"Treme" remains riveting in second season

LOS ANGELES– While it took a couple of seasons for the general public to figure out that David Simon's "The Wire" was more than just an urban crime drama, there was no such lag in appreciation last year for his HBO follow-up "Treme," a tasty visual gumbo of sociology, politics, music, race and anthropology.

How could Simon not outdeliver? "Treme" was about New Orleans post-Katrina -- a story begging for someone of his journalistic stature to tell its story, much like he did with Baltimore in "The Wire."

Season 1 of "Treme," set three months after Katrina, was about what it takes to care enough to rebuild one of the country's great cities and then to do it. That Simon and fellow producer and New Orleans vet Eric Overmyer pulled it off by letting locals help create the ambience needed (musicians, actors, foodies, local institutions, etc.) added the authenticity that allowed New Orleans' natives to hand down their seal of approval.

Season 2, beginning April 24, begins more than a year after Katrina, and New Orleans is no longer front-page news. But those in the Crescent City are still suffering. Crime is up, help is slow, tourism is way down, and outsiders with money are pouring in to profit from the reconstruction.

There are glimpses of a resurgence a little further down the line. For instance, LaDonna (Khandi Alexander) speaks of the Saints and this new quarterback who might work out (Drew Brees, of course, worked out great, marching the Saints to the promised land of the Super Bowl).

As Season 2 kicks off, we find Toni (Melissa Leo) still trying to fight the good fight but still hurt by the suicide of her husband, Creighton (John Goodman). Daughter Sofia (India Ennenga, now a full-time cast member) has seemingly absorbed her dead father's rage and despair over the state of New Orleans, and that puts additional pressure on Toni. Newly minted Oscar winner Leo, by the way, remains marvelous in everything she does.

Antoine (Wendell Pierce) has designs on starting his own band; Albert (Clarke Peters) is dumped out of the bar he revamped when the owner returns; Albert's son Delmond (Rob Brown) begins to feel the allure of New Orleans again when his fellow New Yorkers disparage the culture; and Janette (Kim Dickens) also tires of the Big Apple as she works under a demanding but talented chef (Anthony Bourdain has been added to the writing staff, so the kitchen banter and attention to detail is exceptional).

Meanwhile, DJ Davis (Steve Zahn) is still angering his bosses at the radio station, still railing against the dying of the culture, but at least he's got a blossoming relationship with Annie Tee (the lovely and talented Lucia Micarelli). Sonny (Michiel Huisman), noted screw-up and Annie's ex, takes one step forward and two back, as expected. Lt. Colson (David Morse, who also gets upped to full-time cast member) continues to deal with the police department's handling of crime in the city. And a newcomer from Dallas, Nelson Hidalgo (Jon Seda), adds to the political intrigue and race to reshape New Orleans.

Ambitious? As always. New Orleans has better days ahead, but Simon and Overmyer look to be spending much of Season 2 on the struggle. This is a series primed to rise another notch, and viewers, like the citizens of the Crescent City, should be there for the transformation.