Ive read several review that comment that this is if you like wire... well and its possible they are correct. But i disliked the wire and love this show. A positive proves very little in science a negative result on the other hand that you can work with and find proof for a theory.Very much like the music focus mixed with dark social satire, most politics are very sad and funny at the same time if viewed in a certain light when ur not the one being shafted yourself.

Watching "The Wire" made it mandatory that I watch "Treme." David Simon (The Wire and Treme's show runner) is a genius. We were in New Orleans when this was first being advertised - and I thought "what a bore." Just goes to show you how wrong first impressions can be. But you do have to hang in there with it.Your initial introduction to the characters is not always positive, but by the end you love almost all of them (with the obvious exception of the unbelievably corrupt and sadistic New Orleans Police Department, and the opportunistic, corrupt developers, bankers and politicians.) At least Ray Nagin gets called as the ridiculous, corrupt crook that he was (and still is, as far as I know.)Naturally there is Bush bashing throughout and even more predictably hysteria with Obama's election in 2008.The characters and their stories take a while to develop, but once they arrive, they are compelling. The acting and writing is superb. Finally I have seen Kim Dickens in a role I loved as the N.O. chef who epitomizes the struggles that her city has throughout her career. (As far as I am concerned - skip her other roles - especially in the putrid "Fear the Walking Dead.")Kim, along with Melissa Leo (the lawyer who will not give up trying to expose corruption in the NOPD) and Khandi Alexander (a bar owner who has a world of trouble through the show) make a trio of the strongest and most likable women I have seen in a drama. This is achieved without a hint of political correctness - which was very much appreciated.John Goodman has a short, but very impactful, role as Melissa Leo's husband. His short role in the drama had to be due to other acting commitments. His departure was a loss for the show.Be prepared for a lot of music. The back story of "Treme" is certain residents' quest to keep the musical heritage and traditions of New Orleans alive in the face of government and business which are doing their best to rebuild N.O. in the image they want to see. The music plays a critical role in that story line - and in fact becomes almost a character in the drama. I do not like jazz, but after hearing so much of it on the show I have come to appreciate and enjoy 'New Orleans' jazz. The street musicians are especially engaging and entertaining. The other thing to be aware of is the vast majority of the songs written through 2/3 of the drama were about New Orleans and Katrina.The cast of actors looks like a "who's who" from "The Wire" with seven actors crossing over. The best one is Wendall Pierce who played "Bunk" Moreland in "The Wire" and surpasses that role in "Treme" as Antoine Batiste. He is the trombone player who plays an important role with the young people in the high school band he leads and in his family. He becomes one of the key characters in the story and elicits great admiration, in spite of some of his flaws.Although this is not for everyone, but if you give it a fair shot I think it will grow on you - it certainly is worth it. My wife Cindy, and I were very sad when it was over.

I've now watched quite a few episodes of this show, and I though it would be fun to give you a Swede perspective of it. Oddly enough, my own home town of Gothenburg has some things in common with New Orleans. In Sweden, Gothenburg is known as the place that is more relaxed than the rest of the country, and the inhabitants are thought to be different - almost a breed apart.Luckily we haven't had the misfortune of nearly getting our town flattened out by a hurricane flood. I really admire the people of New Orleans for surviving this and beginning to rebuild their great city. They have a lot of spirit - that's for certain.Treme contains a lot of music. This is both a blessing and a curse, in my opinion. My grandfather has a huge (I really mean this - its HUGE!) collection of jazz records - a lot of it is trad jazz. So in my family we have a kind of tradition of listening to jazz records. There's a lot of other evolutions of Jazz in the show like soul, funk etc. but even if I'm used to all these genres from New Orleans I don't find all the performances in the show enjoyable. During some episodes it becomes a drag to sit through music you just don't like that much. But I have to say I especially enjoy almost all of the second line, soul/funk and bounce stuff. Actually, this show led to my discovery of bounce - a style I really enjoy.The story of Treme feels a lot like The Wire - it focuses on different aspects of life in the recovering city. I thought the video-blogging professor and the struggling chef were the most engaging story lines. Especially the restaurant business, in fact; it made me really want to try New Orleans cuisine. I think HBO should push for exporting this show to many other countries to bring probably much needed food tourism to New Orleans.The Mardi gras indians remain inexplicable to me as a Swede. Are they some kind of mock indians? According to Wikipedia, they are... But I feel the whole thing feels stupid somehow - like a Swede dressing up in a freaky Same costume for some special holidays. I just don't get it. One also wonders what the Big Chief is actually doing for a living when he is not sewing on his costume. This whole Indian thing is of course a depiction of a certain expression of culture in New Orleans - I know this. But it seems a little too odd. what's the point? Mostly the indians remind me of lion fish.It's a little unfortunate that both Det. Lester Freamon of The Wire and the Big Chief are heavily into handicrafts because it makes you associate the two... which brings me to Antoine Batiste - the trombonist. He is too much like "The Bunk" from The Wire in both appearance and demeanor, sometimes. But as the show wears on this gets better, I feel.Despite the few negative things I have to say about the show, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Don't be surprised if I show up looking for a special Treme-based tour of the city and the New Orleans people end up ignoring/tiredly staring at my stupidly gawking and sun-baked Nordic face as I am herded about by some tired guide...

I have never been to New Orleans, and while watching this show, I wish I had. What a place it must have been before Katarina struck...I was hooked on this show from the start, seeing it not as a series, but as a long, rambling epic, saluting the glorious past of the Crescent City, its (still) unbelievable music, its special people, its big heart and yes, its current misery.And what an actor Wendell Pierce is. He was great as Bonk in The Wire, but here he surpasses himself, giving the performance of a lifetime, and what a delight it was to read that he is a native New Orleannais. Chapeau, Wendell!The rest of the cast are all good, with John Goodman clearly enjoying himself as the profane professor, but the real hero of the show is the music, real New Orleans music. Need one say more?