Where y’at?

So, last night I finished watching the first season of Treme. For those unaware, it’s a show about New Orleans rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It’s by the same guy who did The Wire and Generation Kill, so I knew it was going to be worth watching.

A fair disclaimer — I kind of fell in love with the city of New Orleans when I was there last year, so consider that as you read the below.

I was a big fan of The Wire, as I mentioned, so I went into Treme expecting a decent show. I didn’t expect to get a show where I wouldn’t want to watch the last two episodes for fear that it would be over and I wouldn’t have any more to watch, but that’s what I got.

The characters aren’t characters, they’re people. Their reactions, wants, needs, are so real that you almost forget you’re watching TV. And the city itself — well, the creative team captured it perfectly. I was there in New Orleans for the duration of the show.

Now, I’ve had this feeling before with books, but not with TV. I was impressed with David Simon and Company’s ability to make that entire world come alive in a way that only novels had been able to before, and I’m looking forward to later this month when the second season starts up.

What about you, folks? Ever find a TV show that was so well written it might as well have been literature?