Angels in America

Angels in America asks a lot from its viewers and gives back a great deal in return. By our assessment, it is one of the major drama pieces of its kind because it blends intimate personal crisis, politics, faith, illness, and public life without letting any one of them shrink the others. The downside is that it is emotionally and intellectually demanding, so it is not background viewing and it is not supposed to be. In practice it feels large, talk-heavy, and very alive to the pressure of ideas colliding with human fear. Compared with most television drama, it is more theatrical and more openly serious about what it wants to say, which is part of its power. Angels in America is for viewers ready to sit with a hard, dense work that keeps opening out instead of simplifying itself.