The most underappreciated show on TV is back with a second season that looks every bit as striking as the first, although there’s an unfortunate elephant in the room.
The first season of The Deuce is a real treat. It’s a show that takes its time and is clearly more interested in letting the audience live with the characters and setting than rushing to a conclusion. David Simon and George Pelecanos have more than proven their ability to craft a compelling slow burn with shows like The Wire and Show Me a Hero, and The Deuce is no different.
Despite not being quite the hit that HBO might have been hoping for, the show is coming back for a second season, and its new trailer should have you wanting to binge the first season right away to catch up.
One part of all this that is troubling, however, is the continued presence of Franco. While his double performance impressed viewers in Season 1, the allegations of sexual misconduct against him have raised question of whether he should remain on the show. The past year has rightly forced us to take a look at how we consume media by problematic artists, which is why it’s disappointing to see so many of these cases get swept under the rug.
Lars von Trier’s new movie, The House That Jack Built, releases later this year and even earned the Danish director a standing ovation at Cannes, while discussion of his treatment of singer Björk on the set of Dancer in the Dark seems all but gone. In other cases, Casey Affleck puts a dark shadow over David Lowery’s otherwise excellent-looking The Old Man & the Gun, and Chris Hardwick was recently welcomed back to AMC’s Talking Dead with open arms.
While an investigation was conducted by HBO, the decision was made that they “all felt comfortable moving forward with the second season” with Franco remaining. HBO’s decision also happened to coincide with the announcement of Joss Whedon’s new show, setting a questionable precedent.
It can be difficult to navigate these issues, and I certainly can’t tell you whether or not to watch this or any of Franco’s upcoming projects. And for fans of Simon and Pelecanos, the issue of whether or not to support The Deuce may be a difficult one. Especially when the show already struggled to find an audience last season, despite the excellent work done by Gyllenhaal and many others.
As strong as the upcoming season does look, it’s hard to ignore the problems surrounding it. Especially when the show specifically deals with similar discussions to those being had in the real world. Ultimately, whether existing viewers continue to watch is really down to the individual to decide, as with many of the thorny issues we currently face.
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