I just finished watching the first season of Treme. Like The Wire, it took a few episodes to get into, figure out who was who, and figure out what exactly was going on. But by the 3rd or 4th episode I started to like it a lot and by the end of the season, I loved it (reading Alan Sepinwall's recaps certainly sped up the comprehension process and allowed me to appreciate the depth of the show and the characters much more quickly). It's not quite as dark as The Wire but is just as realistic, with incredible writing and acting all around -- including awesome turns from the Bunk and Lester Freamon, not to mention pre-Oscar Melissa Leo and John Goodman. Even Steve Zahn's at-first annoying character grew on me and ended up being more endearing than irritating the majority of the time. It also gave me a new appreciation for New Orleans music... I think I need to get to the jazz fest again.
Bottom line, Treme is clearly on the (too short) list of the best dramas currently on TV. Of what I watch, Mad Men is the only other show of similar quality. From what I've seen, both Breaking Bad andBoardwalk Empire belong in the discussion as well, but I haven't watched their entire runs (yet). Hopefully Game of Thrones will enter this argument soon as well.
