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The new series by David Simon stars Wendell "The Bunk" Pierce as a jazz musician and follows a group of characters trying to rebuild their lives in post Katrina New Orleans. It premieres Sunday, April 11th. Personally I can't wait to see it.

Here's a trailer

And here's an article about the making of the series that will appear in the New York Time magazine on Sunday

I'm excited to see it too. I have high hopes...at the very least, we'll get some great music out of it. Thanks for the article!

I've been living in New Orleans for several months now, so I've heard a lot about the show. Actually drove through Treme just the other day. One of my roommates did some extra work for it just yesterday, and I know (and have acted with) a fantastic local actress who has a role on the show. I haven't seen Simon's other work (a grievous oversight I've been trying to correct), but I'm sure I'll end up seeing this.

Agnieszka Holland directed an episode, apparently.

tartarlamb wrote:Agnieszka Holland directed an episode, apparently.

Not surprising, as she directed several episodes of The Wire.

The NYT gives it a lukewarm reception.

Loved it.

I watched 45 minutes of this before I fired up Breaking Bad on the DVR. Where was the plot? Did it pick up steam in the latter half? There was just a bunch of characters shooting the shit about music and the flood and... well, that was it. I found nothing to grab onto.

That's part of why I loved it, it doesn't always have to be building up to something right away on the first episode to be good television. Good things come to those who wait.

Not much changed in the second half (very minor spoilers):

Spoiler

Elvis Costello showed up, and from the preview of next week's show, it looks like he'll be making a record with some local musicians. And John Goodman's wife got involved with the search for Wendell Pierce's ex-wife's brother, who's been missing since Katrina.

I dug it, but with reservations. It seems like its attempts at authenticity could easily veer toward fetishism. Still, there's nothing from the first few episodes of The Wire to foreshadow what that show would achieve.

flyonthewall2983 wrote:That's part of why I loved it, it doesn't always have to be building up to something right away on the first episode to be good television. Good things come to those who wait.

But isn't it sort of obnoxious to watch 90 minutes of something without any plot that is supposed to serve as an invitation to watch more? I can't think of a less engrossing pilot episode of anything.

I agree that there wasn't much to offer in terms of narrative, but in terms of setting up the parameters of the world these characters inhabit - a world of opposing forces of destruction and creation - the show was inspired. To me it had so much soul. The episode was essentially motion, texture and, most importantly, sound - music as lifeblood. In this regard, it reminded me very much of Criterion's own Black Orpheus, where sound becomes the main means of conveying the shared emotions of the people of a ruined society. Whereas The Wire and Generation Kill mostly conveyed the ways in which people are limited or marginalized, Treme seemed to hint that music, dance and rhythm are a means of transcending anything, including a government which is indifferent to the lives of its own people. While I hope some of the characters move beyond their roles as David Simon's mouthpiece (e.g. John Goodman and wife), it does seem that Simon's sharp anthropological mind is still firmly in place.

That said, the episode seemed to only hint at what might be. To view it as the beginning of a narrative is probably less useful. It was a chance to savor textures, movement and sound that are foreign to the rest of the United States (hell, even the world). The stage is set; let's see what the dancers do.

The John Goodman rant was the only moment during which I perked up, but then I was quickly disheartened to find that Simon decided to unrealistically shoehorn a 'dissenting' view of New Orleans so Goodman could flip out. When has anyone ever approached the city of New Orleans with the attitude of that journalist, particularly in the aftermath of Katrina? Right down to writing off the food as typically American and "too rich," that whole segment rang totally false.

I dunno, I haven't had the opportunity to see this yet so I shouldn't say anything...but seriously, did anyone think The Wire was the best show ever after episode 1? Nope. Not for me at least, hell I wasn't even totally hooked on the show until maybe half way through season 1, Simon's shows tend to be very slow-burning but rewarding in the end.

mfunk9786 wrote:The John Goodman rant was the only moment during which I perked up, but then I was quickly disheartened to find that Simon decided to unrealistically shoehorn a 'dissenting' view of New Orleans so Goodman could flip out. When has anyone ever approached the city of New Orleans with the attitude of that journalist, particularly in the aftermath of Katrina? Right down to writing off the food as typically American and "too rich," that whole segment rang totally false.

I'll concede to that, and I think it's disappointing that Simon is concentrating most of the explicit commentary in a single character, whereas in The Wire there's a more even distribution of the speechifying amongst the players. Still, I'm with the others who were thrilled to see Simon's anthropological sensibility guiding the pilot. He'll certainly have to rein in the giddy profusion of cultural minutiae soon, or anyway integrate those elements into some kind of structure-lending exposition (because what t.v. series consisting solely of Burnettian vignettes can survive!). I do see some through-narratives developing, but nothing like the Barksdale vs. Baltimore Narcotics through-line of The Wire's first and third seasons.

Slant Magazine loves it. A promising excerpt from the review:

By the third episode, 'Right Place, Wrong Time,' the show has developed so much character that even simple glances are steeped in meaning.

After one episode, it's been picked up for a second season. Another encouraging statement (granted, from a biased source):

'We would have picked up this show last week,' said HBO president Michael Lombardo. 'We've seen the first nine episodes; it's as strong as any show we've seen.'

Encouraging, indeed. They also did this after Six Feet Under's premiere, if memory serves me right.

I'll be re-watching the pilot sometime this week, I'd certainly be willing to let the show grow into itself.

My wife and I have discovered that we know no one who actualy gets HBO -- so we can't be TV free loaders. I guess we get to wait until the first season comes out on DVD.

I beg to differ, mfunk. Journos and some of the public-at-large were questioning whether NOLA, or at least parts of it, should be written off while people were still living in the Astrodome. Barbara Bush's statement fueled it, as did Hurricane Rita, which reflooded some of the same areas before the time frame the series is set in (and Nagin had said it was "safe" to come home.)

Same debate ensued about Galveston beyond the seawall and Hurricane Ike, w/journos asking the questions a helluva lot sooner than 3 mos.

Good finale last night, especially the last 20 mins. Seeing everyone in context before the storm brought home (a little bit) how terrifying it must have been for those involved.

Really wonderful flashback sequence and a nice acknowledgement of Mills after the episode ended.