Treme

[Nick Young]

Is this show any good? It seems kind of like an extenuation of the ideas and themes in the Wire only set in New Orleans from what I can tell.


I only found out that this show existed yesterday. Does anyone watch it? Is it close to Wire-levels?

[nightprowler10]

I heard about it when it first came out and meant to watch it, but never did for some reason. I remember John Goodman on Daily Show talking about it. It has a good rating on IMDB and RT. The fact that Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters (Bunk and Lester) are in it can only be a good thing.

[Thorpesaurous]

I watched the first season, and just couldn't get beyond that. And it wasn't even that I didn't like it. It just isn't about anything. You're sort of dumped into the middle of this culture, following a handfull of loosely connected characters, who are just going through their lives.

I was led to believe the second season was better. It became more focused on specific post Katrina related storylines, instead of just a cultural exploration. But I haven't watched it since that first season.

Imagine if The Wire was just guys hanging out selling dope, without any relationship to each other. And you were just watching guys slinging. And sometimes the cops showed up. That's what the first season of Treme felt like. And interesting character would play Jazz. And then John Goodman's wife would look for some guy who went missing after Katrina. And then a chef would make beignets. And another guy would play more jazz to get tips to score some drugs later that night. And then the credits would role.
It was weird. Some of the characters were compelling, others were pompous annoying culture shouters that seemed to be there just to say THIS SHOW IS ABOUT NEW ORLEANS!!!! But often it felt like nothing was actually happening.

[Thorpesaurous]

I've also read that HBO has kept running with it in large part to keep David Simon under the tent for whatever his next project is. And that the show doesn't do that well in spite of some decent critical acclaim.

[niko]

Is this show any good? It seems kind of like an extenuation of the ideas and themes in the Wire only set in New Orleans from what I can tell.


I only found out that this show existed yesterday. Does anyone watch it? Is it close to Wire-levels?

It's nothing like the Wire, and in terms of compelling TV it's so far away from the Wire it's not funny. Treme doesn't do enough to make you interested in their characters, or what they are doing. (And the storylines aren't as compelling regardless.) It's quality TV, it's acted well, it's well produced, it has good music but it's just not compelling, nothing week to week makes you feel like you must come back or you'll miss something. Like Thorpe i saw one season.

[irondarts]

I really love it.

It's not anything like The Wire, but it's great.

Thorp has a valid point about the story and characters, but it all really does come together in the second season.

Again, I love it, but that may be in large part because I enjoy New Orleans and it's culture so much.