The Deuce is a violent, intelligent, sexy, fun show that is absolutely worth watching. It shows the rise of the sex trade industry in New York during the 1970's. It's a story the involves everyone from the police, pimps, prostitutes, bartenders and other night life people who navigate the sex industry. What makes this show so good is the writing and the cast (James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Margarita Levieva, Emily Meade, Chris Bauer, etc.). It's created by David Simon, the same person who created The Wire and it has the same type of realistic feel to this show. If you're looking for a new show to binge then give this a try.
190 Reviews
Underrated!
Supermanfan-136 November 2022
The Deuce is one of the most underrated HBO shows there is. It's obviously not one of their best because they have done so many great shows, it's just among their most underrated. The entire cast is excellent, especially James Franco who plays twin brothers. The acting and writing are so good that you really come to care what happens to these characters. The attention to detail in this is terrific, even though I wasn't born yet it really does look and feel like the 70's. It went for three seasons which was perfect for a show like this, it didn't get watered down trying to go too long and the ending was perfect.
Too good to be true, but it isn't!
m-gretha-anna4 November 2018
Where do all the lousy reviews come from? Millennials? Never seen the dirt of the seventies ? Just cause you grew up in a sterile world without any idea about history whatsoever does not mean it was always so!
So one said : Why make a serie about such a dirty time? Well why make a movie about WWII? Or about Henry the 8th? Just watch and learn about the time I grew up in. And a lot of others. Yeah that is right we survived the gore and the secondhand smoke. The filth and not to forget the best music there was. This is a great serie. The whole setting is real to life and I just love it.
Superb
njcpace2 October 2018
This is a superb series. So informative, impressive, moving, funny, compelling, beautifully written, directed, acted. We also loved The Wire so we're not surprised. (We're on Season 2, Episode 10). If you are not comfortable with the realities of sexuality (and sexuality-and-money), or with the perspectives of poor black (and white) street criminals and victims, please watch this and learn. The first three episodes, explicit on the gritty awful violent demeaning desperate lives of the young and poor and ignorant caught up in the sex trade are hard to take, but staying with the series is so rewarding. Like life, the series is paradoxical, which is where the wonderful wit comes through. I so appreciate the talents assembled here to make this brilliant and worthwhile "long movie" and bring it to life. I have no complaints, only the deepest respect and appreciation for this long all-American story. Can't wait to finish Season 2 and looking forward to many more seasons!
The diametrical opposition to most TV
CriticalDane2 November 2018
A deep and gritty realism multifaceted narrative take on the evolving of the porn industry on 42nd street and Times Square in New York.
I have looked at ALL the reviews and literally every single one below 6 stars is the same type of "critique":
1: Why is Maggie G. in the cast, she is not pretty 2: James Franco is bad he ruins it all 3: There is only sex and drugs and no plot 4: Nothing happens I stopped in episode 3
The only difference is just the formality of it, how was it formulated and smaller circumstances.
It seems silly to me, rating a show badly because they didn't cast someone sexy and like-able to play a prostitute on the streets of N.Y.
If you do not appreciate the shows aesthetics or the actors working on it then these reviews are probably helpful for you - But they are still very misleading and does NOT represent the show at all. The actual craftsmanship and writing on this show is amazing and is on par with the first season of True Detective, the Sopranos or the Wire. Maggie was cast exactly for that reason, that she is not chiseled by Michelangelo himself but has the realistic look to her.
I have looked at ALL the reviews and literally every single one below 6 stars is the same type of "critique":
1: Why is Maggie G. in the cast, she is not pretty 2: James Franco is bad he ruins it all 3: There is only sex and drugs and no plot 4: Nothing happens I stopped in episode 3
The only difference is just the formality of it, how was it formulated and smaller circumstances.
It seems silly to me, rating a show badly because they didn't cast someone sexy and like-able to play a prostitute on the streets of N.Y.
If you do not appreciate the shows aesthetics or the actors working on it then these reviews are probably helpful for you - But they are still very misleading and does NOT represent the show at all. The actual craftsmanship and writing on this show is amazing and is on par with the first season of True Detective, the Sopranos or the Wire. Maggie was cast exactly for that reason, that she is not chiseled by Michelangelo himself but has the realistic look to her.
right on
reimbolds2 September 2017
Just watched the pilot and was blown away. It took me back to 1974 New York. I was 23 years old and landed a job at a massage parlor near 54th and Lexington called the Playmate Club. You had to walk up a narrow flight of stairs, just like the hotel in The Deuce, and at the top of the stairs was a narrow door with a big heart on it. I got to work the streets all night passing out promotional cards and touting the benefits of a champagne bath. The girls on the street all wanted to work for the massage parlor because they said it was safer to work indoors and the pimps were not happy to see me. The costumes and street scenes of The Deuce are exactly as I recall. I was paid $5.00 an hour plus free meals at the Taft Hotel. They had an all you can buffet in the basement. I bought this incredibly shimmering pimp shirt that had narrow black and white vertical stripes that was impossible to bring into visual focus. It had very wide collars. I learned a few things that summer. A big bus load of Irish clergymen and nuns pulled up in front of the Waldorf and I gave each one of them a card as they stepped off the bus and I said "welcome to New York." The next day Paula, the lady in charge of the Playmate Club, told me I was doing a great job and wanted to know if I could explain a huge run of Irish customers the night before. I told her what happened and we all, including the girls, had a big laugh. I ended up in some trouble with the law, but nothing a quick flight back to Los Angeles didn't take care of. I am looking forward to the next episodes of this masterpiece.
Huge undertaking that impresses on many levels
vam-vm26 December 2019
Maybe it would be a good idea for IMDB to require would be reviewers to pass some kind of test that might weed out some of the reviews that appear to be written by contrarians who have no interest in an honest assessment or especially dim witted viewers who haven't a clue what makes a quality production.
When a series has an 8.1 rating on IMDB based on over 20,000 reviews the one,two, and three star reviewers should reassess their reviewing abilities and perhaps learn to appreciate a production that recreates 1970's 42cnd street in 2017. The dozens of cars, taxi's, busses that would be on 1970's midtown streets and the hundreds of pedestrians all dressed appropriately for the era. The theater marquees showing movies from that era. All being shot in modern N Y. Huge undertaking that is done very well. To dismiss it with a one ,two, three star review diminishes you , not the series
Disregard The Poor Reviews, They Just Do Not Get it
Phantom_Duck10 October 2017
I lived in Manhattan during this time period and this flick is brutally and amazingly well executed. Times Square, 42nd Avenue (The Deuce, get it?) is so accurately represented it is like like a trip in Sherman's Way Back Machine. The XXX theaters, John Waters films on the Midnight Movie marquees, the peep shows, SROs, adult bookstores, dive bars, the drugs, hookers, pimps. It's all there.
I was a disco DJ at the Limelight, I was a very bad boy. I get it.
in 1995 I took my new wife to Manhattan, for my cousin's wedding. We were living in San Diego.Drove in from Newark, parked at the Port Authority. Our first stop was to be the grit and scum of Times Square.
I did not the memo that Guliani had "cleaned up" Times Square. We were eager to explore. Imagine our disappointment that it was all gone. Scoured, wiped clean, spic and span. I almost cried.
This film scratched the very old itch. What an amazing job. Yeah, it ain't perfect, but it is an awesome watch. Strong eight of ten.
Unless you don't like gritty, visual, intelligent, beautifully artistic dramas? Then go watch ya some Kardashians, moron.
I was a disco DJ at the Limelight, I was a very bad boy. I get it.
in 1995 I took my new wife to Manhattan, for my cousin's wedding. We were living in San Diego.Drove in from Newark, parked at the Port Authority. Our first stop was to be the grit and scum of Times Square.
I did not the memo that Guliani had "cleaned up" Times Square. We were eager to explore. Imagine our disappointment that it was all gone. Scoured, wiped clean, spic and span. I almost cried.
This film scratched the very old itch. What an amazing job. Yeah, it ain't perfect, but it is an awesome watch. Strong eight of ten.
Unless you don't like gritty, visual, intelligent, beautifully artistic dramas? Then go watch ya some Kardashians, moron.
Excellent adult series
UniqueParticle18 May 2020
Great all around at least most of the time especially by a superb creator of The Wire which is masterful! The cast, soundtrack, writing, and innuendos are done so well! I'm surprised there wasn't more seasons easily could've. James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal are so delightful this is very different for them.
A Grand Slam
janoffpeter12 September 2019
Finally a series about gritty old NYC. Dirty dark and naughty with all of those 70s trimmings you expect and gotta have. 42nd street looks bawdy. From the cop cars to the conks. Vandals and Volkswagens. its all there. Streets overflowing with garbage and polyester abounds. Pure 70s heaven. My time in my town. They nailed it. The closest to Superfly meets Kojak you can get in 2019.
Amazing
stale-6054426 July 2022
Never seen better casting in any TV-series. Wow, what an environment they have created from New York. It looks more real than it was. This is a piece of art. The Deuce is up there with Sopranos, Breaking Bad and some few others. Enjoyed every second.
Loved it ... for a while
orshansj7 October 2020
The first season was great, to me, at least. I lived in New York during those times and I remember 42nd Street in all its grimy glory and I can say that things they showed were pretty authentic.
But then, second season came on and something happen that made me lose all interest in the show. It didn't connect with me anymore. I found its characters and their stories boring. Human struggles turned into an enterprise. Movies. Also, all the prostitutes, for whom sex business was just that, business, began to view it as humiliation. Then, anachronisms began to pop up, one after another, which killed for me all the authenticity of the Deuce of that time.
The last episode I watched was when an agent called one of the prostitutes "actor". Not actress, an actor. That gender neutrality was the last drop. I turned it off - in the middle - and never went back.
I gave this show a good number of stars, because, like I said, that first season was really good. After that, I was done with it.
But then, second season came on and something happen that made me lose all interest in the show. It didn't connect with me anymore. I found its characters and their stories boring. Human struggles turned into an enterprise. Movies. Also, all the prostitutes, for whom sex business was just that, business, began to view it as humiliation. Then, anachronisms began to pop up, one after another, which killed for me all the authenticity of the Deuce of that time.
The last episode I watched was when an agent called one of the prostitutes "actor". Not actress, an actor. That gender neutrality was the last drop. I turned it off - in the middle - and never went back.
I gave this show a good number of stars, because, like I said, that first season was really good. After that, I was done with it.
Great Season 1, Poor Season 2
mike-499-20587129 April 2019
I really enjoyed season one; slick, clever, darkly comic and with great storylines. Then came season 2, where everything slows to a crawl, with very little happening to keep you interested. Inexplicably, they also moved the story on 6 years, skipping probably the most interesting period in the development of the adult film industry. I can only guess that the producers realised the series might only be heading for 3 seasons and wanted to get to the spectre that is AIDS before their time on-screen runs out. The reviews from 2018 are spot on - it really was an excellent first season. Unfortunately the majority of reviews from 2019 are just as accurate.
Good Stuff For Those Who Wait
crabbybob25 September 2017
As someone who grew up in the 70's watching crime shows like Kojack, Baretta etc... that were set in NYC you just knew you weren't getting the true eyeful of what was really happening unless you were old enough to see "R" rated movies like Taxi Driver or the French Connection and even then the time constraints of a 2 hour flick only gave a director and crew enough time to flesh out the main character with other characters just being there in a supporting role. The first episode is always the toughest to get into because it takes time to get know who you like and don't like in the ensemble of characters or whether the story will keep you watching future episodes. The first episode starts pretty much as you'd expect with mostly typical stereotypes of what one would imagine Times Square was like in that era with pimps, hookers and wiseguys and a guy who just trying to make a semi-honest living in the morass. After watching the 1st episode I still wasn't sure about how good this could be but after the 2nd you start seeing more pieces coming to play, by the 3rd you could tell it was definitely going to be a good series.
The weaknesses of some characters (like the wiseguys) could be tuned up as the show progresses, just like they get tuned up or deleted on any new show. Some say it mimics other great HBO shows of the past, as if that's a negative. There's a reason many of Hollywood's stars are jumping in and doing these type of shows on streaming and cable, it gives them a chance to flesh out a character over 8-10 hours or more, not just the standard 2 hour "Hurry up and get it done, where's my paycheck, I'll be back for the sequel" mentality.
Yes, there's too much sex, but Times Square didn't become a G-Rated Disney destination because it was the best part of NYC, it's seediness and lack of real estate value is what drew the new commercialization that we see today, something the show starts addressing in the 2nd episode.
The weaknesses of some characters (like the wiseguys) could be tuned up as the show progresses, just like they get tuned up or deleted on any new show. Some say it mimics other great HBO shows of the past, as if that's a negative. There's a reason many of Hollywood's stars are jumping in and doing these type of shows on streaming and cable, it gives them a chance to flesh out a character over 8-10 hours or more, not just the standard 2 hour "Hurry up and get it done, where's my paycheck, I'll be back for the sequel" mentality.
Yes, there's too much sex, but Times Square didn't become a G-Rated Disney destination because it was the best part of NYC, it's seediness and lack of real estate value is what drew the new commercialization that we see today, something the show starts addressing in the 2nd episode.
Good old dirty NYC
Zadarian6 April 2021
Fascinating
inkalicious18 December 2018
The low reviews are laughable! I can only imagine they are written by young adults who grew up with participation trophies and timeouts and the belief their taking offense at everything actually means something.
This is a fascinating albeit gritty walk down memory lane. It is well-written and well-acted. It's also interesting to see the juxtaposition of the almost innocent- in-comparison sex industry then compared to what it has become now. It leaves this viewer hankering for simpler times. Add a phenomenal soundtrack, amazing scenery/sets, and complex characters, and it is well-deserving of a high rating. Ignore the low reviews.
This is a fascinating albeit gritty walk down memory lane. It is well-written and well-acted. It's also interesting to see the juxtaposition of the almost innocent- in-comparison sex industry then compared to what it has become now. It leaves this viewer hankering for simpler times. Add a phenomenal soundtrack, amazing scenery/sets, and complex characters, and it is well-deserving of a high rating. Ignore the low reviews.
Conveys the era well.
paulcreeden17 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I lived in Spanish Harlem in the period of this series. As a new college grad, recently a dental school drop out, I ventured to Oz. I walked the length and breadth of Manhattan in my wing-tip shoes. I couldn't find work. I was laughed out of clothing stores where I applied for sales jobs by gay clerks who correctly judged me as a provincial. Yes, it was a tough town.
I partook of 42nd Street entertainments occasionally. Times Square and 42nd Street were shabby and inhabited by street people of every sort. The vibe was similar to what we can experience today in large cities of Africa, South America and South East Asia. Why? Because Manhattan then was a place where run-down housing was cheap. Hordes of disenfranchised young people fled there from every corner of America. The false promise of success drew them. Yet the aristocracy still ruled and exploited them.
This series has captured the mood of 42nd Street and Times Square of that time. It has even brought back to me some of the smells of that district. It was pungent with cigarette smoke, burned grease from shabby diners, cheap perfume, and disinfectant. Cars spewed unfiltered pollution. Cabs honked incessantly. Loud voices pierced the din. Wary tourists gawked and skittered.
I appreciate the show's avoidance of retrospective political correctness. Hookers, pimps and corrupt cops were not gentile. Perhaps the show softens them all a bit, but the basic content is accurate. As a young gay man of a politically aware nature, I lived the experience of being hunted by crooked cops and exploited by mob venues.
I winced when James Franco first appeared as identical twins in the pilot. I doubted the show's ability to pull this off, but it has remarkably well. Maggie Gyllenhaal does an exemplary job as an aging prostitute, independent of the pimp patriarchy. Her character exposes the underside of pre-feminist independence for women of the 1950's and 1960's. While Katherine Hepburn was playing upper class women of stature, the reality on the ground was quite different, especially for working-class women and women of color.
This is the kind of programming which might save channels like HBO in an age of increased streaming competition. I place it on a tier with Showtime's "Ray Donovan". Gritty drama with suspense and good character development (writing) seldom fail.
I partook of 42nd Street entertainments occasionally. Times Square and 42nd Street were shabby and inhabited by street people of every sort. The vibe was similar to what we can experience today in large cities of Africa, South America and South East Asia. Why? Because Manhattan then was a place where run-down housing was cheap. Hordes of disenfranchised young people fled there from every corner of America. The false promise of success drew them. Yet the aristocracy still ruled and exploited them.
This series has captured the mood of 42nd Street and Times Square of that time. It has even brought back to me some of the smells of that district. It was pungent with cigarette smoke, burned grease from shabby diners, cheap perfume, and disinfectant. Cars spewed unfiltered pollution. Cabs honked incessantly. Loud voices pierced the din. Wary tourists gawked and skittered.
I appreciate the show's avoidance of retrospective political correctness. Hookers, pimps and corrupt cops were not gentile. Perhaps the show softens them all a bit, but the basic content is accurate. As a young gay man of a politically aware nature, I lived the experience of being hunted by crooked cops and exploited by mob venues.
I winced when James Franco first appeared as identical twins in the pilot. I doubted the show's ability to pull this off, but it has remarkably well. Maggie Gyllenhaal does an exemplary job as an aging prostitute, independent of the pimp patriarchy. Her character exposes the underside of pre-feminist independence for women of the 1950's and 1960's. While Katherine Hepburn was playing upper class women of stature, the reality on the ground was quite different, especially for working-class women and women of color.
This is the kind of programming which might save channels like HBO in an age of increased streaming competition. I place it on a tier with Showtime's "Ray Donovan". Gritty drama with suspense and good character development (writing) seldom fail.
Can't wait for more
acertainblue-8533426 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Just watched the pilot. Atmosphere is a bit of '70s glitz, mixed with the grim & seedy - just as I remember Times Square in the early-mid'70s. Music is accurate and, so far, not over-used to establish environment or circumstance. I struggled a little to stay interested for the first 15-20 minutes, but the story's simmer morphed into a slow boil as I got increasingly intrigued by the relationship between the pimps & prostitutes, Candy (Gyllenhaal), the main James Franco character, and several of the working girls. I don't care for the college girl story so far at all, and there may be a few too many 'side' stories, which can be frustrating, at least for now. Certaingly the ending left me frustrated at not being able to watch more! Happy I got to see the pilot early but bummed it's two weeks or more before can watch more - for me, The Deuce is that engaging.
This looks to be one of HBO's better series, although it's more likely to attract devotees of Deadwood & the Wire than fans of GOT or Westwood -I could be wrong. Nice to see something this interesting that's based on real life & circumstances, rather than another sci fi, futuristic and/or fantasy narrative.
This looks to be one of HBO's better series, although it's more likely to attract devotees of Deadwood & the Wire than fans of GOT or Westwood -I could be wrong. Nice to see something this interesting that's based on real life & circumstances, rather than another sci fi, futuristic and/or fantasy narrative.
One of the greatest finales of all time (no spoilers)
chrnic23 March 2020
The series finale at the end of season 3 is one of the best endings I've ever seen to a series. I loved the series from the start but that ending just knocked it out of the park. I'm not going to write any spoilers but go watch this series if you haven't!
S01 great, S02 ok, S03 boring
r_vdhorst21 October 2021
The first season is great. Interesting and great characters.
But then season 2: people are dying and the serie doesn't introduces new interesting personages. That's why season 3 is quite boring: only the storylines which I don't like continue.
But then season 2: people are dying and the serie doesn't introduces new interesting personages. That's why season 3 is quite boring: only the storylines which I don't like continue.
Season One Review
southdavid31 May 2018
So tempting to throw a comparison to "The Wire" in early doors here. Whilst it's too early to say whether David Simon's show will go on to match his illustrious predecessor - this first season is a major step in the right direction.
Much like "The Wire" the show focuses on an area rather than a character. This time though, rather than Baltimore it's a much more specific area of Manhattan that gets our attention. "The Deuce" area was, in the 70's a focal point for the sleazier appetites of the city that never sleeps. Prostitutes and pimps inhabit the streets outside what were, at the start of the show, illicit porno theatres and peep shows. The story tells multiple stories from people on all sides of this situation, where the laws surrounding the industries are murky, and only increase in ambiguousness which the show explores.
Despite the shows excellent sprawling storyline, somehow managing to facilitate 30 odd fleshed out characters, each with something going on, and the pretty solidly done period setting, the explicit nature of the sex scenes, particularly in the earlier episodes is almost certainly going to turn away a high number of the audience. It's not titillation though, these scenes are not enjoyable, but rather highlight the inherent depression of sex without love, or even respect,
Everything else though, is spot on. Performances from the reliable TV cast as well as the sprinkling of Hollywood are universally excellent, it's a show that will hopefully make some stars out of some of the less well known talent. But the shows real star is David Simon. Future seasons will let us know whether "The Deuce" follows "The Wire" to classic status but for now it's off to an excellent start.
Much like "The Wire" the show focuses on an area rather than a character. This time though, rather than Baltimore it's a much more specific area of Manhattan that gets our attention. "The Deuce" area was, in the 70's a focal point for the sleazier appetites of the city that never sleeps. Prostitutes and pimps inhabit the streets outside what were, at the start of the show, illicit porno theatres and peep shows. The story tells multiple stories from people on all sides of this situation, where the laws surrounding the industries are murky, and only increase in ambiguousness which the show explores.
Despite the shows excellent sprawling storyline, somehow managing to facilitate 30 odd fleshed out characters, each with something going on, and the pretty solidly done period setting, the explicit nature of the sex scenes, particularly in the earlier episodes is almost certainly going to turn away a high number of the audience. It's not titillation though, these scenes are not enjoyable, but rather highlight the inherent depression of sex without love, or even respect,
Everything else though, is spot on. Performances from the reliable TV cast as well as the sprinkling of Hollywood are universally excellent, it's a show that will hopefully make some stars out of some of the less well known talent. But the shows real star is David Simon. Future seasons will let us know whether "The Deuce" follows "The Wire" to classic status but for now it's off to an excellent start.
Feeling Like I'm Getting Dirty Just By Watching
AudioFileZ25 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of those productions where the prop masters and producers really pulled off a big visual coup. I'm talking about how the 70's NYC is so accurately recreated. At first this makes such an impression as to actually compete with the story. Soon it does that which it should and makes you feel you are peeking back in time. A look into the new wild west only it's The Big Apple which is often as dangerous. The players feel just as real too with James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal playing two desperate and disparate characters who are struggling to get ahead in the minefields of the city. They're supported by a cast who brings colorful characters who are based on actual people of the time.. Colorful is a major understatement as the vice in Vegas would seem tame in comparison. This is a mad collision of street people: pimps, working girls, drug dealers, mafioso thugs, and crooked law enforcement. There's a certain hardness to these people purely rooted in the primal human survival instinct. It all revolves around making a buck and criminal activity
at least on street level in NYC as seen here. It brings the cliché' to mind: "only the strong survive". Yet it almost seems only the lucky will come through alive and unscathed. As boring as Minnesota might be it makes one wonder why a young woman would choose life on the street in the city over safe and warm at home? Peeking back in on a time gone is both fun and harrowing
this film is down, dirty, and real. Not for the squeamish because it actually makes you feel somewhat dirty watching. You can take this and process it with you own filter so you will know if you might want to watch or avoid. I got uncomfortable often but, I found such alien lives like a car wreck that for some reason one fails to turn away from.
It Ain't the WIre
carollynjames14 September 2019
I was eager to see The Deuce. I mean, who doesn't love Maggie Gyllenhall and David Simon and handsome-pants James Franco. That, and porn and 1970s NYC? It couldn't miss. But, alas, it kinda does. It's obvious that Simon wanted to do the Wire again--bless his heart, gotta love 'im for it--but he didn't. He didn't because (1) we're watching movie stars be down and out and scuzzy (Ooooo, such great acting. At times, you can almost hear Franco say the same thing to himself as he gets to grandstand two parts. To be fair, however, Gyllenhall is genius and always credible.) And (2) there are not the writers for The Deuce that there were for The Wire. George Palencanos is a good, mediocre crime writer and when he was writing for the Wire, he was one of many. Here he is The Writer. What happens is that every scene is predictable and taken from something you've seen or read elsewhere. Even though porn is cool and NY is sleezy, there is little or no edge to the shows. But, again, Ms. Gyllenhall does her best and if it weren't for her, there would be no there there.
(3) While it's mildly interesting, you're not going to carry this show around after you turn it off. Again, it's not the Wire.
But it's not bad. It's just not great.
Absolutely brilliant, should've run longer.
robertdavidarmstrong21 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Just like the wire you take the characters into your heart, its upsetting watching them self destruct and joyful when they succeed. Great acting, great story, great script. It could easily have run for another 2 seasons, it should have.
Although looking at the negative reviews there is now a large cohort of people who prefer not to know what the world was like and who should really just stick to the Disney channel.
For me the overarching theme of the show is back in the 70s/80s New York was a dirty sleazy hole but despite that people had honest human experiences, both good and bad. The very last episode very effectively contrasts this with the modern New York, an over sanitised tourist attraction with everyone living their life through a 5.5" screen. The point being, yes it's safer, yes it's cleaner, yes it's brighter & bigger but along the way to achieving that the city lost its humanity. A pyrrhic victory.
Although looking at the negative reviews there is now a large cohort of people who prefer not to know what the world was like and who should really just stick to the Disney channel.
For me the overarching theme of the show is back in the 70s/80s New York was a dirty sleazy hole but despite that people had honest human experiences, both good and bad. The very last episode very effectively contrasts this with the modern New York, an over sanitised tourist attraction with everyone living their life through a 5.5" screen. The point being, yes it's safer, yes it's cleaner, yes it's brighter & bigger but along the way to achieving that the city lost its humanity. A pyrrhic victory.
See also
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