Battleground (TV series)

Overview

The series chronicles the inner workings of a Democratic Party primary campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin. Led by campaign manager Chris "Tak" Davis, the team battles against corrupt politicians and staff infighting while campaigning for a distant third-place candidate.

Cast and characters

Production

In October 2010, Fox gave a script commitment to the series, which was being written by J. D. Walsh and executive-produced by Walsh and Marc Webb. Fox later passed on making the show. Walsh shot a 20-minute pilot funded by family members. He said no television network was willing to air the series due to its politics-related theme. Hulu later stepped in to produce the series.

Battleground is set in Wisconsin, the childhood home of long-time friends Walsh and Webb. Walsh has also worked for Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in a previous political campaign. In a press release, he said: "People hate politics but they love elections. Campaigns are about good versus evil, our team versus yours, relationships, temptations, power, unimaginable triumphs and heartbreaking defeats. I’m interested in the people behind the people."

The first season was filmed in Walsh's hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, with sets ranging from local homes to a local elementary school. Walsh said he chose to film in Madison instead of Los Angeles because he had a better feel for the people, places and politics and there was a "sense of excitement" among the locals to be a part of the project. As many as 90 local actors were cast. Local WKOW anchors Greg Jeschke and Sabrina Hall appeared in a fake broadcast. To stage large crowds, real-life scenes of fans heading to a University of Wisconsin–Madison football game were used. Walsh calls the show "a love letter to Madison".

Episodes

The first season consists of 13 episodes. The series premiere was made available online on February 14, 2012. New episodes were made available each subsequent week on Hulu.

Broadcast

In its first ever appearance at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour on January 15, 2012, Internet streaming site Hulu announced that it will be airing the series online. Hulu's senior vice president of content Andy Forssell said the site picked up the series because it "saw a spark" and "[w]e see what J.D. [Walsh] sees in it and we know the audience is there."

Battleground is Hulu's first original scripted series. The series, along with Hulu's other original documentary series, is available for free rather than on the subscription-based Hulu Plus to enable the site to build its user base and reputation for original programming. The show premiered on February 14, 2012, with a new episode made available online each subsequent week.

Reception

Battleground's first episode received mixed to positive reviews, with critics noting its relatively low production value but strong writing. The Associated Press's Jake Coyle described the show as a "light, watered-down knockoff of The Office" that comes off like a "student fantasy of playful politics." David Hinckley of the Daily News said the show "parlays [a solid professional cast] into some good jokes, political and otherwise" but viewers "should not expect that ... the look of the show will match what they see on broadcast or cable." Dean Robbins of local newspaper Isthmus called the first episode worthy of comparison to sophisticated modern sitcoms, saying it "distinguishes itself with strong writing and acting, not to mention a distinctive setting."