G4’s ‘Bomb Patrol Afghanistan’ – the New Show to Watch

Seeing our soldiers in action helps Americans have a deeper respect and understanding of the courageous actions required of our military men and women. Dan Cesareo and Doug DePriest are the co-owners and Executive Producers at Big Fish Productions, bringing the realities of the pressurized and intense lives of the members of the United States Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) to the viewers. Their new show 'Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan' on G4 is a trailblazing and extraordinary 10-episode documentary that follows the elite EOD unit as they say goodbye to their families and friends to patrol the dangerous battlegrounds while stationed in North Afghanistan.

I asked Dan Cesareo and Doug DePriest, the Producers of 'Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan' why they felt that this story had to be told. DePriest stated "It is such an extraordinary story that we developed ulcers from it while shooting it." What really attracted us to the EOD was that it's a small platoon. Its 8 guys, a small cast of individuals that go out and have a really incredible impact and they have an incredibly dangerous job. There is not a ton of units within the military that you have such a small personal unit of guys, who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the war, Cesareo explains.

If you think that this is a 'Hurt Locker' inspired show, think again. Cesareo and DePriest explains that 'Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan' is not based on the Academy Award film. While the film has raised the awareness of the EOD community it was not something on their radar. In fact, Cesareo shared that within the EOD community and the military, there is a negative feeling toward the film because it made them look like cowboys. 'Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan' has the full support of the EOD unit and the various levels of military government that had to approve the project.

Speaking of approvals, one can only imagine the levels of clearances that had to be obtained on a project like this. When asked, DePreist stated, "We didn't have our heads quite wrapped around the complexities of how many entities and people would need to approve this to make this happen. It was a huge risk for us as a company." Cesareo adds, "There was no road map for this, it just sort of unfolded as we would get to the next level. Once one group said okay then that opened the next door for us to go and approach yet another level of either the Department of Defense or Army or the overarching groups that are managing the war in Afghanistan. We really didn't know exactly what we were getting into when we first started. We always had an unbelievable amount of support from the Navy, so as it kept going everyone who became involved from the military or the Department of Defense showed nothing but enthusiasm for the project and eventually that won the day. We managed to go through all of it. It was scary though. "

When asked what their biggest fears were in doing the project, DePriest stated, "Safety, because sending people into a war zone is a very, very difficult thing." DePriest added "As soon as we went through the nearly year-long process for access and worked out everything that needed to be done and putting everybody on a plane including the military. So that means you're working with people that are extremely professional about every aspect, so you feel completely well taken care of on all levels. They are guiding you through a lot of this, but as soon as that plane took off, Dan and I looked at each and said, well we're ready for everybody to come back. It doesn't matter if they shoot a single frame, we want everyone back safely."

Viewers can expect to see compelling human stories when watching 'Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan.' According to Cesareo, it's a remarkably complete story that follows the 5 months of deployment. The audience will identify with several of the characters. As a whole for a 10-hour series the depth is incredible, the intensity of the missions, the difficulty and none of the missions are alike. There is no repetition. We filmed 40+ missions and we are using 24 of them in the series. You name it and it happens, Cesareo shares.

Josh Duhamel has signed on as the narrator for the series. DePriest stated "We are very excited to have him involved and we think he adds a fabulous spot to the series. It's a great additional element to an extraordinary series. It's fantastic." DePriest laughingly replied, "We're giddy."

'Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan' premieres October 25th on G4 at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific.