The Deuce

[herbnessman]

Has anyone else been watching this show? Really well done capturing the seedy side of New York in the 70s with a hobby angle as well of course.

Never watched the Wire but the show runner obviously has a knack for nailing the feeling of life on the streets.

 

[In A Canoe]

It is totally on my list of shows to watch.
It looks well done, and a great cast.
Like most people I am sure, I always so many shows on the go!

 

[Mr Deeds]

It actually reminds me of Yonge Street in the 70s where I grew up. Very accurate, gave me chills and brought back a lot of bad memories.

 

[waswarrior]

Is Young Street where you grew up near Yonge Street, Toronto ?

 

[Insidious Von]

Like The Wire, it's slowly building. The mob boss is played by Michael Rispoli who played Jackie Aprile Sr on The Sopranos. Lawrence Gilliard plays Offer Alston, he played Dangelo Barksdale on The Wire.

Like The Wire it's been mostly exposition, and like The Wire a turning point will happen soon.

 

[Insidious Von]

Michael Rispoli in The Sopranos.

 

[herbnessman]

The show has reminded me very much of the Sopranos in that it has been more about characters building , relationships and setting the tone than plot.

Only thing some may find off-putting is James Franco portraying twin brothers. He is fine as an actor but it comes off as bit gimmicky especially after Fargo just did the same thing with Ewan McGregor.

 

[Insidious Von]

It's all about setting trends, currently the hottest actor in Hollywood did it, so everyone else follows along.

I think it's fascinating, talk about having the power.

 

[Samranchoi]

The show has reminded me very much of the Sopranos in that it has been more about characters building , relationships and setting the tone than plot.

Only thing some may find off-putting is James Franco portraying twin brothers. He is fine as an actor but it comes off as bit gimmicky especially after Fargo just did the same thing with Ewan McGregor.

There have been so many tv shows and movies where actors portrayed twins. There was one Law and Order episode where one actor portrayed twins. The twist on this episode was that they were both born as boys but one was changed to a girl. I had no idea they were the same actor. I find more disturbing that Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayed twins, lol.

 

[dirkd101]

I've been tuning in and I like it. I think they're building the characters well and I think it's only going to get better.

 

[Insidious Von]

There have been so many tv shows and movies where actors portrayed twins. There was one Law and Order episode where one actor portrayed twins. The twist on this episode was that they were both born as boys but one was changed to a girl. I had no idea they were the same actor. I find more disturbing that Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayed twins, lol.

True but not recently, only since Legend has Hollywood returned to the twins formula. Recently Howard Stern interviewed Bradley Cooper, a very talented actor in his own right. Howard asked him if it was beneath him to do television work, Cooper's answer was short and direct: "Tom Hardy does television".

 

[herbnessman]

True but not recently, only since Legend has Hollywood returned to the twins formula. Recently Howard Stern interviewed Bradley Cooper, a very talented actor in his own right. Howard asked him if it was beneath him to do television work, Cooper's answer was short and direct: "Tom Hardy does television".

Bradley Cooper was just in Wet Hot American Summer on Netflix last year. There are arguably better roles for actors available on TV now than film.

 

[glamphotographer]

"Your suppose to like Viking cum"

 

[JackBurton]

I think it’s going to fail. Not because of the actors, who are in their own right, powerhouses; rather it’s because in this era of female empowerment they hired a woman to direct a show that is precisely the male view of sex workers. Any true grit that makes that time period interesting is being watered down by a woman’s view through the lens of history. Hope the studios have deep pockets for their poor choice of director. Principles only go so far when your investment tanks.

While I loved Maggie in the Secretary, she doesn’t have the weight of authority or the certain hard edge a street walker in the 70’s should have.

Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t see it lasting. Same thing killed the tv show Vinyl Shame too, love the time period.

***update***

I couldn’t make it past eposode 4. The plot drags and worse yet: the characters simply aren’t interesting, or deep. Defiantly picked the wrong director to bring this to the small screen.

 

[Insidious Von]

Bradley Cooper was just in Wet Hot American Summer on Netflix last year. There are arguably better roles for actors available on TV now than film.

I recently watched Burnt, Cooper must have spent time in Gordon Ramsay's kitchen to get ready for that role. So far James Franco and Ewan McGregor have done excellent work of portraying distinct twins. McGregor is represented by United Agents, they also represent Tom Hardy. Sunday night is a bit of a smorgasbord for great shows, sometimes I can't decided what to watch. So it's The Deuce and Ray Donovan on VOD with Star Trek-Discovery taking precedent - Jason Isaacs is the shits!

 

[Insidious Von]

I may have to start paying attention to Supergirl, Odette Annabelle has joined the cast.

She played Nola Longshadow in Banshee.

 

[herbnessman]

I think it’s going to fail. Not because of the actors, who are in their own right, powerhouses; rather it’s because in this era of female empowerment they hired a woman to direct a show that is precisely the male view of sex workers. Any true grit that makes that time period interesting is being watered down by a woman’s view through the lens of history. Hope the studios have deep pockets for their poor choice of director. Principles only go so far when your investment tanks.

While I loved Maggie in the Secretary, she doesn’t have the weight of authority or the certain hard edge a street walker in the 70’s should have.

Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t see it lasting. Same thing killed the tv show Vinyl Shame too, love the time period.

It doesn't sound like you've actually watched the show. If it fails it certainly won't be because it water downs the sleaziness or falls short of capturing the era. If anything many will find the subject matter and grittiness off-putting and it may not capture enough of an audience as a result.

Maggie Gyllenhaal has been very good in it but it is really the entire ensemble cast that make the show what it is. The hookers and pimps are not hero and villain caricatures either; they are all nuanced and compelling in their own way.

Despite what you may think of a Maggie as a director and/or exec producer it is really David Simon's show and if you like any of his previous work you will likely enjoy this.

I watched Vinyl all the way through and was disappointed in never really found its footing. It was flawed though and so far The Deuce has been superior in every way. It is a bit slow to pick up but by the end of the fifth episode yesterday I really think it is one of the best character driven shows since Mad Men.

Give it a shot.

 

[Insidious Von]

Never watched Vinyl but I like the way The Deuce is progressing. The show recaptures the Midnight Cowboy look of NYC.

I'm interested in seeing where they take the pimp Larry Brown, the actor (Gbenga Akkinagbe) played Chris Paltrow in The Wire. I'll give Jack Burton a pass, he's obviously a Banshee fan.

 

[Insidious Von]

Spoiler alert.

The Season Finale was on Sunday and they introduced a new character, after 10 seconds I knew who she was. The finale centered around the premiere of Deep Throat, so why didn't they call the new character by who she is: Marylin Chambers? Maybe Ivory Snow doesn't want to be associated with this series.

There is a reason why Vinyl failed and The Deuce will probably carry on for at least 4 Seasons. Vinyl had a narrow focus and it was too self serving, audiences have seen it all before. The Deuce has endless possibilities. It focus is New York in the early 70's, the show has many options. The Daniel Ciello/Frank Serpico investigations, the rise of CBGB's and disco, the Gallo - Profaci War just to name a few. They will probably be dealing with the last next season. We still don't know which family Rudy Pipilo (Michael Rispote) is a captain of, all we know is that he's not with the Genovese outfit.

It's going to get interesting.

 

[Butler1000]

That was the last episode? Crap!!!

Loving it. Oh well. Lots of other stuff to get to.