David Simon's HBO Porn Series The Deuce Sounds Pretty… Interesting

Speaking to critics and reporters during HBO’s press tour at TCA, the annual gathering of television critics and reporters, Simon said, “Misogyny isn’t the currency. It’s what the show is about. That’s what the product was and we don’t sell beer or a Lincoln Continental (nowadays) without sexual imagery.”

The Deuce sounds a little bit like The Wire, but with porn instead of drugs, which is something that feels insane, but hey, Simon said it himself, kinda:

“I was much less interested in whether porn was good or bad, just like on The Wire I wasn’t concerned whether drugs were bad or good.”

In The Deuce, James Franco plays Vincent and Frankie Martino — a thrilling thought for those wishing that any movie starring James Franco had more James Franco in it. Vince Martino is based on a real person who ran a bar in Times Square before it was home to adults dressed in dingy Elmo costumes asking for a hug. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Eileen “Candy” Merrell, a call girl turned performer turned director. In the show, Simon intends to trace the origins of porn from its shady beginnings to its current iteration as a genuine industry, exploring “how the 1971 porn industry has impacted our current notions of market capitalism and society.”

All right, David Simon. I guess. The Deuce will premiere on HBO September 10.