film or Television series!

So finally I give you the Paramount Network miniseries, Waco

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Based on "A Place Called Waco" by David Thibodeau & Leon Whiteson, and "Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator" by Gary Noesner, Developed by John Erick Dowdle, and Drew Dowdle, Written by John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle, Salvatore Stabile, and Sarah Nicole Jones, Directed by John Erick Dowdle, and Dennie Gordon, Starring: Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, Andrea Riseborough, Paul Sparks, Rory Culkin, Shea Whigham, Melissa Benoist, John Leguizamo, Julia Garner, Glenn Fleshler, with Composers: Jeff Russo, and Jordan Gagne, Country of origin: United States, Original language: English, No. of episodes: 6, Executive producers: Harvey Weinstein (uncredited), David C. Glasser, Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, Megan Spanjian, Salvatore Stabile, John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle, and Ted Gold, Producer: Kelly A. Manners, with Cinematography by Todd McMullen, and Editors: Elliot Greenberg, and Christopher Nelson, Running time: 47–52 minutes, Production companies: The Weinstein Company (uncredited), Brothers Dowdle Productions, Original network: Paramount Network. (2018)

Waco is available now to stream on Showtime

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