The Looming Tower (miniseries)

Cast and characters

Jeff Daniels portrays John O'Neill, the chief of the New York FBI's Counterterrorism Center known as I-49, who is convinced al-Qaeda will attack the United States but faces hostility from other agencies, especially the CIA. Tahar Rahim plays Ali Soufan, a Muslim Lebanese-American FBI agent on O'Neill's squad who becomes his protégé and goes undercover to hunt al-Qaeda. Wrenn Schmidt appears as Diane Marsh, a CIA analyst who conceals information from the FBI; the character is a composite of at least three people, including Alfreda Frances Bikowsky.

Bill Camp plays Robert Chesney, an FBI veteran in New York's counterterrorism unit who uses interrogation skills before retiring; Chesney is described as the most composited main character, representing at least four people. Louis Cancelmi portrays Vince Stuart, an FBI agent embedded in the CIA's Alec Station, based on agent Mark Rossini. Virginia Kull plays Kathy Shaughnessy, an FBI agent in I-49 who works closely with Floyd Bennet, played by Sullivan Jones, a former New York State Police SWAT member.

Ella Rae Peck appears as Heather, a special education teacher from Ohio who dates Soufan. Michael Stuhlbarg plays Richard Clarke, the National Coordinator for Security and chief counterterrorism adviser on the National Security Council.

Release

On December 19, 2017, Hulu released a first preview of the series through images and a first-look video. The first official trailer followed on January 11, 2018. A screening of the first episode was held by The Washington Post on February 13, 2018, with a Q&A moderated by David Ignatius. The official premiere took place at The Paris Theatre in New York City on February 15, 2018.

The international premiere occurred at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 20, 2018. A screening at the LBJ Presidential Library on February 27, 2018, included a Q&A with Lawrence Wright, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Ali Soufan. Episodes 1 and 2 were shown at the Series Mania Festival in Lille, France, on May 1, 2018. Outside the United States, Amazon Video distributed the series, premiering in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2018, and later airing on BBC Two starting April 26, 2019. Blu-ray and DVD releases came on September 18, 2018, with featurettes and audio commentaries.

Reception

The Looming Tower received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 88% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4 out of 10 based on 60 reviews; the critical consensus calls it well-acted and powerfully written, delivering gripping counter-terrorism drama rooted in real events. Metacritic assigned a score of 74 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. The Washington Post's Hank Stuever praised the coolly fascinating pace and Tahar Rahim's performance.

The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg compared the series favorably to Homeland. Variety's Maureen Ryan called it an accessible and illuminating series that does not downplay petty and tragic elements. Time's Daniel D'Addario commended it as gripping and relevant. A more negative review from Collider's Chris Cabin criticized the series as a middling act of didacticism that reduces personal drama to arguments in offices.