Set around Times Square in the early 1970s, this drama concerns the burgeoning pornography industry and turns on a cross section of bartenders, gamblers, gangsters, policemen, prostitutes, and other denizens of the city at night. The series is masterminded by George Pelecanos and David Simon, who previously collaborated on The Wire. The ensemble cast includes James Franco (in dual roles), Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gbenga Akinnagbe, and Zoe Kazan.
The pilot is extremely impressive. One instantly feels Simon's confident, masterful hand as he spins webs around these dynamic and flawed characters and reveals the systems in which they toil. Gyllenhaal seems set to deliver a particularly strong performance.
I guess it recalls HBO's A-list, renewed-then-canceled misfire Vinyl, which I found hypnotic at its best and frustrating at its worst (the whole mob-and-murder subplot felt obligatory and extraneous). Obviously this has much more positive reviews. I hope ratings are also superior.