David Simon, creator of HBO’s The Wire and Treme, teamed up with crime fiction author George Pelecanos to explore the sex trade and origins of the pornography industry in early 1970s New York City. The Deuce features a sprawling cast of characters (almost 40 significant roles) to show the vast ecosystem on the seedy streets, from ambitious barman Vincent Martino and his twin brother Frankie (both played by James Franco) to independent streetwalker and single mother Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), from the flashy, sometimes brutal pimps and the sex workers under their control, to the police patrolmen who never know why they target certain streets and leave others alone, and the mobsters getting their fingers into everything. It’s a complex drama that recreates the era when New York’s 42nd Street and Times Square (nicknamed "the Deuce") comprised a tawdry, grimy urban slum of dive bars, grindhouse theaters, and adult bookstores, and where sex workers paraded their business out in the open. And it captures the rise of the porn industry from out of the shadows and into the mainstream. Compiling all eight episodes from the 2017 debut season, extras include audio commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes. A smart, complex series that is full of sharp writing, vivid characters, and complicated relationships, this is highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)
The Deuce: The Complete First Season
HBO, 3 discs, 500 min., TV-MA, DVD: $49.99, Blu-ray: $59.99 Volume 33, Issue 3
The Deuce: The Complete First Season
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