Treme (pronounced "Treh-may") is a largely working class neighborhood in New Orleans, and according to Wikipedia is the city's African-American and Creole epicenter. It also features a lot of government underfunding, brass bands, and crime. Naturally, the show will explore all these things, and if we can all manage to avoid comparing it to The Wire once we've actually seen it, I bet it's going to be something special.

And because it's fun, here are the TV vets of interest starring in the show: Bunk and Lester Freaman from The Wire, John Goodman, Khandi Alexander (CSI: Miami, ER and Newsradio), Kim Dickens (Lost, Deadwood, Friday Night Lights) and Melissa Leo (Homicide: Life on the Street), as well as Steve Zahn, who makes movies, but we won't hold that against him.

Treme premieres on HBO tonight at 10 PM, opposite a new Breaking Bad and the less fancy but still entertaining Brothers & Sisters (second hour of a two-hour ep), Celebrity Apprentice (ditto), Kirstie Alley's Big Life (lemur cages!) and, yet again, Captain Ron on CMT.