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Essentially constructed as a documentary companion to “Homeland,” “Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs” is exceedingly timely but less compelling than it should be. Produced by CBS News for its sister network, the special boasts extraordinary access to heads of the agency and key subordinates, but feels overproduced and slightly unfocused, only sporadically zeroing in on its central premise: “A battle for the soul of the CIA,” as narrator Mandy Patinkin intones, where the rules of engagement remain unclear. Still well worth watching, it’s at least a step toward the ethical conversation that, as these chiefs note, America needs to have.
Written by Chris Whipple and directed by brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet (whose credits include CBS’ memorable “9/11”), the Thanksgiving-weekend telecast secured interviews with all 12 surviving CIA directors, including the current occupant of that seat, John Brennan. Not surprisingly, the officials, cutting across presidential administrations, harbor sharply divided views about the question that has lingered since the Sept. 11 attacks – namely, how to balance constitutional protections against the desire for security against an amorphous threat.