Treme is the kind of show HBO does incredibly well. It’s a character drama with a large cast and brilliant actors from all different stages in their careers. You have Steve Zahn, John Goodman, Clark Peters, Wendell Pierce and so many more rounding it out and creating a world you can really believe in. Treme (pronounced Trem Ay) is a show about a neighborhood in New Orleans, three months after the flood waters receded and just went things are starting to get back to normal. It’s a show about coping and trying to figure out what the next step is in everyone’s life. You have musicians looking for gigs, lawyers trying to get their cases in order, radio DJs trying to be the voice of the people, and people coming home for the first time to find everything they loved destroyed.
This show is easily going to hit home with a lot of people, and it’s no wonder why. Treme was filmed on location in the hallowed out ruins of people’s homes and businesses. It’s a gutsy choice, adding reality and grit to the environment. No shot is the perfect New Orleans people knew. Instead it’s all muddy, chipped away and broken. It’s a genuine representation of the people who live there. That’s not to say the cinematography isn’t top notch here. When I saw the first episode of Treme I thought I was watching a mini-series thanks to the great camera work, editing and cast. But the real charmer, the thing that won me over was the music.
At it’s heart and soul, Treme is a show about a musical city and it carries through the episode beautifully. From frame one we see the start of a beautiful march of musicians trying to bring the soul back to the city. It’s here we start to meet our large cast of characters and their different roles. Too many to dive into in a simple review. Better to let you experience them all on your own. Each is unique but fits New Orleans perfectly.
My one complaint is that nothing really happens in the premier. There’s no real conflict to be had. Instead we get to know people. It’s a fine change of pace from most TV Dramas on basic networks, and only HBO would have the guts to rest an entire premiere on that kind oc concept. They do it just perfectly. I will say that John Goodman’s character Creighton Bernette will win you over in an instant and his moment to shine is the highlight of the entire show.
Treme isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you give it a chance you will warm up to the characters and their different, distinct situations. It’s a good effort and something different from the normal cop drama or comedy that’s everywhere on TV right now. I give the premiere of Treme a very enthusiastic 4 out of 5 stars.
