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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, September 6, 2019 4 TV Media T here's nothing worse than a sudden cancellation. When a show ends abruptly, fans are left wishing and wondering, but a slow, de- liberate ending can leave us satisfied in a way that enhanc- es the series, even if we're sad it's over. Starting Monday, Sept. 9, fans of the HBO series "The Deuce" can begin to experi- ence that slow wind down. Season 3 is its last, and know- ing that beforehand has given its showrunners a chance to of- fer their audience a conclusion that feels natural. "The Deuce," named after slang for a section of Manhat- tan's 42nd St. that was once considered the city's red-light district, depicts the eclectic community of that section of New York City during the 1970s. It's creators, David Si- mon and George Pelecanos, are best known for creating the HBO megahit "The Wire," and the stars of the series are no less qualified. The show stars Maggie Gyllenhaal ("The Hon- ourable Woman") and James Franco ("The Disaster Artist," 2017) as two (well, three, actu- ally) people living their lives in and around New York's seedy underbelly from the early 1970s onwards. I say three be- cause Franco plays twins. Other cast members have been promoted this season, going from smaller recurring roles to regulars as the timeline of "The Deuce" jumps ahead several years and new charac- ters emerge as central figures. Among those receiving meati- er roles are Olivia Luccardi ("It Follows," 2014) and David Krumholtz ("Hail, Caesar!," 2016), who play the young es- cort Melissa and director Har- vey Wasserman, respectively. The supporting cast of "The Deuce" is strong from top to bottom (a trademark of David Simon's television shows), but the leads have received special attention for their performanc- es in the show's first two sea- sons. Gyllenhaal plays Eileen "Candy" Merrell, a former street hustler who eventually gets involved in the production of, well, unsavory films. Can- dy's arc has been one of self- improvement and personal discovery, as she fought her way up from the gutter to a job that has a new sense of legiti- macy (but also poses new risks and challenges). It's no surprise that the hard-working, Oscar- nominated actress has re- ceived constant, glowing praise for her portrayal of Can- dy — she was also nominated in the Best Actress category at the 75th Golden Globe Awards last year. Franco has also been praised for his performance in "The Deuce," but in his case, it has been less for rendering an ex- cellent, original character than for the technical prowess of his work. Franco plays twin broth- ers Vincent and Frankie Marti- no in the show. Vincent began the series as a down-on-his- luck bartender working long hours to provide for his family. His brother, Frankie, is more of a loose cannon; he's a gambler and occasional scam artist who has ties to the mob. In Seasons 1 and 2, the brothers saw their fortunes rise as they took advantage of their mob connections (sometimes reluctantly) and got involved in bar ownership and brothels. The Vincent and Frankie char- acters have been criticized for being stereotypical "New York guy" caricatures, but Franco has received almost universal acclaim for his dual perfor- mances, which regularly re- quire him to act in scenes with only himself. His ability to per- form in a convincing manner opposite thin air (that is subse- quently filled in by seamless CGI) has captured the atten- tion of fans and critics alike. Several years ago, after the finale of the first season of "The Deuce," multiple mem- bers of the cast and creative team indicated that the show had a roughed-out narrative designed to last for three sea- sons. Back then, the future of the series was in doubt, and there was no guarantee it would be renewed enough times to make it to its natural conclusion — HBO isn't above canceling critically ac- claimed shows when the rat- ings aren't there, and ratings for "The Deuce" have never been particularly strong. In- stead of the twists, turns and cliffhangers that propel so many shows to must-watch status, "The Deuce" simply depicts the lives of its charac- ters in a realistic, believable way and allows the narrative to play out naturally. In the end, HBO allowed the show to run its full course, and au- diences can expect a solid, thought-out conclusion in- stead of the abrupt or scat- tershot ending that can plague shows canceled be- fore their time. The third season of "The Deuce" will replicate the five- year timeline jump that oc- curred between Seasons 1 and 2. The show's first season was set in the early 1970s, the second played out five years later, and this one takes us five more years into the fu- ture to the start of the 1980s. The season finale of Sea- son 2 hinted at the goals of the final season when Harvey gave Candy a preview of an emerging form of technology: the VCR. The final season will look at the impact of that technology. coverstory Olivia Luccardi in "The Deuce" Wrap it up: 'The Deuce' returns for its third and final season By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Are there any updates on the second season of "The Night Manager"? A: Yes, but they amount to the same lack of a conclusion we had before. The bottom line is we still don't know if it will hap- pen. "The Night Manager," starring Tom Hiddleston ("Avengers: Endgame," 2019), Hugh Laurie ("House") and Olivia Colman ("The Crown"), originally aired as a miniseries on AMC here and the BBC in the U.K., an adaptation of the John le Carré novel of the same name. It was a huge critical and popular hit, though, so naturally the networks and fans wanted more. The question was then, and still is, can/will they make an- other season without source material to draw from? The latest news is that the head writer and director of the first season have both said they won't participate in a second. Director Susanne Bier and writer David Farr both have the same concerns about a second run: They're afraid of doing, in Bier's words (taken from an interview with DigitalSpy.com), "something that does not live up to the level of Season 1. That would be a really bad idea." Nonetheless, there was great optimism a year ago, when the producers announced that they had hired a team of writers for the second season — it didn't include Farr, but it did feature Charles Cumming, another spy novelist whom many have called the next le Carré. Q: I recently saw a TV commercial for Carfax, and the voice of the fox sounded familiar. It made me wonder if it's the voice of Gobo from "Fraggle Rock" on HBO. Is it? A: There are a few reasons why we can be certain that's not the same voice. The first is that Jerry Nelson, the legendary Muppeteer and voice of Gobo Fraggle, would have been too busy, and too pric- ey, to do commercial work by the time the Car Fox character debuted in 2009. The second is that the Car Fox ads continue to be made to- day, seven years after Nelson's death. Brent Halfyard, the actor voicing Car Fox, is, on the other hand, likely much more affordable (no offense to him), and very much alive. His biggest role so far — besides the Fox him- self, who has built a weird sort of viral fame — has been nar- rating a few seasons of the Investigation Discovery series "Very Bad Men" in the early 2010s. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A Towne Floring 3 x 2 The Powell Company 2 x 2

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