HBO has set a date for the premiere of its new series The Deuce. Starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the ten-episode series will explore the beginnings of the porn industry in 1970s New York and will premiere on Sunday, September 10th.
The Deuce was created by George Pelecanos and David Simon. The pair will also executive produce with Nina K. Noble and James Franco. Also starring in the series are Gary Carr, Margarita Levieva, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Dominique Fishback, Emily Meade, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Chris Bauer, Ghris Coy, Natalie Paul and Michael Rispoli.
“For America, flesh as a legal commodity begins in New York City, but it travels everywhere into the national life,” says Simon. “The fact is, we don’t sell a luxury car, blue jeans or bottle of beer anymore without a certain amount of pornographic thought attached.”
The Deuce follows the rise of the porn culture in New York from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s, exploring the rough-and-tumble world of the sex trade from the moment when both a liberalizing cultural revolution in American sexuality and new legal definitions of obscenity created a billion-dollar industry that is now an elemental component of the American cultural landscape. Beginning in 1971, the show follows a cast of barkeeps, prostitutes, pimps, police and nightlife denizens as they swirl through a world of sex, crime, high times and violence and the porn business begins its climb from Mafia-backed massage parlors and film labs to legitimacy and cultural permanence.
Originally published July 28, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
