A New Series for the Thugz?

David Simon, creator of The Wire and Homicide, announced plans to shoot an HBO pilot of Treme, about the New Orleans neighborhood of that name. New Orleans is unfortunately rife with material for a crime drama. As Simon tells the Times-Picayune, the show would explore “political corruption, the public housing controversy, the crippled criminal-justice system, clashes between police and Mardi Gras Indians, and the struggle to regain the tourism industry after the storm.” If HBO picks up the series, will New Orleaneans respond to its depiction of their city’s often shocking post-Katrina underbelly as negatively as many Indians did to Slumdog Millionaire, or will the accompanying economy boost help smooth things over? Maybe the Thugz will weigh in on this one as well. [%comments]