Treme returns to HBO tonight for its third season premiere.  It was unclear if this was going to be the final season.  HBO has already supported creator David Simon through two low-rated seasons that received positive reviews but not critical acclaim.  How long can a show like that stay on the air?  Thankfully, HBO will give Simon the opportunity to wrap up the series as he sees fit with a fourth season.

Well, half a fourth season.  Simon is looking at “between four and six hours of programming” to end the narrative.  Hit the jump for details.

Your heart aches, your toe taps … it’s Treme time!  HBO generously sent out the first four episodes of the returning David Simon-helmed New Orleans drama, and even though just the premiere episode would have sufficed in proving that the show just keeps getting better and better, it was nice to really get immersed back into its world.  Immersion is key with Treme, because the series is essentially a collection of vignettes about different aspects of New Orleans life, often with vague threads holding them together.  Initially the idea for the series was pitched to HBO pre-Katrina, and was meant to be just about the cities musicians, which still remains a strong theme in the current show.  But after Katrina the series obviously gained traction for a different reason, and there are few who would have handled the material so truthfully and so well as David Simon, who has created a number of critically-acclaimed dramas for the network (The Wire, The Corner and the greatly under-appreciated Generation Kill).

Despite a general love for New Orleans and such inherently compelling subject matter, the series has never taken off with viewers.  Numbers for the series are low, and it rarely enters the awards race (which of course isn’t much of a benchmark of quality since The Wire was never honored either, but nevertheless).  So what is it about Treme that makes it such a difficult series?  Hit the jump for some thoughts on the highs and lows of Treme, and why it is ultimately worth sticking around for.

While at the HBO portion of the TCA Press Tour, President of Programming Michael Lombardo and co-President Richard Plepler took some time to talk about new and returning programming.  During the interview, they spoke about how long Game of Thrones and True Blood could run for, the status of the Entourage movie, their movie deal with Larry David and the affect that could have on future seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, their thoughts on the first season of The Newsroom, the possibility of a fourth season for Treme, and what viewers can expect from the Woody Harrelson/Matthew McConaughey series True Detective.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

On the heels of naming a premiere date for its New Orleans-based drama Treme (Sunday, September 23 at 10pm to be exact), HBO has released a new extended trailer for the series’ third season.  “I’m thinking about doing something different this year,” Albert Lambreaux (Clarke Peters) says to his son in the opening seconds.  “I mean really different.”  It could be a reference to series creator David Simon commenting that the new season will focus more on crime. Two new characters – a restaurant investor and a reporter based on A.C. Thompson – will also be joining the cast.  Bottom line, the new trailer (featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band performing “Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing”) gets one’s soul stirring for whatever’s in store. For the full trailer as well as a preview of the second half of True Blood‘s current season, hit the jump.

HBO has set the dates for two of its acclaimed returning series this fall, both of which will be starting in with their third seasons - Boardwalk Empire (starring Steve Buscemi), which will air Sunday, September 16, and Treme, which will start Sunday, September 23.  Treme, which will return for 10 episodes, usually premieres in the spring, but HBO chose to start Game of Thrones earlier than last year, and pair it with two new half-hour series, Girls and Veep rather than the New Orleans-based drama.  Still, the wait for fall may benefit the series, which will now be running after perhaps a more appropriate intro in Boardwalk Empire.

Treme will also be adding two new characters in its third season – Sam Robards (The West Wing) will portray a restaurant investor (hopefully for Janette!), and Chris Coy (True Blood) will be on board as a character based on reporter A.C. Thompson.  Hit the jump for more on Treme’s upcoming season, along with some scoop on the season premiere of Boardwalk (spoiler alert for the latter, though with ample warnings).

The first season of Treme faced the unique challenge of making New Orleans approachable for outsiders.  Viewers had to be immersed (and entertained) in a world with hurricane aftermath, generations of racial tension and an exclusive music scene. Somehow David Simon successfully ushered audiences through this unfamiliar landscape, much like he did with The Wire, also for HBO. After a critically adored first season, Simon and company expanded on their Louisianan universe with another compelling eleven episodes. Continue reading for my full review.

One of the many films that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was director Ry Russo-Young‘s (You Won’t Miss Me) Nobody Walks.  Written by Lena Dunham and Russo-Young, the ensemble drama stars John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby, Rosemarie DeWitt, India Ennenga and Justin Kirk.  In the film, “Krasinski plays Peter, a Hollywood sound designer who’s agreed to help Martine (Thirlby) with her experimental art film as a favor to his wife (DeWitt). Martine, a beautiful and driven 23-year-old artist, comes to stay in the family’s pool house at their posh Silver Lake home, and her arrival ignites raw emotions and desires throughout the entire family.” Ennenga plays the daughter.  Since premiering, Magnolia picked up the film for domestic distribution, so you’ll be able to see it at some point down the road.

During my interview with Ennenga we talked about being at Sundance, who she plays in the film and what it’s about, and how she got cast.  In addition, with Ennenga currently filming Treme season 3, we talked about what we can expect from her character, the music of New Orleans, how much is improvised, and what else she has coming up.  Hit the jump to watch.

Opening today is director Anthony Hemingway‘s World War II action-drama Red Tails.  Produced by George Lucas and Rick McCallum, the movie is based on the real-life story of the first all African-American squadron and their fight to defend our country.  They were given second-hand planes and the most dangerous missions, and it makes their story all the more incredible. Red Tails stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelly, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Rick Otto, Daniela Ruah, and Michael B. Jordan.

Last week I did an exclusive phone interview with Hemingway. During our wide ranging conversation we talked about how he got involved in Red Tails, what it was like to meet and collaborate with Lucas, how much of the film was “Hollywoodized,” the boot camp for the actors, deleted scenes, test screening, and if they ever think about releasing the film in 3D.  In addition, with Hemingway having worked on The Wire and Treme, we talked about both of those series and what it’s like to direct TV.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

If you’re dismayed by the lack of “wow” in movies as of late, may I remind you that some of the best storytelling on any medium is currently happening on television. Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones—from sprawling epics to intimate character dramas, we’ve got some insanely great entertainment at the command of our fingertips. One of the most anticipated new television series is the HBO adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Corrections. The story centers on an elderly Midwestern couple with three adult children who decide to trace their lives from the mid-20th century to “one last Christmas” together near the turn of the millennium.

Noah Baumbach is directing the pilot, and we’ve already got Dianne Wiest, Chris Cooper, and Ewan McGregor attached to star. Now comes word that Maggie Gyllenhaal and Rhys Ifans may join the increasingly impressive cast. Hit the jump for more, including news concerning a delayed premiere for the HBO series Treme.

Just after shooting for season three of Treme began this week, Variety reports that the fourth season will be the show’s last. Chronicling the hardships of the citizens of post-Katrina New Orleans, Treme has been a passion project for executive producer David Simon. The series has topped out at 2.2 million viewers last season, as compared to the 10.2 million for the premiere of Boardwalk Empire. HBO’s Michael Lombardo and Richard Plepler had continued to support the show despite the sluggish ratings. Treme stars Wendell Pierce, Khandi Alexander, Kim Dickens and Melissa Leo. The third season should air in the spring of 2012 with the final season filming around this time next year.

Since it’s TV news day and all, EW now reports that HBO’s acclaimed drama series Treme will return for a third season. While the New Orleans-set drama hasn’t necessarily been a ratings hit, it has certainly been a critical darling (not unlike fellow “I can’t get no respect” series The Wire).  The series, which stars Khandi Alexander, Rob Brown, Kim Dickens, India Ennenga and John Goodman, is currently in the middle of its second season.

New Orleans as a setting is a tough place for outsiders. Between the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, generations of racial tension and the hyper-exclusive music scene, the world of New Orleans could be very intimidating to viewers. But if there was one man who could help usher audiences into this unfamiliar landscape, it was David Simon. After taking viewers through the gritty Baltimore crime scene for 5 years on The Wire, Simon returned to TV with HBO’s Treme. Following the lives of dozens of people in the Treme district of post-Katrina New Orleans, the show introduces viewers to all different walks of life and the things that connect them. Less explosive and more of a slow burn,Treme is still another Simon triumph. Continue reading for my full review.

Two subsets of Hollywood’s production crews chimed in last night on the best film and television of 2010.  The American Cinema Editors handed out their adorably named Eddie Awards with a respectable degree of specialization.  The Social Network was named the best edited feature-length drama — Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3, and Exit Through the Gift Shop won in the comedy/musical, animated, and documentary categories respectively.  Modern Family, The Walking Dead, Treme, and Temple Grandin were deemed the best edited programs on television last year.

The Cinema Audio Society gave their top film award to True Grit, and became the first voting body to recognize the straight-to-DVD greatness of 30 Days of Night: Dark Days.  TV nods went to Boardwalk Empire, Temple Grandin, and Deadliest Catch.  Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

Today the Writer’s Guild of America kept the spirit of awards season happy by revealing their nominations for achievements in writing for television. Plenty of our favorite shows got some love from WGA members including like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, 30 Rock and Modern Family while plenty of new series like Boardwalk Empire, Justified and The Walking Dead also got some praise. Even the finale episode of Lost is in the mix of episodic nominees. Aside from the narrative dramas and comedies, other staple series like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report get their due diligence as well. Check out the full list of nominees, complete with all the writing talents behind them, after the jump.

Treme is the new HBO drama series set in post-Katrina New Orleans. From executive producer David Simon (best known for his work on The Wire), the 10-episode first season follows musicians (Wendell Pierce), chefs (Kim Dickens), Mardi Gras Indians (Clark Peters) and ordinary New Orleanians (including Khandi Alexander, Steve Zahn, Melissa Leo and John Goodman), as they try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane and the levee failure that caused the near-death of an American city.

At its heart, Treme, named for the New Orleans neighborhood where jazz was invented, is a series about the people and the culture that survived and, at times, it is so authentic and raw that you forget you’re watching actors merely speaking from a script.

We recently spoke to show co-creator/writer David Simon, about his passion for the unique and eccentric city, how he sees it taking four or five years to tell the story of these characters on Treme and how he could never work in network television. Check out what he had to say after the jump: