Loading...
Follow Zap2it:
'Treme' plays on for a second season
Twitter
Google
One episode of "Treme" was enough for HBO to decide it wants to see more of the show.The pay-cable channel has ordered a second season of the series, from "The Wire" creator David Simon and Eric Overmyer, the showbiz trade papers report. Production on Season 2 is scheduled to start in the fall for a premiere in the first half of 2011.
The pickup comes two days after "Treme" premiered on Sunday (April 11) to excellent reviews but only modest ratings. About 1.1 million people watched the debut, and an additional 300,000 watched a replay after midnight. HBO will have several more replays plus DVR and on-demand viewing to add to the total later.
HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo isn't overly concerned with ratings, though. "We've seen the first nine episodes, and it's as strong as any show we've seen," he tells The Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed. "Much like 'The Wire,' the audience is so passionate and so invested. We're about servicing our subscriber base, and I believe that people will become addicted to this show. We have to be a place where this kind of excellence is given space to continue."
"Treme" follows the lives of people in New Orleans in the months after Hurricane Katrina (it's named for and largely set in the neighborhood of Faubourg Treme). It stars "Wire" alumni Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters, along with Kim Dickens, Steve Zahn, Khandi Alexander, Melissa Leo, Rob Brown and John Goodman.
Follow Zap2it and Zap2itRick on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest TV, movie and celeb news.
Related:
'Treme' review: The soul of a city
HBO trailer-palooza: 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Treme'
Photo credit: HBO
Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz
Zap2it Elite Sheet Must Reads from the Web's In-Crowd
Advertisement
What's Hot Right Now
Sign in to connect with Zap2it:
Rewards Challenge Members
Top Users from the Past Week | All-time
Zap2it Elite Sheet
Must Reads from the Web's In-Crowd
Our Partners
How would HBO know that it has a "passionate and invested" audience after one highly-hyped premiere episode?
This is more of the nonsensical PR the cable channels now feel obliged to do.
They keep renewing shows without any time to find out if they're actually worthy or renewal just so they can get those "the show must be amazing for the network to have such confidence in it".
The fact that it's shoddy management rarely makes it to the press, although I recently did read comments about Damages and how FX made a mistake to order two more seasons after the first low rated season.
Well, I have yet to see "Treme" (it's on my DVR), but "Damages" is probably the best show currently on television, and I am chomping at the bit for the (hopefully season) finale on Monday. If renewing a show like that for two more seasons is considered a "mistake" in management circles, than I hope they keep making them.
Treme was a well-crafted show. Like "The Wire," I believe it will take some time to really develop the world and get into it. And, though some might find it outrageous to assume the show has a passionate fan base, passionate is exactly the word I would use to describe David Simon's fan base. I think most of the viewers Sunday tuned in for that reason and will stay for that reason. Additionally, if you read the whole comment section, Lombardo says he's seen the first nine episodes, which means he knows where it's building to.