Manhunt: Unabomber - Discovery's new scripted series on the hunt for Ted Kaczynski

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Starring Paul Bettany and Sam Worthington.

Paul Bettany is getting under the skin — and hoodie — of one of the country’s most disturbing and cunning domestic terrorists.

The British actor stars as Ted Kaczynski in Discovery’s Manhunt: Unabomber, an eight-episode drama that focuses on the search for the elusive person nicknamed the Unabomber who masterminded a 17-year bombing campaign that left three individuals dead and injured 23 others. The academic-turned-recluse vowed to cease his terror against universities, airlines, and others only if his 35,000-word anti-technology manifesto was published, and with the help of Ted’s brother, David (Mark Duplass), and forensic linguistics employed by criminal profiler James “Fitz” Fitzgerald (Sam Worthington), Kaczynski was apprehended.

Above, you can sneak a peek at the explosion-filled trailer for the limited series, which depicts the FBI’s long, frustrating hunt for the suspect based off an incorrect profile. “You figure out the philosophy, you can figure out the man, you can crack the code,” says Fitzgerald as he urged the feds to look at the Unabomber case in a new light.

“The show has no sympathy for Ted Kaczynski, but it does have empathy for him,” Bettany told EW. “That’s important because otherwise, the conversation stops at ‘monster.’”

I think I'm down for this.


 
An angry Antisocial guy in a shack with too much time on his hands. Thank The Maker this man was caught in the mid-nineties. Many Sherdoggers would be wrongfully arrested if this manhunt occured in more recent history.
 
Sam Worthington's a guy who I think probably doesn't get his due. He's kind of like Taylor Kitsch in that regard.

Both are talented actors who have mostly found themselves saddled with films/TV shows that failed to live up to expectations.
 
If they do this with the same precision as "The People vs OJ Simpson" it could be awesome. But thats not happening, is it?
 
They should've cast an explosive actor as the Unabomber
 
If they do this with the same precision as "The People vs OJ Simpson" it could be awesome. But thats not happening, is it?

On Discovery Channel? Yeah . . . probably not.

I'm pretty sure they're never even done a scripted series before. Whereas FX is the home of The Americans, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story, FEUD, Damages. . .

I do think it's interesting to see channels like History (Vikings, all their various mini-series), NatGeo (their Albert Einstein thing they did recently) and now Discovery getting into the scripted television game.
 
On Discovery Channel? Yeah . . . probably not.

I'm pretty sure they're never even done a scripted series before. Whereas FX is the home of The Americans, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story, FEUD, Damages. . .

I do think it's interesting to see channels like History (Vikings, all their various mini-series), NatGeo (their Albert Einstein thing they did recently) and now Discovery getting into the scripted television game.
As do I. With the state of movies these days (rehashes and comic book movies) it looks like interesting productions have found a home on TV.
 
As do I. With the state of movies these days (rehashes and comic book movies) it looks like interesting productions have found a home on TV.

You know, it's interesting you bring that up. I kind of shift in and out of my love for TV.

Sometimes I'm like, "Yeah! Fucking TV! It's so great now!" But at others I just have no interest in having to watch multiple seasons of multiple episodes for a story to conclude.

I actually am in one of my phases right now where I've shifted away from TV and have mostly just been watching movies lately. I want to be able to sit down and get through a story start to finish in a couple of hours.

There are still a lot of interesting movies being released, but sometimes you have to look at the stuff that's NOT getting wide releases in the theaters. You gotta look at the smaller independent films that either only got a very limited theatrical release or that went straight to VOD/home video.

With all that said though, I do agree that we're in a Golden Age of Television. It's pretty crazy how much higher the quality of television is now compared to, say, the 90s.
 
You know, it's interesting you bring that up. I kind of shift in and out of my love for TV.

Sometimes I'm like, "Yeah! Fucking TV! It's so great now!" But at others I just have no interest in having to watch multiple seasons of multiple episodes for a story to conclude.

I actually am in one of my phases right now where I've shifted away from TV and have mostly just been watching movies lately. I want to be able to sit down and get through a story start to finish in a couple of hours.

There are still a lot of interesting movies being released, but sometimes you have to look at the stuff that's NOT getting wide releases in the theaters. You gotta look at the smaller independent films that either only got a very limited theatrical release or that went straight to VOD/home video.

With all that said though, I do agree that we're in a Golden Age of Television. It's pretty crazy how much higher the quality of television is now compared to, say, the 90s.

I think, for the most part, they're both trash nowadays. BUT, now and then there are some gems, in both mediums, that hit the spot. I think TV probably hits the spot more often based on the law of averages. And you nailed it about having to look for good movies; you can't just rely on whats marketed.
 
So the first ep is now on YouTube. I just watched it.

It's actually pretty good! Sam Worthington seems to be a good fit here, though I'm not really understanding the direction the show is going to go in. Because they're making it out like Worthington's character is THE guy who was responsible for the Unabomber getting captured when we know it was actually the Unabomber's brother who recognized his brother's thoughts in the Unabomber's manifesto.


EDIT: Looks like the ep has been taken down. Kind of weird because it was on Discovery's official channel.
 
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I've seen all three episodes. It's good.

I also read the Unabomber's manifesto about 15 years ago.. His manifesto was pretty accurate but he wasn't justified to kill people because if it.

But I explain that clearly in my book. If you don't hold deep truths with the right hands you'll become bitter and hate humanity.

Human nature isn't pretty when you see it for what it is. Mankind doesn't want to see the truth. For this reason they are easily deceived and controllable.
 
Sam Worthington's a guy who I think probably doesn't get his due. He's kind of like Taylor Kitsch in that regard.

Both are talented actors who have mostly found themselves saddled with films/TV shows that failed to live up to expectations.

Which performances from either one do you feel showed their underappreciated talents?
 
Which performances from either one do you feel showed their underappreciated talents?

Worthington - Sabotage. Great performance, he's almost unrecognizable.

Kitsch - Just about everything he's been in. I've never known him to not be above average. Even in something like Battleship he brings everything he can to the role and has real charisma.
 
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Worthington - Sabotage, great performance, he's almost unrecognizable

Kitsch - Just about everything he's been in. I've never known him to not be above average. Even in something like Battleship he does everything he can in the role and has real charisma.

Interesting that you are impressed by Kitsch's charisma, when a common complaint is a lack thereof.

Glad to see someone else defending some aspects of Sabotage. I thought Arnold gave one of his best performances ever and it showed he had turned over some new leaves as an actor. I wish it had done better so that his authenticity was rewarded.
 
Interesting that you are impressed by Kitsch's charisma, when a common complaint is a lack thereof.

I don't understand that complaint. I've always liked him and thought he has that certain something that sets him apart from the pack.

His problem, as far as I can see it, is that he just keeps falling into projects that underperform. John Carter, as we know, was a massive bomb. Battleship (which I actually kind of enjoyed) was critically panned and was also considered a failure at the box office. True Detective S2 was loathed just about as much as Season 1 was loved.

Kitsch is never the problem though. He always elevates anything he's in. But he can only do so much by himself.

Glad to see someone else defending some aspects of Sabotage. I thought Arnold gave one of his best performances ever and it showed he had turned over some new leaves as an actor. I wish it had done better so that his authenticity was rewarded.

Totally agree.

I remember being scared away from this one for a while because of the poor critical reception. When I finally watched it I was like, "What the fuck were they so hard on this film for?" Yes, some of the plot elements are a little wacky, but all in all I thought it was an interesting watch. And like you say, Arnold gives one of the best performances of his career.

As does Sam Worthington.
 
All right, I finished episode three last night.

The show was pretty good to start, but it takes a substantial step up once Paul Bettany comes into the picture as Kaczynski. He's killing it.
 
All right, I finished episode three last night.

The show was pretty good to start, but it takes a substantial step up once Paul Bettany comes into the picture as Kaczynski. He's killing it.

It's a great production. Very well-acted. The story really pulls you in, and you can feel the desperation of the people working on the case.
 
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