Treme (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Treme is an American television drama
series created by David Simon
and Eric Overmyer
that premiered on April 11, 2010 on HBO. It takes its name from Tremé
, a neighborhood of New Orleans. The series begins three months after Hurricane Katrina
where the residents of New Orleans, including musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians
, and other New Orleanians try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane.
The series has completed its second season and has been renewed for a third season, with a fourth planned to be the final season.
and Eric Overmyer
first worked together as writers on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street
and 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 Tremé
neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and is smaller in scope than The Wire, which examined an entire city.
Overmyer lived part-time in New Orleans and Simon believed his experience would be valuable in navigating the "ornate oral tradition" of the city's stories. Simon has stated that the series would explore New Orleans culture including and 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. Simon also consulted with New Orleans musicians Donald Harrison Jr., Kermit Ruffins
, Davis Rogan, local chef Susan Spicer
, and civil-rights attorney Mary Howell while developing the series.
The pilot did not actually begin filming in New Orleans until March 9, 2009. Award-winning Polish director Agnieszka Holland
was hired to direct the pilot. Holland had worked with the creators previously on The Wire, directing three episodes of that series. After the pilot was written HBO commissioned another ten scripts.
, The Wire
and Generation Kill
with them and is the show runner and an executive producer. Overmyer is an experienced playwright and television writer/producer and is an executive producer and writer. Simon and Overmyer previously collaborated on Homicide: Life on the Street
and The Wire.
Simon and Overmyer began to assemble a writing staff for the full series, first hiring local writer Tom Piazza, author of the non-fiction book Why New Orleans Matters. Piazza and Overmyer had known one another for years and Simon had read and enjoyed Piazza's work. They also hired Times-Picayune reporter Lolis Eric Elie. Simon, himself a reporter before working in television, has been impressed with his expansive knowledge of local people and background. Elie was the writer of the documentary Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans
. Novelist George Pelecanos
is also on board as part of the writing staff. Pelecanos was a writer on all five seasons of The Wire
.
Simon also brought fellow reporter turned television collaborator David Mills
in for the project as co-executive producer and writer. Mills was a music enthusiast who had worked with Overmyer and Simon on both Homicide: Life on the Street and The Wire as well as co-writing The Corner, the award-winning HBO miniseries, with Simon. On March 30, 2010, David Mills died suddenly in New Orleans, twelve days before the show's premiere.
Blake Leyh
is the music supervisor for the show. He has worked on numerous other projects including HBO's The Wire. Skip Bolen
is the unit stills photographer for the pilot episode. He has worked on projects including HBO's season finale of True Blood
.
was the first to be attached to star in the series. His involvement was announced shortly after the pilot was commissioned in July 2008. Pierce is a New Orleans native and plays Antoine Batiste, an accomplished trombonist. Fellow The Wire alumnus Clarke Peters
was also attached to star in the project early in its development. Peters plays Albert Lambreaux, the leader of a Mardi Gras Indian tribe who is trying to bring his scattered people home and revitalize the neighborhood. Khandi Alexander
, who previously worked with Simon on The Corner
, joined the project in August 2008 and was cast as Ladonna Batiste-Williams, the ex-wife of Pierce's character and a bar owner.
Film actor Steve Zahn
joined the project in February 2009. Treme is his first series commitment in television. Zahn plays Davis, a DJ and band member/leader with anger management issues in a role that showcases his singing and guitar playing talents. Zahn's character is based on series consultant Davis Rogan and shares his first name. Kim Dickens
previously of Deadwood
and Friday Night Lights
was also cast in February 2009 as a chef with a tumultuous relationship with Zahn's character. Rob Brown
was cast in February 2009 as Delmond Lambreaux, a New York jazz musician and son of Peters' character who reluctantly returns home after Katrina. Academy Award winner and former Homicide star Melissa Leo
was cast as a civil rights lawyer just before the pilot began filming in March 2009. John Goodman
was cast as her character's college professor husband when the show started filming its season order, and scenes featuring him were added to the pilot.
The series casting mirrors that of The Wire in using local actors wherever possible. Local casting took place for the first season in January and February 2009 and continued for season 2 through April 2011 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
appears as himself in the pilot and guests throughout the series. Other musical guests include Allen Toussaint
, Dr. John
, Elvis Costello
, Steve Earle
, Justin Townes Earle
, Sammie "Big Sam" Williams
, Donald Harrison, Jr.
, Galactic
, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Deacon John Moore
, The Pine Leaf Boys
, Paul Sanchez
, Rebirth Brass Band
, Treme Brass Band
, saxophonist Joe Braun, bassist Matt Perrine, The Pfister Sisters (Holley Bendtsen, Debbie Davis and Yvette Voelker), clarinetist Bruce Brachman, bass drummer "Uncle" Lionel Batiste
, vocalist John Boutté
, singer/guitarist Coco Robicheaux
, pianist Tom McDermott, and vocalist Lloyd Price
. Hundreds more New Orleanians have appeared in background roles throughout the series.
critic Alessandra Stanley viewed the series as a sign of the city's inextinguishable joie de vivre
. Salon's
Heather Havrilesky remarked that Treme "epitomizes the sort of great storytelling we all thirst for on TV but rarely find."
in the first episode when such pies were still unavailable riled viewers. Simon prefaced the airing of the first episode with a letter in The Times-Picayune promising not historical accuracy but that it would be "thematically so." Treme includes many location-specific references, as did Simon's The Wire
. In response, The Times-Picayune publishes a weekly debriefing of each episode's unexplained New Orleans references called "Treme Explained."
and Eric Overmyer
; "Right Place, Wrong Time" with Wendell Pierce
, Khandi Alexander
and TV critic Alan Sepinwall; "All on a Mardi Gras Day" with Overmyer and producer/director Anthony Hemingway
; "Wish Someone Would Care" with producer/writer George Pelecanos
and John Goodman
; and "I'll Fly Away" with Simon and executive producer Nina Kostroff Noble
. Scene-specific commentaries for all music sections in each episode are done by WWOZ
FM-90.7 alum Josh Jackson and Patrick Jarenwattananon, who wrote analyses of Tremes music on NPR.org
.
on September 28, 2010. The soundtrack includes 19 songs featured in the first season by several jazz artists who appeared on the show, as well as songs performed by cast members. The soundtrack received two Grammy
nominations, for "Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" and "This City" by Steve Earle
for "Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media".
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
series created by David Simon
David Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
and Eric Overmyer
Eric Overmyer
Eric Overmyer is a writer and producer. He has written and/or produced numerous TV shows, including St. Elsewhere, Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, The Wire, New Amsterdam, and Treme.-Biography:...
that premiered on April 11, 2010 on HBO. It takes its name from Tremé
Treme
Tremé is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Mid-City District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are Esplanade Avenue to the north, North Rampart Street to the east, St. Louis Street to the south and North Broad Street to the west...
, a neighborhood of New Orleans. The series begins three months after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
where the residents of New Orleans, including musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians
Mardi Gras Indians
Mardi Gras Indians are African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel.Collectively, their organizations are called "tribes"...
, and other New Orleanians try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane.
The series has completed its second season and has been renewed for a third season, with a fourth planned to be the final season.
Conception
David SimonDavid Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
and Eric Overmyer
Eric Overmyer
Eric Overmyer is a writer and producer. He has written and/or produced numerous TV shows, including St. Elsewhere, Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, The Wire, New Amsterdam, and Treme.-Biography:...
first worked together as writers on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
and became friends. They collaborated again on Simon's series The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
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 Tremé
Treme
Tremé is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Mid-City District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are Esplanade Avenue to the north, North Rampart Street to the east, St. Louis Street to the south and North Broad Street to the west...
neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and is smaller in scope than The Wire, which examined an entire city.
Overmyer lived part-time in New Orleans and Simon believed his experience would be valuable in navigating the "ornate oral tradition" of the city's stories. Simon has stated that the series would explore New Orleans culture including and beyond the music scene to encompass political corruption, the public housing controversy, the criminal-justice system, clashes between police and Mardi Gras Indians
Mardi Gras Indians
Mardi Gras Indians are African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel.Collectively, their organizations are called "tribes"...
, and the struggle to regain the tourism industry after the storm. Simon also consulted with New Orleans musicians Donald Harrison Jr., Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins is a jazz trumpeter, singer and composer from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. He has been heavily influenced by Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan and Eddy Jefferson. Ruffins accompanies a large portion of his songs with his own vocals, and he says that the highest note he can hit...
, Davis Rogan, local chef Susan Spicer
Susan Spicer
Susan Spicer is a New Orleans-based chef, who owns several restaurants in that city, including a take-out food market which doubles as a bakery. She has received several awards, and appeared in the 2009 finale of the Bravo television program Top Chef...
, and civil-rights attorney Mary Howell while developing the series.
Development
In 2008 HBO commissioned a pilot episode for the series but did not "green-light" a complete series at that time. The pilot was announced at the 2008 Television Critics Association summer press tour. Simon initially hoped to film the pilot episode of the series in 2008 and to continue filming in 2009 if the series was commissioned. The series was planned to film on location and was predicted to be a boost to the New Orleans economy.The pilot did not actually begin filming in New Orleans until March 9, 2009. Award-winning Polish director Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland is a Polish film and TV director and screenwriter. Best recognized for her highly political contributions to Polish cinema, Holland is one of Poland's most prominent filmmakers.-Personal life:...
was hired to direct the pilot. Holland had worked with the creators previously on The Wire, directing three episodes of that series. After the pilot was written HBO commissioned another ten scripts.
Crew
Simon is a veteran of HBO having developed The CornerThe Corner
The Corner is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns and adapted for television by Simon and David Mills. It premiered on premium cable network HBO in the United States on April 16,...
, The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
and Generation Kill
Generation Kill (TV series)
Generation Kill is a 2008 HBO television miniseries based on the book of the same name by Evan Wright about his experience as an embedded reporter with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was adapted for television by David Simon,...
with them and is the show runner and an executive producer. Overmyer is an experienced playwright and television writer/producer and is an executive producer and writer. Simon and Overmyer previously collaborated on Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
and The Wire.
Simon and Overmyer began to assemble a writing staff for the full series, first hiring local writer Tom Piazza, author of the non-fiction book Why New Orleans Matters. Piazza and Overmyer had known one another for years and Simon had read and enjoyed Piazza's work. They also hired Times-Picayune reporter Lolis Eric Elie. Simon, himself a reporter before working in television, has been impressed with his expansive knowledge of local people and background. Elie was the writer of the documentary Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans
Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans
Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans, is a documentary film directed by Dawn Logsdon and co-directed and written by Lolis Eric Elie. Featuring a cast of local musicians, artists and writers, the film relates the history of New Orlean's Tremé neighborhood.The film debuted at the...
. Novelist George Pelecanos
George Pelecanos
George P. Pelecanos is a Greek-American author. Many of his works are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writer...
is also on board as part of the writing staff. Pelecanos was a writer on all five seasons of The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
.
Simon also brought fellow reporter turned television collaborator David Mills
David Mills (writer)
David Eugene Mills was an American journalist, writer and producer of television programs. He was an executive producer and writer of the HBO miniseries The Corner, for which he won two Emmy Awards, and the creator, executive producer, and writer of the NBC miniseries Kingpin.-Early life:Mills was...
in for the project as co-executive producer and writer. Mills was a music enthusiast who had worked with Overmyer and Simon on both Homicide: Life on the Street and The Wire as well as co-writing The Corner, the award-winning HBO miniseries, with Simon. On March 30, 2010, David Mills died suddenly in New Orleans, twelve days before the show's premiere.
Blake Leyh
Blake Leyh
Blake Leyh is a composer, sound designer, and music supervisor.Leyh's prominent credits include music supervising HBO's television show The Wire, most notably the end theme called "The Fall" written by Leyh especially for the show and composing original scores for the films of Kirby Dick Blake...
is the music supervisor for the show. He has worked on numerous other projects including HBO's The Wire. Skip Bolen
Skip Bolen
Skip Bolen is a Southern photographer of musicians, architecture, lifestyle and the culture of New Orleans. Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, he moved to New Orleans where he began his publishing career as a designer and art director...
is the unit stills photographer for the pilot episode. He has worked on projects including HBO's season finale of True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
.
Casting
The Wire star Wendell PierceWendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce is an American actor, best known for his work in HBO dramas, including his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme.-Life and career:...
was the first to be attached to star in the series. His involvement was announced shortly after the pilot was commissioned in July 2008. Pierce is a New Orleans native and plays Antoine Batiste, an accomplished trombonist. Fellow The Wire alumnus Clarke Peters
Clarke Peters
Clarke Peters is an American actor, singer, writer and director best known for his role as Detective Lester Freamon on the HBO drama The Wire.-Early life:...
was also attached to star in the project early in its development. Peters plays Albert Lambreaux, the leader of a Mardi Gras Indian tribe who is trying to bring his scattered people home and revitalize the neighborhood. Khandi Alexander
Khandi Alexander
Khandi Alexander is an American dancer, choreographer, and film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for the roles of Dr. Alexx Woods on CSI: Miami and as Catherine Duke on NewsRadio. She also had a major recurring role on ER as Jackie Robbins, sister to Dr. Peter Benton...
, who previously worked with Simon on The Corner
The Corner
The Corner is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns and adapted for television by Simon and David Mills. It premiered on premium cable network HBO in the United States on April 16,...
, joined the project in August 2008 and was cast as Ladonna Batiste-Williams, the ex-wife of Pierce's character and a bar owner.
Film actor Steve Zahn
Steve Zahn
-Early life:Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Zelda, who worked for the YMCA, and Carleton E. Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School...
joined the project in February 2009. Treme is his first series commitment in television. Zahn plays Davis, a DJ and band member/leader with anger management issues in a role that showcases his singing and guitar playing talents. Zahn's character is based on series consultant Davis Rogan and shares his first name. Kim Dickens
Kim Dickens
Kimberly Jan "Kim" Dickens is an American actress and model.-Early life:Dickens was born in Huntsville, Alabama, graduated from that city's Lee High School, and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in communication...
previously of Deadwood
Deadwood (TV series)
Deadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and largely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. The show is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before...
and Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
was also cast in February 2009 as a chef with a tumultuous relationship with Zahn's character. Rob Brown
Rob Brown (actor)
Rob Brown is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films Finding Forrester , Coach Carter , Take the Lead , The Express , and currently stars in the HBO series Treme.-Personal life:...
was cast in February 2009 as Delmond Lambreaux, a New York jazz musician and son of Peters' character who reluctantly returns home after Katrina. Academy Award winner and former Homicide star Melissa Leo
Melissa Leo
Melissa Chessington Leo , is an American actress. After appearing on several television shows and films in the late '80s, her breakthrough role came in 1993 as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street for the show's first five seasons from 1993 – 1997...
was cast as a civil rights lawyer just before the pilot began filming in March 2009. John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
was cast as her character's college professor husband when the show started filming its season order, and scenes featuring him were added to the pilot.
The series casting mirrors that of The Wire in using local actors wherever possible. Local casting took place for the first season in January and February 2009 and continued for season 2 through April 2011 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
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
who had worked with her on the HBO Hurricane Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke
When the Levees Broke
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts is a 2006 documentary film directed by Spike Lee about the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana due to the failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina. It was filmed in late August and early September 2005, and premiered at the New Orleans Arena on...
. Additionally, well-known New Orleans musician Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins is a jazz trumpeter, singer and composer from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. He has been heavily influenced by Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan and Eddy Jefferson. Ruffins accompanies a large portion of his songs with his own vocals, and he says that the highest note he can hit...
appears as himself in the pilot and guests throughout the series. Other musical guests include Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
, Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
, Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle , son of Steve Earle, stepson of Allison Moorer, and named for songwriter Townes Van Zandt is an AMA winning, Americana musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. Earle is signed to Bloodshot Records and has four released albums from 2007–2010...
, Sammie "Big Sam" Williams
Big Sam (musician)
Sammie "Big Sam" Williams is a trombonist and band leader from New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been a member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and currently leads Big Sam's Funky Nation. In youth he studied with educator and saxophonist Kidd Jordan and at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts...
, Donald Harrison, Jr.
Donald Harrison
Donald Harrison, Jr. is an American jazz saxophonist from New Orleans, Louisiana.-Biography:Harrison studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Berklee College of Music. He played with Roy Haynes, Jack McDuff, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Terence Blanchard and Don Pullen in the...
, Galactic
Galactic
Galactic is a funk and jazz jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.-Origins and background:Originally formed in 1994 as an octet and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to a sextet of: guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio,...
, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Deacon John Moore
Deacon John Moore
Deacon John Moore better known as Deacon John is a blues, rhythm and blues and rock and roll musician, singer, and bandleader.-Career:Moore grew up in New Orleans' 8th Ward...
, The Pine Leaf Boys
Pine Leaf Boys
The Pine Leaf Boys is a Cajun and Creole band from South Louisiana. Members include Wilson Savoy , Courtney Granger , Drew Simon , Jon Bertrand , and Thomas David .-Career:...
, Paul Sanchez
Paul Sanchez
Paul Sanchez is a New Orleans-born and based American guitarist and a singer-songwriter. Sanchez is best known as one of New Orleans' finest song writers and was also founding member of the New Orleans band Cowboy Mouth. Sanchez was a guitarist and one of the primary singers and songwriters for the...
, Rebirth Brass Band
Rebirth Brass Band
The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans brass band. The group was founded in 1982 by tuba/sousaphone player Philip Frazier, his brother, bass drummer, Keith Frazier and trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, and other school marching band members from Joseph S. Clark Senior High School in New Orleans’ Tremé...
, Treme Brass Band
Treme Brass Band
The Treme Brass Band is a marching brass band from New Orleans, Louisiana led by snare drummer Benny Jones, Sr. The band, which plays traditional New Orleans brass band music, features a shifting lineup that has included trumpeters Kermit Ruffins and James Andrews, tenor saxophonists Elliot Callier...
, saxophonist Joe Braun, bassist Matt Perrine, The Pfister Sisters (Holley Bendtsen, Debbie Davis and Yvette Voelker), clarinetist Bruce Brachman, bass drummer "Uncle" Lionel Batiste
Lionel Batiste
"Uncle" Lionel Batiste is a jazz and blues musician and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Born February 1, 1931, he began in music career at the age of 11 playing bass drum with the Square Deal Social & Pleasure Club. He is currently the bass drummer, vocalist and assistant leader of the Treme...
, vocalist John Boutté
John Boutté
John Boutté is an American jazz singer based in New Orleans, Louisiana, who has been active since the mid 1990s. He is known for diverse music style that goes beyond jazz to R&B, gospel, Latin, and blues. He is the younger brother of the jazz and gospel singer Lillian Boutté.-Biography:Boutté was...
, singer/guitarist Coco Robicheaux
Coco Robicheaux
Curtis John Arceneaux better known by the name Coco Robicheaux, was an American blues musician and artist, from Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States.He was born in Merced, California...
, pianist Tom McDermott, and vocalist Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price is an American R&B vocalist. Known as "Mr. Personality", after the name of one of his biggest million-selling hits...
. Hundreds more New Orleanians have appeared in background roles throughout the series.
Cast and characters
- Antoine Batiste (Wendell PierceWendell PierceWendell Pierce is an American actor, best known for his work in HBO dramas, including his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme.-Life and career:...
): A trombonist, constantly hunting for his next gig, Antoine lives with the mother of his infant daughter. He rarely sees his two sons with his ex-wife LaDonna, in part because he has no car since the storm and must rely on cabs and public transportation. He is currently the frontman for his band, "Antoine Batiste and his Soul Apostles", and has a part-time job as an assistant music instructor at a local middle school.
- LaDonna Batiste-Williams (Khandi AlexanderKhandi AlexanderKhandi Alexander is an American dancer, choreographer, and film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for the roles of Dr. Alexx Woods on CSI: Miami and as Catherine Duke on NewsRadio. She also had a major recurring role on ER as Jackie Robbins, sister to Dr. Peter Benton...
): LaDonna owns and runs a tavernTavernA tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
in New Orleans. She commutes between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, where her sons are living with her husband, a dentist. She is pressured by her husband to move to Baton Rouge, as she has no ties to New Orleans anymore. She previously took care of her elderly mother, who refused to leave the city when they were trying to locate LaDonna's younger brother David Maurice (Daymo), who went missing during the storm.
- Antoinette "Toni" Bernette (Melissa LeoMelissa LeoMelissa Chessington Leo , is an American actress. After appearing on several television shows and films in the late '80s, her breakthrough role came in 1993 as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street for the show's first five seasons from 1993 – 1997...
): A civil rights lawyer who worked with LaDonna in trying to locate her missing brother. She defends musicians and people abused by the justice system in the city.
- Creighton Bernette (John GoodmanJohn GoodmanJohn Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
): An English teacher at Tulane UniversityTulane UniversityTulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
working on a novel about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927Great Mississippi Flood of 1927The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States.-Events:The flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926. By September, the Mississippi's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to...
. His character is drawn from the real-life New Orleans blogger, Ashley Morris.
- Sofia Bernette (India EnnengaIndia EnnengaIndia Ennenga is an American television actress. She currently appears as Sofia, daughter of Creighton Bernette and Toni Bernette in the HBO series Treme....
): Toni and Creighton's teenage daughter.
- Janette Desautel (Kim DickensKim DickensKimberly Jan "Kim" Dickens is an American actress and model.-Early life:Dickens was born in Huntsville, Alabama, graduated from that city's Lee High School, and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in communication...
): A struggling chef trying to keep her restaurant open while waiting for insurance to pay for her losses in the storm. She and Davis maintained a casual but tumultuous relationship.
- Albert "Big Chief" Lambreaux (Clarke PetersClarke PetersClarke Peters is an American actor, singer, writer and director best known for his role as Detective Lester Freamon on the HBO drama The Wire.-Early life:...
): A Mardi Gras Indian chiefMardi Gras IndiansMardi Gras Indians are African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel.Collectively, their organizations are called "tribes"...
who is well respected in his community. Having returned to his home to find it severely damaged, he moves into the neighborhood bar where his tribe practices. He is repairing it while working to bring the other members of his tribe, as well as his son Delmond, back to the city.
- Delmond Lambreaux (Rob BrownRob Brown (actor)Rob Brown is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films Finding Forrester , Coach Carter , Take the Lead , The Express , and currently stars in the HBO series Treme.-Personal life:...
): The son of Albert, an accomplished trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
player. He finds himself drawn more to the music and atmosphere of New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
than New Orleans. Delmond's character is based on jazz innovator Donald Harrison, Jr.Donald HarrisonDonald Harrison, Jr. is an American jazz saxophonist from New Orleans, Louisiana.-Biography:Harrison studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Berklee College of Music. He played with Roy Haynes, Jack McDuff, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Terence Blanchard and Don Pullen in the...
, whom Simon and Overmyer brought in to consult for the series.
- Davis McAlary (Steve ZahnSteve Zahn-Early life:Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Zelda, who worked for the YMCA, and Carleton E. Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School...
): A part-time DJ and musician, Davis is a passionate admirer of New Orleans and its culture. He is constantly seeking to incite social outrage against the injustices inflicted by "The ManThe Man"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise....
".
- Annie Tallarico (Lucia MicarelliLucia MicarelliLucia Micarelli is an American violinist and actress best known for her collaborations with Josh Groban and classic rock band Jethro Tull, and her role as Annie in Treme.-Early Life:...
): A classically trained violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, who plays music on the streets of the French QuarterFrench QuarterThe French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
with her boyfriend Sonny, working for tips.
- Sonny (Michiel HuismanMichiel HuismanMichiel Huisman is a Dutch television and film actor. He stars in the HBO series Treme, as drug addicted musician, Sonny.-Career:...
): A street musician from AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
who met Annie while she was backpackingBackpacking (travel)Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
in Europe. His drug use causes problems for both their professional and personal relationship.
- Terry Colson (David MorseDavid Morse (actor)David Bowditch Morse is an American stage, television, and film actor. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack Morrison in the medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988...
): An honest police officer working as a shift lieutenant for the NOPD, a friend of Toni Bernette.
- Nelson Hidalgo (Jon SedaJon SedaJonathan Seda is an American actor, possibly best known for his role as Detective Paul Falsone on NBC's: Homicide: Life on the Street....
): A politically connected developer and venture capitalist from Dallas, who becomes involved in the renewal efforts in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Episodes
The series premiered on HBO April 11, 2010, with an 80-minute pilot episode, the first of a 10 episode season which concluded on June 20, 2010. On April 13, 2010, HBO renewed the series for a second season. The second season premiered April 24, 2011, and concluded on July 3, 2011, consisting of 11 episodes. On May 13, 2011, the series was renewed for a third season to consist of 10 episodes planned for a spring 2012 premiere.Critical response
Reception by television critics has been very positive. The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
critic Alessandra Stanley viewed the series as a sign of the city's inextinguishable joie de vivre
Joie de vivre
Joie de vivre is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life; an exultation of spirit. Joie de vivre"can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And joie de vivre may be seen as a joy of everything, a comprehensive joy, a philosophy...
. Salon's
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
Heather Havrilesky remarked that Treme "epitomizes the sort of great storytelling we all thirst for on TV but rarely find."
Local response
New Orleanians waited cautiously for the series premiere of Treme, but quickly embraced the show as an accurate and honest representation of the city. The Times-Picayune writer Dave Walker expressed the city's collective sentiment that Treme is "the screen depiction that New Orleans deserves, has always desired, but has been denied." Still, not all residents are satisfied with the series. While Simon attempted to recreate post-Katrina New Orleans with precision, subtle anachronisms such as the inclusion of a Hubig's pieHubig's New Orleans Style Pies
Hubig's New Orleans Style Pies are a brand of fruit and sweet-filled fried pies produced by the Simon Hubig Pie Company in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:...
in the first episode when such pies were still unavailable riled viewers. Simon prefaced the airing of the first episode with a letter in The Times-Picayune promising not historical accuracy but that it would be "thematically so." Treme includes many location-specific references, as did Simon's The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
. In response, The Times-Picayune publishes a weekly debriefing of each episode's unexplained New Orleans references called "Treme Explained."
Primetime Emmy Awards
- 2010 nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Agnieszka HollandAgnieszka HollandAgnieszka Holland is a Polish film and TV director and screenwriter. Best recognized for her highly political contributions to Polish cinema, Holland is one of Poland's most prominent filmmakers.-Personal life:...
, "Do You Know What It Means (Pilot)") - 2010 nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (Steve EarleSteve EarleStephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
, "This City")
Grammy Awards
- 2010 nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television, or other Visual Media
- 2010 nomination for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (Steve Earle, "This City")
DVD and Blu-ray
The first season of Treme was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 29, 2011. The DVD extras include two documentaries—"The Making of Treme" and "Treme: Beyond Bourbon Street", as well as "The Music of Treme", a text-only feature displaying the song information during the episodes. The Blu-ray includes the same extras plus an exclusive featurette, "Down in the Treme: A Look at the Music and Culture of New Orleans", another text-only feature displaying information about the music, slang, locations, and characters. The sets also include five commentary tracks—"Do You Know What It Means" with co-creators/executive producers David SimonDavid Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
and Eric Overmyer
Eric Overmyer
Eric Overmyer is a writer and producer. He has written and/or produced numerous TV shows, including St. Elsewhere, Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, The Wire, New Amsterdam, and Treme.-Biography:...
; "Right Place, Wrong Time" with Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce is an American actor, best known for his work in HBO dramas, including his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme.-Life and career:...
, Khandi Alexander
Khandi Alexander
Khandi Alexander is an American dancer, choreographer, and film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for the roles of Dr. Alexx Woods on CSI: Miami and as Catherine Duke on NewsRadio. She also had a major recurring role on ER as Jackie Robbins, sister to Dr. Peter Benton...
and TV critic Alan Sepinwall; "All on a Mardi Gras Day" with Overmyer and producer/director Anthony Hemingway
Anthony Hemingway
Anthony Hemingway is an American film and television director. He has directed episodes of The Wire, CSI: NY, and Treme. Before becoming a director he worked extensively as an assistant director in television and film....
; "Wish Someone Would Care" with producer/writer George Pelecanos
George Pelecanos
George P. Pelecanos is a Greek-American author. Many of his works are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writer...
and John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
; and "I'll Fly Away" with Simon and executive producer Nina Kostroff Noble
Nina Kostroff Noble
Nina Kostroff Noble, aka Nina K. Noble, is an American television producer.Before entering television she worked extensively in film. Initially she was a production assistant and then became a second assistant director after joining the Directors Guild of America in 1984...
. Scene-specific commentaries for all music sections in each episode are done by WWOZ
WWOZ
WWOZ is a non-profit community-supported radio station in New Orleans, Louisiana broadcasting at 90.7 FM. The station specializes in music from or relating to the cultural heritage of New Orleans and the surrounding region of Louisiana.-Programming:...
FM-90.7 alum Josh Jackson and Patrick Jarenwattananon, who wrote analyses of Tremes music on NPR.org
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
.
Soundtrack
Treme: Music From the HBO Original Series, Season 1 was released by Geffen RecordsGeffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
on September 28, 2010. The soundtrack includes 19 songs featured in the first season by several jazz artists who appeared on the show, as well as songs performed by cast members. The soundtrack received two Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations, for "Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" and "This City" by Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
for "Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media".