The actors seems to BE the characters they play, because they're so well-cast. And in some cases, musicians are playing themselves. I love all aspects, especially the music, and it gives you insight into how rich and deep New Orleans culture really is. I watch as much as I can through streaming media, but it's best to get the DVD or Blu-Ray for this, because there are special features that you can activate for during the show or to browse after. In a review in The New Yorker, Emily Nussbaum said, "If you find jazz snobs annoying, or foodies annoying, or quietly dignified people who go 'mmm-hmm' annoying, there will be parts of Treme that you'll find annoying." That only made me think "my kind of show!" And it is.