Down In The Treme

Treme was passed over by the Emmy crowd again.  I was disappointed, but I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one.

What a shame. "Treme" is easily among the best drama series on the air, and takes a backseat to no show for the breadth and excellence of its cast. One more thing that makes "Treme" praiseworthy: its uniqueness.

For viewers (and, apparently, a crop of Emmy voters) who don't know, "Treme" is set in post-Katrina New Orleans and follows a broad sample of its residents coping with the disaster's aftermath and otherwise living their lives. If "Seinfeld" was famously a show about nothing, "Treme" is a show about everything. Everything human. Which it manages to pull off without feeling overstuffed, overwrought or artificial.

"Treme" is not dense or dark or difficult, which were words that seemed to attach themselves to a previous extraordinary series created by David Simon. Instead, "Treme" is hopeful and, befitting its setting, filled with music and stout-heartedness.

There's no doubt I'm a fan.  Even if I wasn't, I would definitely give a nod to the fact that it's different.  It is cast realistically (not everyone is a six six and beautiful) and it isn't packed with drama to the point that you feel tired and used up afterwards.  Like real life there are big events and small, and not everything is a huge powder keg.  It's real, it's interesting, and it's unique.  It deserves some recognition.

[UPDATE: Zandar]  And Bon is right about Treme, it's often a heart-rending show.  HBO is consistently excellent with dramas and has been for decades. The network did get nods for Game of Thrones however, and Peter Dinklage was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Tyrion Lannister.  And if Dinklage gets robbed here too, I'm going to have to go have some words with the Emmy people.