Just over two years after the end of his drama seriesTreme, writer/producerDavid Simonnow has a new show firmly a “go” at HBO. The creator and showrunner ofThe Wire, one of the greatest pieces of televisionin history, began developing a 1970s New York-set drama series about the rise of the porn industry last year calledThe Deuce. HBO found the idea intriguing enough to order a pilot, and now that the pay cable network has gotten a look at the first episode, they’re firmly ready to put this thing on the air.
As if he has nothing else to do,James FrancoleadsThe Deucein dual roles as twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino, who were key players in the Times Square world and became involved with the Mob as fronts for the lucrative sex industry’s origins.Maggie Gyllenhaalco-stars as Candy, a Times Square hooker “with an entrepreneurial bent who is drawn into the fledgling porn industry.” The series itself aims to track the rise of porn in Times Square from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s and explores the rough-and-tumble world that existed there until the rise of HIV, the violence of the cocaine epidemic and the renewed real estate market all ended the bawdy turbulence.
Breaking Badveteran,Game of Throneshelmer, and one-timeWonder WomandirectorMichelle MacLarenwas at the helm of the pilot forThe Deuce, and while HBO is no doubt happy to have such a nudity-friendly series as part of its upcoming arsenal, Simonpreviously told usthat his goal is to toe a very fine line with regards to the inherent salaciousness of the material:
“If it works, it will not be because it’s prurient. It will not be making porn to critique porn. And it won’t work because it’s puritan and sneering at the people that were there when that industry came together after the Supreme Court made it legal. It will work because it’s a story about human beings, and it’s a critique of market capitalism. That’s the purpose of the piece. It’s a product that didn’t exist, and then it existed. What happened to the human beings that made it come to be, and what was the cost of that? If we can affect that and stay on that fence, and not be either sneering at it or indulgent in it, it will be a worthwhile piece. If we don’t, then God help us.“
Simon wrote the series alongsideGeorge PelecanosandRichard Price, and he executive produces the show withNina Nobleand MacLaren. Franco also has an executive producer credit on the series, while Gyllenhaal will be credited as a producer.Gary Carr,Margarita Levieva,Lawrence Gilliard Jr.,Dominique FishbackandEmily Meadealso star.
No word on how soonThe Deucewill air, but if production on the rest of the episodes begins in the next few months, it’s possible we could see a late fall or winter debut. The show joinsGame of Thrones,The Leftovers, and new seriesVinylandWestworldas HBO’s only original dramas at the moment.
