Raunchy R-Rated HBO Series Brings New York’s Sleaziest Era To Life

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 12 seconds ago

New York’s Time Square is a tourist attraction today, playing host to millions of visitors to enjoy the mecca of American consumerism. It wasn’t always that way. HBO’s hit series The Deuce, all about the rise and fall of the adult industry in New York City, which happens to coincide with the fall of the Mafia, and a massive, citywide crackdown on crime. It was put together by David Simon and George Pelecanos, both of whom know a little about award-winning street-level crime dramas since they were the creator, and writer, of The Wire.

The Time Period New York City Wants To Forget

The Deuce is only three seasons long. Each season covers a different time period, starting with 1971, jumping to 1977 for Season 2, and then a big leap to 1984. The actual plotlines are fictional, including James Franco’s dual role as twin brothers Vincent the bartender and Frankie the degenerate gambler. Vincent and Frankie is the way into the Mob’s expansion into the adult industry as both soon find themselves wrapped up running Mafia fronts. It’s a bit of a Trojan Horse as the real star turns out to be Candy, a former streetwalker turned director played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in what could be the best performance of her career. 

The Deuce digs deep into the lives of characters operating on the fringe of society making it a great companion piece to The Wire. One scene will have you agreeing with a pimp, the very next will make you think that same character is the worst man on the planet. David Simon knows that people are neither truly good or bad, and when even the third-tier background character you took for granted decides that enough has been enough, you’ll appreciate all the time spent getting to know every nook and cranny of 42nd Street. 

The Deuce Was The Last Of A Dying Breed Of Television

Characters age and change between seasons with each season premiere serving as an explainer of what happened in the years we didn’t get to see. It’s rare that a series aims to tell a short story, and is given the runway by the network to do everything it wants. HBO was happy to be working with David Simon, and it shows, with every episode bringing you back to the gritty, yet bright and lively streets of New York before the tourists arrived. 

The Deuce doesn’t shy away from its dark subject matter. Vincent and Frankie’s involvement with the Mob spirals out of control and impacts their family, especially their brother-in-law, Bobby (The Wire veteran Chris Bauer),and runs afoul of their father, played by Armand Assante. Candy’s attempts at going legit often fail to raise up and empower the women around her. The only series that this mix of human emotion and violence can be compared to is, of course, The Wire. 

The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Magic City, all came before The Deuce, and since the end of HBO’s look back at New York City, no one’s tried to tackle a show like it. Like the time period it covers, The Deuce is now a relic of a culture that’s been left behind by the mainstream.