"The Brave,” a new series that airs on NBC on Monday night, depicts the adventures of a group of analysts, spies, and special operators who deal with terrorist threats to the United States on a weekly basis. The show stars Anne Heche as Deputy Director Patricia Campbell and the leader of the group.

Americans are the good guys

“The Brave” takes a unique approach to the war on terror depictions in that it depicts the Americans as the Good Guys and the terrorists as the bad guys. It serves as an antidote to Showtime’s “Homeland,” which takes the view that the long war is all the fault of the United States and its ham-handed foreign policy.

It has long been a complaint from many movie and television viewers that movies and, in the case of “Homeland,” that are set inside the war on terror take a somewhat jaundiced view of the United States and its cause. Movies like “Stop-Loss.” “Rendition,” and “Lions for Lambs” were noted for as much for their anti-American themes as they were for their disastrous box office.

Later, more pro-American films such as “American Sniper” and “Lone Survivor” that depicted American soldiers as heroes were released and enjoyed a better box office. Hollywood may have gotten the message because it has released a number of war on terror TV shows that take the American side, including “The Brave,” “Seal Team,” and “Valor.”

‘The Brave’ and ‘Homeland’ compared

The central problem of “Homeland,” besides the fact that every side is corrupt and evil, is that its central character, CIA operative Carrie Mathison, is a singularly unappealing person.

She has mental health issues that require medication and a somewhat flexible morality that depends on circumstances and whim.

By contrast, Patricia Campbell has problems; her son has recently been killed in action. However, that loss has not affected her judgment or her character. She is still capable of making rational decisions while in stressful situations.

She is backed up by a formidable – and ethnically diverse – special ops team that is both skilled and valiant.

For example, in the most recent episode, Campbell and her team are sent to Afghanistan to interrogate an American Taliban who has knowledge of an impending attack on a US military base. Carrie Mathison would have wound up sleeping with the prisoner and understanding his point of view.

Campbell uses adroit psychological tactics to get the information out of the prisoner in the middle of a prison break by Taliban terrorists

The Brave,” thus far, is getting middling ratings and just average reviews. The show is still an above average military drama with appealing characters and is therefore worth a watch.