I actually just finished it, wish there were more episodes. There was a lot more humor than I was expecting which really helped to offset the depressing aspects. Yeah, I really can’t imagine the government supporting the show aside from it portraying the US as an absolutely dominating force.
From a casting angle I think it’s kinda funny Jarhead had a Sarsgaard and Generation Kill had a Skarsgård. I also kept thinking the Rolling Stone writer (Lee Tergesen) looked like a relative of John Michael Higgins.