Let's face it, the premise alone is enough to pique interest a bunch of New Orleanians getting by in the wake of Hurricane Katrina but when it was announced that Treme would be David Simons latest project, the world grew eager for another slice of weighty realism from The Wire creator. What they got, however, was something altogether different: a celebration of community, music and personal struggle, with some added grit under the fingernails in the form of an involving murder mystery.
Major Players:
Keeping it in the family, Simon brought in regular collaborator, Eric Overmyer, on co-creating duties along with familiar faces in Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters (The Wires Bunk and Lester Freamon), Khandi Alexander (The Corner), as well as bringing in some new thesps in the form of Steve Zahn, Melissa Leo and John Goodman. Massive props should also go to Blake Leyh for his award-winning work as Tremes music supervisor, which forms the rhythmically beating heart of this series.
What Next?
Like Simons previous works, Treme had a predetermined lifespan and as such concluded in December 2013, having only been on the air for three years. Impressively, over its lifespan Simon and co were able to tell their tale in thirty six episodes, which spanned four tightly-plotted seasons. Next up, word is that Simon is teaming up with Oprah to bring an adaptation of Taylor Branch's Pulitzer prize-winning Martin Luther King tome, America: In The King Years, to our screens.
Shaun is a former contributor for a number of Future Publishing titles and more recently worked as a staffer at Imagine Publishing.
He can now be found banking in the daytime and writing a variety of articles for What Culture, namely around his favourite topics of film, retro gaming, music, TV and, when he's feeling clever, literature.
