But by far the best TV adventure has been the HBO show Treme. My mom is hooked on it, and once I understood that it is not in fact a detective show (not sure where I got that), I was willing to give it a go on On Demand. (I allow myself one show at a time, and am sort of in mourning, I admit, for LOST.)
The show takes place in New Orleans just after Hurricane Katrina, and begins as residents are allowed back in to certain neighborhoods. The cast of characters are loosely connected - a trombone player, public defender, English professor, restaurant owner, bar owner, contractor - but have in common their devastation and their commitment to NOLA. Sometimes this commitment is an active love, sometimes it's the sense that these people are totally rooted, that they wouldn't make sense anywhere else.
I wont gush about how racially diverse the characters are, for three reasons: 1) They are mostly Black and White (as of episode three), but I suspect that will change 2) I wish that racially diverse shows were no longer remarkable, 3) Race is at the heart of this story, as it is often at the heart of many great American cities, just as it was at the heart of what happened, and continues to happen, after the storm.
The show had me early on. When John Goodman's English professor character is asked by a snarky reporter if he thinks New Orleans is indeed a "great" city and deserves to be rebuilt, Goodman snaps: "You don't think New Orleans is a city that lives in the imagination of the world?" I love a large, imperfect, gritty city that I know lives in the imagination of the world, for better but often for worse. I could tell this show had something for me.
And considering it's HBO, there's surprisingly little random graphic sex. What there is a lot of is stunning and devastating filmography and a delicate, respectful story line that knits people together while simultaneously showing the deep chasms between them. The story line touches on the financial struggles of residents after the storm, the loss of tradition, racial tension, gentrification, and police brutality. It reminds us that this kind of livelihood and psyche scrambling devastation - and the humanity it impacts and inspires - can indeed happen within the bounds of our seemingly safe nation.
And there's lots of amazing music, including cameos by big names.
I'm curious to know what people in New Orleans think about it. I really hope they feel respected. In my opinion, it's almost too sophisticated for television. But then again, I live under a mossy rock.
Luckily it's been renewed for a second season.
Mom is more than hooked. She is evangelical about it. The acting, the characters, cinematography, the music, did I said music, the music!!!!. So glad we have HBO. Mom
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