Show Me a Hero

Did You Know?

• The miniseries premiered in Canada on HBO Canada on August 16, 2015, concurrently with the American broadcast.
• It premiered in Australia on Showcase and in the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic on August 17, 2015.
• The miniseries was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 2, 2016.

Background

The story takes place between 1987 and 1994 in Yonkers, New York, a city north of New York City in Westchester County, and centers on efforts to desegregate public housing. Federal judge Leonard B. Sand ruled against Yonkers and issued a desegregation order requiring the construction of 200 units of public housing—possibly scattered-site public housing—on the middle-class, mostly white east side. By 1988, the city had spent $11 million in legal fees fighting the order, including a failed Supreme Court appeal.

The case drew national attention to issues of race, class, and housing. Mayor Nick Wasicsko initially ran on a platform opposing the judge's order but, before taking office, became an advocate for desegregation after a federal appeals court upheld the ruling. Wasicsko and supporting city councillors devised a plan to build the 200 homes at eight sites of 25 homes each, spread across a city with over 10,000 homes. However, four councillors—a majority—refused to vote for the plan.

The city faced crippling fines estimated at nearly $1 million a day, starting at $100 a day and compounding. Basic services were halted, parks and libraries closed, and 630 city workers faced layoffs to fund police and fire services. Wasicsko and others received death threats, including envelopes containing bullets. The suit was settled in May 2007.

Production

David Simon said producer Gail Mutrux, whom he knew from working on Homicide, sent him a copy of Belkin's book. In 2001, Simon sent a copy to William F. Zorzi, then assistant city editor at The Baltimore Sun, to take to HBO as a potential project. Zorzi quit his job at The Sun in 2002 to work on the miniseries, which became a long-term project. The story was in development for over a decade, with Zorzi working on it as a passion project while he and Simon were also working on The Wire.

HBO held an option on the book, but the script underwent years of rewrites as both writers were busy with other projects. Simon stated that Mayor Nick Wasicsko's story drives the narrative and that the character's arc was crucial to the series' success, calling actor Oscar Isaac key to making it work. Wasicsko's wife, Nay Wasicsko-McLaughlin, who worked at City Hall during the conflict, served as a consultant and met with Isaac, which Isaac said was vital.

Simon noted that Yonkers was one of the first locations for scattered-site housing and the integration of architect Oscar Newman's defensible space theory, impacting national public housing programs. Director Paul Haggis said he agreed to participate without reading the script, then asked to direct the entire series—his first time not writing his own material—because working with Simon was important to him.

Reception

Show Me a Hero received critical acclaim, though U.S. cable viewership was low. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8.6/10 based on 54 reviews, with the consensus calling it an impressively crafted period drama with timely themes and engaging characters. On Metacritic, it scored 85 out of 100 based on 33 reviews. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter praised the strong storytelling for making the unsexy story rewarding and commended its even focus on racism and systemic bias in public housing.

Ginia Bellafante of The New York Times highlighted its relevance to contemporary issues of race and economics. Oscar Isaac received universal praise; Alan Sepinwall of HitFix called his performance compulsively watchable, while Daniel Fienberg of The Fien Print said Isaac was compelling and fully inhabited his character. Sepinwall also noted the writers excelled at illustrating the inherently unexciting conflict. Fienberg embraced the show's perversely uncommercial nature.

Brian Lowry of Variety commended Isaac's central role, and Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker called his performance agile enough to elevate scenes that might veer into agitprop. Among the supporting cast, Catherine Keener drew the most positive attention. David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Keener made her character the touchstone of the story, portraying a woman whose values are unexamined and who is not evil but fearful, with a moment of enlightenment beautifully written and performed. Nussbaum praised Keener's warm humility, and Mark Peikert of The Wrap said she brought every scene to life.