Treme

The Wire was a great show. Rather than imitating the backdrop that made The Wire tick....homicide, drugs, corruption, David Simon has created a program with the same reality, different circumstances. I have enjoyed both episodes and am already a fan. Treme showcases the people of New Orleans. Not as victims but simply as a community that has taken a very hard hit and are attempting to move forward. As a side story, it also focuses on the musicians that provide the soundtrack for the city and their own ways of balancing life with art and trying to give the impression that, on the outside, they care as much about family as they do about feeding their primary goal, playing. There is a lot going on but there are a lot of characters, back stories and lives interconnecting. Eric and David are doing a very good job at the set up, providing glimpses at personal lives to act as puzzle pieces for the whole picture.

This is definitely one of the best shows on HBO. It shows how New Orleans is coping with the disaster of Katrina with not only great scripts but with great characters such as Davis (Steve Zahn), Ladonna (Khandi Alexander), Antoine (Wendell Pierce) and "Big Chief" Albert (Clarke Peters). In fact, the character of Davis is truly a one of a kind character. He is both passionate and manic and you can truly feel his passion as well as his anger over the disaster that destroyed his adopted hometown. Also, this definitely captures the spirit of New Orleans, both good and bad and the true star of the show is the city of New Orleans itself with This definitely has a chance of becoming a true classic and hopefully the audience will continue to grow for this wonderful show.

Yes, if you're a fan of David Simon you probably will be disappointed, but hold judgment until you've experienced both episode 1 and episode 2. In the first hour of the pilot there is a sense of the surreal. We feel a disconnect with the city and its characters. We catch glimpses of former New Orleans life but try as we might there is nothing drawing us in. New Orleans and its people are in a catatonic state. The city no longer has a soul. An hour doesn't seem that long but I must admit after sixty dreary minutes I was ready to pack it in, and then in the second hour the magic of Simon began creeping out of the cracks and crevices. It wasn't enough to convince me a compelling story would emerge, but it was enough for me to give it a second chance. A great story requires more of a setup than audiences are willing to give a writer these days. Thank god Simon never lets that influence him.

About a third of the way into episode two Simon had me. If you saw The Wire, that's probably the only criticism I had left. I can still see Bunk and Freamon. They were incredibly powerful characters and it's hard to dissociate Pierce and Peters from those parts. Wendell Pierce fills up a honky tonk stage as Antoine Batiste but aside from his trombone playing, I still expect him to wake up the next morning and head off to investigate another homicide. Same with Clarke Peters as the Indian. He's embraced his new role and already put his stamp on it, but in my mind he's still the recalcitrant Baltimore detective. I guess you could say that's pretty petty stuff. The new ensemble took over in the second episode and I can't wait for more. This is shaping up to be as good as The Wire.

Treme is an absorbing viewing experience. It is thought provoking and on occasion it works on your deepest emotions. But Treme, first and foremost, is a story of modern-day New Orleans, its incredible music and the magical characters who inhabit that unique town. If you love music – from Cajun to blues to bluegrass to 'bounce' to every kind of imaginable jazz and God only knows what else, then just relax and luxuriate in a wonderfully stimulating and very special TV series.

The makers of 'The Wire' have come up with a TV series that is quite unlike any other drama series you will ever watch. More often than not, the myriad plots and lives of the inhabitants seem to go nowhere – but it just doesn't seem to matter. Because that is the true nature of life, especially in places like New Orleans. A city where most of the folk are dirt poor, where the crime rate is going through the roof; and despite all the earlier promises of aid made to them following the devastation of their city by Hurricane Katrina, they have effectively been deserted by the Federal government. At its core, Treme is about its music and the people who make it and love it. Music is at the heart of this incredible show. If music is in your soul, then seek out 'Treme'.

The intense drama series "Treme" is one of the best shows out there.

And there is a good reason why some of the best dramas on television end up on HBO.

This is an endlessly rich series coming from the genius of David Simon,who has re-team with "The Wire" writer-producer Eric Overmyer to re-create New Orleans,a city in chaos three months after it was nearly washed away by Hurricane Katrina. Like his previous efforts on "The Wire",Simon's brilliant five-year epic about Baltimore was told mainly through the eyes of its most beleaguered(and beleaguering)citizens,"Treme" teems with authentic life.

Simon doesn't coddle an audience,and landing in "Treme" is the artistic equivalent of landing in New Orleans itself. You're surrounded by people who know this city.....who talk about some of it's places, foods and culture and people without providing any background information to help you follow the discussion. They know the ups and downs of this city. And "Treme" delivers. As you'd expect from a Katrina story,the characters in "Treme" face myriad problems. But they have a sense of hope and resilience and a good-times-roll embrace of great food,great conversation,and so forth.

If the strong writing is a Simon hallmark,so is an impeccable ensemble that includes Wendell Pierce("The Wire"),Clarke Peters("The Wire"), Khandi Alexander("The Corner"),Melissa Leo("Homicide:Life On The Street"),and Nick Gomez("Oz"),along with such widely known actors as John Goodman("Roseanne"),and Steve Zahn. "Treme" sets up the characters and tells its story incredibly well and this maybe one of the best dramas on television,and it delivers. A Must See.