While most of you were in the twilight zone watching those new millennium minstrel shows on VH1, HBO was unveiling another classic in their new series Treme. The show begins three months after Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans and we find everyone picking up the pieces, literally and figuratively, of their lives and trying to return to some semblance of normalcy.
One thing is obvious from the beginning; HBO keeps a brother making a check as regulars from The Wire, OZ and The Corner are prominently featured in this show as well. There's one other main character too, the culture of New Orleans is going to figure in just about every scene, as the story is shown through the eyes of mostly jazz musicians. We're introduced to the jazz culture of The Big Easy through a neighborhood parade in the opening sequence, there's a funeral procession accompanied by a band and of course the nightclub culture was shown. Additionally, the cuisine is featured through a restaurant and a local dive bar. Yes, New Orleans is indeed a character in this series.
David Simon, creator of the aforementioned HBO series The Corner and The Wire, has once again breathed life into fictional characters with a realism that makes America pay attention to a place that they've long forgotten about. What this series presents to us is the human story of what life in New Orleans has been like since the levees broke in August of 2005. We're introduced to the poverty, joblessness, the hope of restoring the place you call home, the distrust of the government, but the spirit of the inhabitants has not been broken and will be on display along with the passion for the music. Abandon that CelebReality and watch a bit of reality television Sunday nights at 10 on HBO.
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