Dammit. Another one to add to the list. How am I supposed to get anything done around the house with all this great TV to watch?!

I just discovered Breaking Bad two days ago. About 6 episodes in. My God. This is amazing. It's one of those "wish I'd thought of it" type of deals.

So... on to Treme. I guess the dishes and laundry aren't going anywhere, right?

I had to give up on it Scott.
I agree with everything about Homicide, The Wire and Simon, but I left Treme after the 3rd episode this season. The Altman angle I get, and can appreciate, but where I think I differ is on the idea that all these folks are compelling. Antoine I was always interested in, and the little fiddle player, and a host of others. Last season I went from hating Davis to liking him, but this season I just couldn't get into the creation of his band. I didn't care for Mr. Slick from Dallas, Toni seemed to be treading the same ground, only instead of dealing with a despondent husband, well he wasn't there. So I found myself loathing those story lines and the sinkholes they created between the characters I wanted to see.
Simply I couldn't get into half the characters, and therefore it was like half the show I was twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the good stuff.
But that's just me.

Zeb, I hear you. It's probably not for everybody. And maybe I'm prejudiced because I'm such a fan of Simon's other work. Also, too, I was watching "Treme" while also following "The Killing" and "Game of Thrones," the former I thought went from good to really bad, the latter I had hard time dialing into in terms of its complicated plot and points of emotional access. Maybe I was more receptive to "Treme" because of all that.

But once I began to see where some of the story arcs were going, and they all started flowing the way they did this season, as I say, it just clicked.

If nothing else, I hope enough folks watch the series to keep it around for as long as Simon wants to follow those characters. There's nothing comparable to it on TV.

Bravo sir. Everything you wrote about David Simon's work and Treme in particular rings true. I especially like those two word sentences in the middle. "Saintly sinners. Sinful saints." Simple yet special, like the characters of Treme themselves. Because of and not despite it's lack of genre tropes, it has time to explore areas of life rarely seen in entertainment. It truly is a work of art on TV which is like finding ice in the Sahara. Keep carrying the torch for the show. It is a great program and deserves to find as many viewers as possible.

when this show does drama, there's nothing like it. Khandi Alexander's performance in the 2nd season was a knockout.
However, there were other parts of the show that really felt like Liberal Entourage - just an excessive amount of real-world name-dropping and lifestyle one-upsmanship that makes me feel greasy. The celebrity chef ass-kissing on the show is out of control, especially when most of them are terrible actors.
That being said.
I taught a kid who survived Katrina right here in San Fran. His great aunt is on the show, playing Khandi Alexander's mother. Their family would get together to watch that show, and the wave of emotions they go through from the show--there's nothing like it.

@Pete: Alexander deserves an Emmy nomination. And I loved the wrap-up of that story arc in the final episode, the twist with the husband, and his line at the elevator, "C'mon, baby." That was just plain awesome.

that line Khandi kept repeating in her confrontation during the big reveal was pretty amazing stuff. I don't want to give it away but you know what I'm taking about.
the very first scene in Treme was great, as Antoine plays from back of the line to the front:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSj3uWsZJ0Y

all HBO shows need to find that delicate balance between the thrill of having real-life people appearing as themselves and the Total Lack of Drama those scenarios usually create. Woody Allen's Marshall McLuhan moment was a perfectly crafted example, and Curb Your Enthusiasm has a good track record. But then you have shows that get way too cute, like entourage and extras, with Treme straddling the middle ground - wanting to prove his coolness may be David Simon's achilles heel.

I liked S01 for the anthropological and sociological interest (right on!) but I thought it wavered from here to there plot-wise until the killer ending brought some focus (and no, I haven't forgiven Crighton yet either, but I may do someday soon).

Then, there was a gear change in Season 2 and it all started to pay off. IMHO, Tremé S02 is a masterclass of American storytelling on TV (not my nationality BTW and I'm not overly-familiar with The Wire either).

EG Arcs: The Dutch guy, Sonny is down as the season starts. At the end of the season he arcs up in a small but significant way as he grows into the culture of the region.

Antoine starts off down on his luck. He's up when the Apostles get rolling. Then he's down after the split but transforming up again as the scholars he's mentoring put him back in touch with his own roots: "Play fo' dat money".

Nelson comes in, he's up, up, up and ends down. No other way for him to go but he'll be back. He's not an evil character, surprisingly, he's just somewhat juvenile and amoral; rootless but not quite ruthless.

The Chief - he's depressed about his tradition, he's ecstatic about it's rejuvenation, Janette; she's exiled end S01, she's returning end S02.

Each episode is a treasure trove of brilliant music, dialogue and acting with some of the most impressive set-pieces I've ever had the pleasure - the funerals brought me to my knees, some of the musical performances brought me to my feet and the concluding montage was very satisfying, to say the least.

I nominate Wendell Pierce for an Emmy, please, particularily for the more subtle heart-warming moments of Antoine Batiste such as on Christmas morning.