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.

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.

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.

My first impression, from watching episode one, was that the writing did not have the flow of "The Wire" it was trying too hard to register the many characters and to quickly tick off the various "types" that make up New Orleans society. Bunk and Freeman were too firmly placed in my memory for me to make the leap to Antoine and Albert. As for the Steve Zahn character, I instantly took a dislike to him and found him unrealistic in the extreme.

By the time we had reached the scene with the Big Chief emerging from the dark, I had become hooked. The characters started to make sense. The generous helping of musical scenes produced what must be the finest portrayal of live music and musicians I have ever seen. I could not wait to catch episode two.

I have now watched the first two episodes twice and all my first impressions have been blown away. Once you get to know the characters and can watch their introduction again, things start to make sense. Steve Zahn? What a brilliant comic creation. Just watch the intro to episode two, his creeping around Elvis Costello, his first day on the job. Absolutely first rate, The shocking introduction of violence, suddenly alters ones perceptions of a major character. Bunk, still lingers in the memory, but Antoine's blowing is going to change all that. I was not familiar with Khandi Alexander, but am now a major fan. Her performance is charismatic in the extreme.

I know that this series is not going to be to everyone's liking, but then neither is Shakespeare or Dickens. However, for those who enjoy a multi-faceted piece of work that can examine society in minute detail whilst never failing to entertain, this will surely rank as a major piece of American art.

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'.