Over There -- FX - Premieres Wednesday, July 27 - 10 p.m. (EDT)

Ok, this is really stretching the definition of news, and I'm among the first to criticize the blurring distinction between news and entertainment. But these are the dog days of summer, and this series has the potential to have such an impact that it is worth noting here, if only because it deals with the most controversial news topic today.

Make no mistake, this is drama, and these are actors. They portray the members of an Army unit deployed to the current war in Iraq. It is by all reports very graphic and gritty -- this is the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, NOT the John Wayne version of The Alamo. And it's definitely not for young children or others who have trouble sleeping anyway.

What it will do is give us a stark look at the hell our heroic men and women in uniform are enduring. It may even help those of us at home frame questions that maybe should have been asked a long time ago. Although Over There is made to look like a documentary, it is not. Steven Bochco doesn't necessarily have any better take on the conflict than anyone else, but he has an unmistakable talent for presenting conflict in a way that makes us sit up and take notice.

What do you think of Over There? Please post your comments below.