First let me say that I usually love David Simon’s work, right from the time he published his first book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, through the TV series Homicide, The Wire and Generation Kill.
Then came Treme. I watched the first few episodes, waiting for it to pull me in, as all Simon’s other stuff had done. It didn’t happen. For whatever reason I wasn’t becoming involved in this and after the third episode I stopped watching. Now, much later, I find myself wondering whether I should have persevered, maybe I just needed to give the characters more time.
So what do you guys think? Am I missing one of Simon’s best shows or is it just not up to the standard of his previous work?
If you love jazz, you’ll love the show. It definitely gets better in the second season, IMO. It’s a completely different show than, say, The Wire, so comparing it to Simon’s other stuff is probably not a good idea. The characters grow on you, and the story becomes more involved in season two.
I’ve only seen the first season, but generally I’d like it better if they wrote off all the white people except Kim Dickens. Especially Steve Zahn and especially with an ice pick.
I agree with some other folks that the second season is better than the first.
It just feels more well-rounded, and the characters become more familiar. There are very few action-packed moments, and the whole thing unwinds in a rather lazy and unhurried fashion, but i think that’s part of the appeal. And the music is excellent, of course.