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.

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'.

Treme is definitely not a show for everyone. And that is fine. Most likely, if you're a fan of David Simon's The Wire, you will probably have the utmost patience with this carefully and skillfully constructed character drama, realizing there will be a payoff down the line.

In the mean time, the viewer slowly, yes slowly, gets to know a wide array of characters as well as become totally engulfed in a post-Katrina New Orleans. It is often depressing and saddening. It is true that the first 3-4 episodes are slow. The viewer does wonder where the story is going, where the intrigue will come from, and what exactly is Simon going for. There are several scenes each episode where the music seems to go on too long and is filmed just for the sake of the music, not necessarily because it helps the story. In this way, it is not quite the equal of The Wire. Things are sometimes too slow and meandering.

But....please....if you're a fan of well planned character studies, if you appreciate the art and skill in a form of film that is unique and original, stick with Treme for the entire season. If The Wire was a "slow burn", Treme is a long smoldering fire left to burn after midnight, just to still be there in the morning. You think it's going to go out, but instead it just continues to build and draw you in. By episode 5 or 6, the contemplative & intelligent viewer will be won over. By the end, you are completely riveted to the fortunes of the central 7-8 characters.

I cannot say enough for David Simon's ability to create something that is so different than 95% of what passes for drama and TV on the current airwaves. Every scene is crafted for a reason, every character is painstakingly created. Nothing is wrapped up in 55 (or 41) minutes, there are no shallow, one sided caricatures (other than maybe Sonny) that is the absolute norm on most network TV shows. CSI? Law and Order? The Mentalist? Child please....

Such episodic creations like CSI are for the average viewer who wants no challenge, wants a tidy ending tied in a bow, and who can care less for an artfully executed show. Treme attempts to reflect, and represent, true life as much as possible. Real life has an ebb and flow, very little is tidy, minimally is it black & white. There are gray areas. Sometimes you do the right thing, sometimes you cut corners. If you require ease and tidiness to be entertained, please don't attempt this show....instead stick with David Caruso's Horatio on CSI: Miami, an absolute farce rife with simple and obvious one-liners that exist no where except in the festering pool of prime-time network TV written for the average viewer who is incapable of deeper thought, critical thinking, and patience.

To call these characters one-dimensional must mean that you've watched with one eye or "didn't get it". Almost everyone in the show exhibits admirable traits but also some traits that may be annoying, irresponsible, or questionable. I can say the same things about almost everyone I know in real life. No one is perfect, but most people strive to be the best they can. Wendell Pierce's Antoine Batiste changes and fluctuates throughout the 10 episodes, turning into a well-rounded human being with depth. The same can be said for Steve Zahn's Davis, who starts very clownish, but who slowly turns into a real person with a serious and sensitive side. I could go on and on, referring to The Chief, his son, LaDonna, Annie, Creighton, Toni, etc. Nevermind Kim Dickens' Janette, probably the most well-liked character that the viewer pulls for the most. She is incredibly multi-dimensional and deep, from her struggle as restaurant owner to her relationship with Davis. Also, shame on some posters that seemingly have ZERO knowledge about suicide, why it happens, how it effects the survivors, and how it often occurs with little warning, committed by an individual with a "fine and normal" life. There was nothing wrong with how Simon portrayed this un-named characters' suicide which served to represent the many people that took this route in the aftermath of such trauma.

As far as New Orleans itself, it seems to be a believable and life-like portrayal of it. I've been there 3 times ('04, '05, '09) for a week each time and can say its a place I want to return to often. The food, the music, the history, the people...are all unique and quite a National treasure. Any vitriol for the city or its people completely makes ZERO sense to me and probably reflects ignorance and close mindedness. What the city and its people have had to go through is amazing and something that 99.9% of us will never have to experience. This show attempts to capture this feel, this struggle, the identity of a city and it's attempt to resurrect itself. The characters all reflect, seemingly realistically, an aspect of this struggle, the effects of such trauma, what happened to its citizens, and what it takes to come back, and who/what may be in the way of such recovery. Obviously, if you've never experienced New Orleans, "don't get" the city, care nothing about music, you may indeed be behind the 8 ball when it comes to the patience and focus needed for this show.

Once again, it is not for everyone. It takes focus, it takes time, and it takes faith. Many people may need more explosions, more "gotcha" moments, more spoon fed explanations, and more clichés.

Bravo to Simon for another wonderfully and painstakingly created drama that only HBO would have the courage to stick with. The art, skill, and vision inherent in what he has done with this show, and The Wire, is truly an American treasure worthy of all the praise that may come its way.

That wasn't an attempt at being snide, in case you were wondering. I'm not from America so I have no idea what this series is to people who are from the States but not from New Orleans, but for me it was as fascinating look into a place and people I didn't know anything about going in. And while there can be said a lot of good about the narrative trope of having an outsider who works as a link to the audience by asking all the questions that they want the answers to, I personally enjoy once in a while being thrown in at the deep and watching characters going about their daily lives and routines and if there's something I don't understand I will have to infer the meaning or else just live with the mystery. Of course it isn't all colourful costumes and plastic beards. Most of the characters and themes like the story arch of the chef or the violinist could be told with any place as a background, but since it takes place here, we learn about New Orleans food and music through them. The stories of police brutality and corruption could also, sadly, have happened anywhere, but the hurricane made everything worse and more chaotic. In the end, this is a slice of life, where we follow a group of people in their home town, until we leave them, partly changed, partly the same, without any special conclusion or wrap-up. Some doors are closed other are opened and we could easily have followed them for four more years. New Orleans might be a special place, but the people in it are just people; human, fragile and endearing even with all their flaws.

I finally finished the show. It became such a hard show to really judge because I was so invested in these characters that it just felt like I was really watching their lives play out and not exactly watching a piece of written fiction. It has many of the same tendencies and stylistic choices of The Wire, but never "thrilling" in that sense so I get why it's such an underrated show. It should, in fact, be in the same all-time conversations as some of HBO's most acclaimed (Sopranos, Wire, Six Feet Under). Just a masterful series, and one that became such an easy watch and one that could brighten my day in the best possible ways. There's so much positivity and energy radiating from it, even if the subject matter sounds like the bleakest, most depressing on TV. Guys, if you haven't seen it yet, please do. I highly, highly recommend it