"Turn" Returns With a New Name

AMC has renamed the second season of its colonial spy series from Turn to Turn: Washington's Spies.  This is a better name if you are trying to catch the casual television viewer who is meandering through the cable guide. It may have even attracted more viewers in the first season, which was barely enough to justify a second season.  We are lucky the show is on AMC and not Fox.

However, the main point is that this colonial drama is back for another 10 episodes starting tonight with a two-hour episode.  The series covers the true exploits of the Culper Ring, a group of spies led by Abraham Woodhull (played by Jamie Bell) out of Long Island who assisted George Washington as the British occupied New York City.  Here is the two season summary from AMC (and you should also check out the trailer):

Season 1 ended as Abe’s dangerous balance of fighting for what he believes in while keeping the violence of war far away from his family collapsed, and he was forced to burn his home to the ground to cover up the murder of a British soldier who discovered he was a spy. Season 2 will dive deeper into the twists, turns, victories and betrayals of a Shadow War waged behind enemy lines, pitting the cunning agents of King George against the intrepid and inventive spies serving General George Washington.

As the second season opens, the Patriot cause has suffered the crushing loss of their capital city of Philadelphia to the British. Washington’s army faces desertion and death, and the embattled general faces conspirators from within his own ranks, as well as personal demons he keeps hidden from the men he leads. Washington's closest ally in these dark times is also his most celebrated battle commander, Benedict Arnold -- a friend whose growing discontent will threaten the fate of the Revolution. Outnumbered and outgunned on the battlefield, Washington is counting on his ring of young spies and his greatest hope, Abe Woodhull, a lone civilian deep behind enemy lines, who finds he has little left to lose and is willing to risk everything he has left... including his soul.

While some may prefer a faster paced show, I have enjoyed the character development and retelling of a part of history little known to many Americans.  I think back to the History Channel's series Sons of Liberty for an example of where history was ignored when it got in the way of the drama.  Maybe it was easier to spot in the flaws in the story of Sam Adams and Paul Revere then with a lesser-known band of spies.  That said, I look forward to learning more about the culper ring on AMC and in my own readings.  We have plenty of drama from this period without making things up, and I hope AMC realizes this as well.