The Deuce, David Simon’s new series in which, like it or not, you’ll get two James Francos (playing brothers, similar to how you’ve been getting two Ewan McGregors in Fargo — but with two of a more polarizing actor) has its first trailer. Set to Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up,” the trailer lays the series’ late 70s Manhattan setting on thick, creating a panorama of the Times Square area at the time more than showing the way any narrative might unfold on the series. It’s 27 seconds long, so presumably this is just the beginning of a trailer cycle that’ll get more and more revealing before the premiere of its eight-episode first season on September 10…unless it’s anything like the Twin Peaks revival trailer campaign.
As David Simon’s first HBO venture since his unsurprisingly excellent Yonkers public housing drama, Show Me a Hero, The Deuce will surely arrive amongst high expectations. And, given how consistently smart Simon’s work has been, I’m going to make a not-so-wild guess that it’ll be as good as it sounds (even with, or perhaps even aided by, double Franco). Not only does it look to bear Simon’s consistent interest in the complex, racialized and wealth stratified social structures of American cities, but it also happens to be a period piece boasting some fabulous 70s looks — and to be about the burgeoning legal porn industry within what’s now somehow an even weirder part of NYC than it was in the 70s: Times Square. The show also sees an exploration of the beginnings of HIV, the cocaine epidemic, and rising real estate prices in NYC.
The Deuce is a collaboration between Simon and detective fiction writer George Pelecanos (with whom Simon worked on Treme), in what looks to be a big opportunity for James Franco plays mob-affiliated twins Vincent and Frankie Martino, who start to capitalize on the porn boom in New York City. Maggie Gyllenhaal also stars as a sex worker who’s now exploring the financial potential of porn, while The Wire‘s Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. plays an NYPD patrolman, Margarita Levieva plays a college student who becomes involved w/ one of Franco’s seedy twins, The Wire‘s Gbenga Akinnagbe plays a local pimp, Dominique Fishback plays a sex worker who’s new to the industry and stuck with a volatile and intimidating pimp (presumably Akinnagbe’s character). Also starring are musician (and former Wire actor) Anwan Glover, The Leftovers’ Emily Meade, Zoe Kazan (in a recurring role), The Karate Kid‘s Ralph Macchio (also a recurring cast member rather than a regular), Gary Carr, Chris Coy, Chris Bauer, and Michael Rispoli.
Catch glimpses of the ensemble cast — and of porn-y Times Square — in the trailer: