David Simon

HBO had plenty to announce by the recent TCA press tour (as well to keep quiet), and now some more good news has flown in under the wire. The network has handed a series order to a ‘70s New York porn drama from The Wire creator David Simon, rounded out by James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal. No, we’ve made none of this up.

HBO’s The Wire famously shifted focus to different corners of Baltimore between seasons, but did you know creator David Simon based the series on his real-life time as a police reporter? Or that many real public officials and criminals actually played themselves? Get ready to hit them corners, as the 37th episode of ‘You Think You Know TV?’ goes all in the game for HBO’s The Wire!

Sad news for appreciators of Melvin Williams and The Wire alike, as the actor, inspiration, and former real-life Baltimore drug kingpin behind one of HBO’s most enduring dramas has passed away. The ex-criminal and David Simon collaborator was well-remembered as a source in the creator’s journalistic exploits, and eventual inspiration for The Wire, even taking a minor role.

While HBO has given director David Fincher an incredibly difficult time with his two prospective pilots (both of which are now likely dead), the network is moving ahead with two pilots from our other favorite David — The Wire creator David Simon is working on two new dramas, one a political series (of course), and the other inspired by the ‘70s porn scene in New York. Guess which one James Franco has joined? Actually, that’s not a question. You know which one.

The only unfortunate thing about Show Me a Hero is the realization that David Simon’s latest HBO enterprise is a limited series. Simon, who also created The Wire (aka the best television series of all time), returns to the network with Show Me a Hero, starring Oscar Isaac as a mayor struggling to do the right thing in a city that doesn’t want to let him. Oh, and he also has a real great mustache.

Emboldened by many recent successes, HBO has a reputation for buying and developing a great deal more programs than other networks, two of which may now include follow-ups to some of HBO’s most iconic shows. Not only is The Wire creator David Simon developing a ‘70s set porn drama centered in Times Square, but so too is HBO considering further seasons of docu-drama The Jinx.

The following report has been brought to you by the phrase “Hot damn.” The Wire creator David Simon has been developing a miniseries (albeit a limited one) for HBO for some time now, and today brings excellent news about Simon’s new project. Oscar Isaac is set to lead an impressive ensemble cast in Simon’s Show Me a Hero, which debuts later this summer on the network.