Creator Of ‘The Terminal List’ Explains Why The DoD Wouldn’t Support The Navy Seal Drama

The executive producer of Amazon Prime’s new number one show, “The Terminal List,” didn’t get the backing of the United States Department of Defense. 

“There was a reason the Department of Defense didn’t give us support for this,” series creator David DiGilio told Slash Film in a recent interview. 

He explained that it’s because Jack Carr, the writer of the novels the show is based off of, is “critical of broken chains of command,” and that’s not something that the Department of Defense loves.”

The show follows Chris Pratt’s Lt. Commander James Reece as he seeks revenge against the government higher-ups who conspired to kill his entire team of Navy Seals and are targeting his family.   

The show has 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, but was panned by critics on the review site, with an abysmal 40% ranking. The Daily Beast called the show an “unhinged right-wing revenge fantasy” that panders to “male red-state viewers with routine references to beer, guns, country music, and hunting.”  

“I will tell you the one bummer for me about the critical response is that it feels like it’s trying to politicize the show. People from both sides of the aisle made the show,” DiGilio commented. “The most important thing was making sure that we authentically portrayed the warrior ethos from all sides.”

He noted that the series is “not a political show,” and is about “an authentic experience,” which isn’t often depicted on television. 

“It’s pretty violent, but it is entertaining,” the creator detailed. “If you don’t come in trying to politicize it, it’s just an awesome ride and an incredible look at a character who is a massive character.”

“I think that’s the danger of politicizing it, is it makes you come in having to judge instead of going in being entertained and coming out with your own read on it,” DiGilio concluded. “And that is the part that I think the fans, like you look at the reaction online, that’s what they’re loving.”

Marie Finn