Off Topic: Treme

Thanks to Teach I got hooked to "The Wire," he had been talking up the series for what seemed like decades. He repeatedly used clips of the show in posts for comparative reason, but in hindsight, he probably used the clips to spread his love of the show. His praise for its greatness had piqued my interest, so I finally caved and followed his advice by going to I-Tunes and downloading the entire series. From the first episode, Myself and the LCG were captivated in this work of art. We spent a month or so watching the show in weekend long marathon sessions, and sometime in February we had finally finished the full series of David Simon's view of Baltimore's inner workings. It left me wanting more of his raw and ugly viewpoint on this great land of ours, and thanks to HBO I had Generation Kill to watch next. There was only one season to catch up on, so it didn't take long. Yet once again I found myself completely enamored in his viewpoint on the invasion of Iraq and basically any story Simon wanted to tell me through his work.

That leads us to this week where I am left waiting for the next season, without much to look forward too in the world of television. That is until yesterday when Variety announced that Melissa Leo will join the cast of “Treme,” David Simon’s new HBO series that will focus on musicians in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Leo will play a civil rights lawyer alongside a couple of standouts from Simon’s “The Wire” ; Clarke Peters (Lester Freamon) and Wendell Pierce (Bunk Moreland). It also has Steve Zahn from the cinematic masterpiece that is "Saving Silverman." Filming of the new series begins sometime in April.

A New Orleans denizen for years, Simon has built the "Treme" premise around the city's cultural community of musicians and cooks, and he's agonized over the details that will animate its characters and stories........

In an inspired bit of quirky casting, Simon has hired Phyllis Montana LeBlanc to act in the series. So memorable in Spike Lee's Hurricane Katrina documentary for HBO, "When the Levees Broke," LeBlanc is the author of 2008's "Not Just the Levees Broke: My Story During and After Hurricane Katrina" for Atria Books

Simon said he "was transfixed by her" in the film.

Much like its predecessor the stories told in “Treme"will reach beyond the main characters to explore political corruption, the public housing controversy, the crippled criminal-justice system, clashes between police and Mardi Gras Indians, and the struggle to regain the tourism industry after the storm. Basically a post-Katrina history of New Orleans, and more than likely the best chance for another show to vie for the title of best series ever with "The Wire."

Times Picayune: The 'Treme' pilot is worthy of New Orleans