Series On HBO Focus On Working Class Post-Katrina

Treme is an upcoming dramatic television series created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer. The series takes place three months after Hurricane Katrina where the residents of New Orleans, including musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians, and ordinary New Orleanians try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane. The series is scheduled to premiere April 11, 2010, on HBO. The first season will consist of 10 episodes, including an 80-minute pilot episode.

Simon and Overmyer first worked together as writers on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street when the two became friends. They collaborated again on Simon’s series The Wire when Overmyer joined the crew as a consulting producer and writer in 2006.

Treme was put into development by HBO in 2008 shortly after the conclusion of The Wire. The show was envisioned to focus on the working class Treme neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and will be smaller in scope than The Wire, which examined an entire city.

Simon has stated that the series will explore beyond the music scene to encompass political corruption, the public housing controversy, the criminal-justice system, clashes between police and Mardi Gras Indians, and the struggle to regain the tourism industry after the storm.

The series casting mirrored that of The Wire in using local actors wherever possible. Local casting took place in January and February 2009 via RPM casting. New Orleans native Phyllis Montana LeBlanc was cast as the girlfriend of Pierce’s character. LeBlanc was recommended for the project by director Spike Lee who had worked with her on the HBO Hurricane Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke. Additionally, well-known New Orleans musician Kermit Ruffins will appear as himself in the pilot. Other musical guests will include Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, Donald Harrison Jr., Galactic, Trombone Shorty Andrews, Deacon John, and the Rebirth and Tremé Brass Bands.

Are you going to watch Treme this Sunday?