12 New TV Characters We Can't Wait To Meet In 2017
4. Vincent And Frankie Martino - The Deuce
David Simon, creator of Greatest TV Series Of All Time™ The Wire, returns to HBO this year with The Deuce. Set in New York during the 1970s and 80s, it'll chart the legalisation and rise of the porn industry, tackling issues such as HIV and drug epidemics.
It's the sort of material that Simon should be able to turn his hand to and deliver another compelling human drama. To assist with this he's enlisted the help of James Franco, not just in one role but two.
Franco will be playing Vincent and Frankie Martino, twin brothers operating out of Times Square who become fronts for the Mob. Vincent is a hard-working bartender, Frankie more of a lazy and irresponsible type.
Franco can be a rather hit-or-miss, but he definitely has a lot of genuine acting talent - it just needs to be channeled the right way, and Simon could be the ideal person to get the best out of him... twice.
Both roles are the kind it's easy to imagine him playing, but the real tantalising prospect is seeing how he handles the duality, and what it's like watching him act opposite himself. Simon knows how to deliver fascinating characters, and the Martino twins should be no exception.