2nd Season of HBO's "TREME" Gets The Greenlight

HBO will produce a second season of "Treme," the musical drama set in post-Katrina New Orleans that debuted Sunday, April 11. Co-created by David Simon ("The Wire," "Generation Kill") and Eric Overmyer ("St. Elsewhere," "The Wire"), the series won mostly glowing reviews and launched to 1.1 million viewers, a respectable but not spectacular audience for HBO. By comparison, the 2008 HBO premiere of "True Blood" drew 1.44 million viewers.

"True Blood" eventually grew into a substantial draw for the network, averaging about 5 million viewers per episode by the end of its second season.

"I can't think of another show that is more emblematic of what we aspire to be as a network than 'Treme,'" said Michael Lombardo, president of HBO programming, in a statement released by the network. "In the tradition of 'The Wire,' David Simon and Eric Overmyer have embarked on an exploration of the soul of one of the world's most unique cities through the lives of an exquisitely crafted cast of characters. We are thrilled that the press has recognized the profound artistry and intelligence of this show and are eager to see where David and Eric take us in a second season. "Simon announced the renewal to the "Treme" cast and crew Tuesday afternoon at the Uptown home serving as the residence of the show's Creighton and Toni Bernette characters, played by John Goodman and Melissa Leo. Production activity at that location has irked some in the neighborhood, but the "Treme" renewal is good news for the city's burgeoning TV-and-film industry overall.

"We want to thank everybody who made this show a success, especially the community, which has supported the production," said Jennifer Day, director of the New Orleans Office of Film & Video. "This is going to be a very important project for New Orleans."

Day said her office has not yet compiled economic-impact data for "Treme's" first season, production on which will continue in New Orleans through April. But according to Joseph Incaprera, the show's line producer, "Treme" is expected to spend $30 million in New Orleans during the production of its first season.

Filming for season two will begin after hurricane season. Those episodes likely will air in spring 2011 and rejoin the show's story timeline -- which started three months after Katrina in Sunday's premiere episode and will run into late spring 2006 through the first season's 10 episodes -- some time in fall 2006. An episode order for season two wasn't included in HBO's renewal announcement.

HBO executives tried to reach Simon on Monday -- before the Tuesday release of the premiere ratings -- to inform him about the renewal, but he was attending the Washington, D.C.,-area funeral of David Mills, the "Treme" co-executive producer who died March 30.

"This is one of my favorite moments working for HBO," Simon said Tuesday. "They tried to get in touch with us last night to tell us, even before the (ratings) number was released, which is pretty cool."

Hailed by critics and ignored by Emmy Award voters, "The Wire" barely built a viable audience on HBO. It became a cult hit only during its DVD afterlife.

A former Baltimore newspaper crime reporter, Simon launched his TV career on "Homicide: Life on the Street," an NBC drama adapted from a Simon book. It, too, struggled for ratings sustainability.

"TREME" Writer/Producer DAVID MILLS died on 3/30/10

We've lost one of the greats.

Noted journalist/producer/screenwriter DAVID MILLS passed away suddenly yesterday in New Orleans at the age of 48, of a brain aneurysm.

Mills is perhaps known best for his work on the Baltimore-set HBO miniseries “The Corner,” which he co-wrote and co-executive produced with David Simon. The six-episode mini earned Mills 2 prime time Emmy awards: Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special and Outstanding Mini-Series.

Prior to “The Corner,” Mills had previously worked with Simon once before as a writer on an episode of “Homicide: Life on the Street.” He went on to write a season four episode of “The Wire” (”Soft Eyes”) and later returned to that team as a staff writer for the HBO series’ fifth and final season, a gig that earned him a Writer’s Guild of America nomination for Best Dramatic Series in 2009. He also has series writer and co-executive producer credits on “Treme,” HBO’s David Simon/Eric Overmyer series, which premieres on April 11.

A statement issued by the cable network reads: “HBO is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear friend and colleague David Mills. He was a gracious and humble man, and will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him, as well as those who were aware of his immense talent. David has left us too soon but his brilliant work will live on.”

Mills did some work for noted TV series’ “ER” and “Conviction,” and he developed the NBC miniseries “Kingpin.” He also wrote nine episodes for “NYPD Blue” between 1995 and 1997, a job he landed after writing a letter to The Washington Post in response to comments made by series creator David Milch about the challenges black American writers face in writing for mass audiences. Milch saw the letter and hired Mills.

Prior to his work on the small screen, Mills made a name for himself as a noted journalist. He was a features writer for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times and The Washington Post, and he conducted memorable interviews with Sister Souljah and Public Enemy emcee Professor Griff. He was also known for his love of George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic; Mills’ TV work made frequent references to the classic funk outfit and he later went on to collaborate on the book, “George Clinton and P-Funk: An Oral History.”

Mills had been living in New Orleans at the time of his death as part of his work on “Treme.” The 10 episodes set to air for the first season all feature him as a co-executive producer and series writer. The little I’ve seen of the series so far is flawless, a musically-driven companion piece to “The Wire,” only with the focus on post-Katrina New Orleans and the music scene there. Make sure you tune in on April 11 to see for yourself.


We here at The French Quarter Wedding Chapel send our condolences to the Mills’ friends and family during what must be a terribly difficult time.