I never understood why so many critics were disappointed by Treme which I thought was a superb series, in writing, directing, acting and music. Perhaps its because it followed from the fact that it was the series that David Simon did after he created one of the greatest shows of all time, and after The Wire, all of his work - no matter how excellent -seemed an anticlimax.

Perhpas people disliked it because while The Wire just kept saying that the system was broken no matter how what people could do, Treme argued that the people of New Orleans knew this better than the slingers and cops of Baltimore - and defianly sung and danced in the face of it. There were more than a share of tragedies - the fate of John Goodman's character at the end of Season 1 was heartbreaking - but time and again the characters on Treme would not give up, would not break, would not let life destroy them. That goes against so many of the rules of Peak tv - and society itself these days - and maybe that is why this sho was never received the plaudits it deserved froim the masses. It is the rare underrated HBO drama and I home more people recognize it