“The Deuce” is HBO’s sprawling, grim look at the early days of the porn industry in New York’s Times Square. Created by David Simon and George Pelecanos, the series spans the 1970s and 1980s, tracing the rise of the adult film business from legalization through the mid-’80s.
The show’s title comes from the nickname for 42nd Street between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue. That stretch of New York becomes a battleground for pimps, cops, real estate developers and the twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino, who work as fronts for the Mafia.
Trailer, via HBO.
The Martino Twins
James Franco plays the twins, Vincent and Frankie, as fronts for the Mafia. They run operations out of Times Square, a district that Simon and Pelecanos treat as a rough-and-tumble world before it becomes a tourist destination.
Chris Bauer plays Bobby Dwyer, and Chris Coy plays Paul Hendrickson. Lawrence Gilliard Jr. plays Chris Alston, Luke Kirby plays Gene Goldman, and Margarita Levieva plays Abigail “Abby” Parker. Emily Meade plays Lori Madison, Michael Rispoli plays Rudy Pipilo, Sepideh Moafi plays Loretta, Daniel Sauli plays Tommy Longo, and David Krumholtz plays Harvey Wasserman.
Candy’s Climb
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Eileen “Candy” Merrell, a street-level prostitute who leaves the dangers of the street to enter the emerging legal porn industry as an actress and director. Her arc is the show’s moral center, a woman trying to survive a world that treats her body as a means to an end.
The series tracks the legalization of the industry, the rise of adult films, and the social and political forces that shaped it. It is a grim, occasionally cartoonish take on a dark time in American culture.
The Drug Years
The show’s second season jumps five years ahead to 1977, with the season concluding in the summer of 1978. The third season takes place from 1984 to 1985. That timeline carries the story through the cocaine epidemic and the violence it brought, as well as the renewed real estate market that eventually cleaned up the area.
The Score
The show holds a strong audience mark, a solid mark for a series that asks viewers to sit with its darkness. Simon and Pelecanos know this territory. The result is a dense, often brutal watch that rewards patience.
The Premise
The show’s premise is simple: twin brothers front for the Mafia while operating out of Times Square, home to Candy Merrell’s climb from street-level prostitute to adult filmmaker. The first season runs from 1971 to 1972. The second season jumps to 1977 and ends in 1978. The third season runs from 1984 to 1985.
It is a grim, sometimes cartoonish look at a dark period in American history. The show does not flinch from the misogyny, corruption and violence it portrays.
The Verdict
“The Deuce” is a time capsule of a city in transition, told through the people who lived through it. It is not an easy watch, but it is a necessary one.
| Season | Premiere | Final Episode |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10, 2017 | — |
| 2 | September 9, 2018 | — |
| 3 | September 9, 2019 | October 28, 2019 |
The series ended on October 28, 2019, after three seasons and 25 episodes. It remains a strong entry in HBO’s catalog of grim, character-driven dramas.
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