Telling a war story during a time of war is always a tricky business.

Now Steven Bochco and Chris Gerolmo, co-creators of “Over There,” have upped the ante, setting a scripted drama in the continuing war in Iraq.

“Over There” centers on the members of a U.S. Army unit sent to Iraq for their first tour of duty, and examines the fallout of the war on these soldiers and their families.

The drama shows the troops leaving home and landing in the middle of a firefight, as confusion, fear and anger flash across the soldiers’ faces. All the training in the world isn’t enough to prepare them for such a chaotic battlefield.

The uniformly strong cast features a lot of familiar TV faces, if not names. The standout is Erik Palladino, previously wasted as a supporting player on “ER” and “Joan of Arcadia,” as the sullen Sgt. Scream. Others to watch include Josh Robinson (“Girl Next Door”) as the gung-ho Bo, Luke Macfarlane (“Kinsey”) as conflicted college boy Dim and Omid Abtahi (“24”) as Arab-American Tariq.

Bochco has long pushed the envelope on TV, as long ago as “Hill Street Blues” and as recently as the just-departed “NYPD Blue.” He and Gerolmo take full advantage of the freedom that FX gives to its creators, painting a graphic picture of the carnage and violence of war. Still, they keep the moralizing to a minimum, supporting the troops if not the policy-makers behind the war.

“Over There” should keep viewers thinking until it’s over over there. (Dale McGarrigle, NEWS Staff)