Twin James Francos Star In HBO’s Trailer For ‘The Deuce’

The last time HBO tried to dramatize New York’s sleazy past, the end result was Vinyl, a good but not great drama that ended after one season. So the network is probably and understandably nervous for The Deuce, its next quantum leap into ‘70s-era NYC. The show’s new teaser just dropped, and the first thing you’ll notice is that there are two James Francos. The second thing you’ll notice is that this looks and feels a lot like Vinyl. But instead of centering on the glory days of the record industry, The Deuce takes viewers into the birth of the porn industry, when Times Square was a cesspool of live peep shows and sex workers.

The Deuce follows Franco as twin brothers, Vincent and Frankie Martino, who are working in Times Square (presumably in the burgeoning sex trade) and end up becoming fronts for the mob, because this wouldn’t be an HBO drama unless the mafia was somehow involved. The Deuce comes to us from The Wire creator, David Simon—which explains why some of that iconic show’s actors appear throughout the short clip—and the pilot was directed by Michelle McLaren, who was originally supposed to direct Wonder Woman and was behind some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins James Franco and James Franco, as a sex worker who looks to suddenly reshape her career. The Deuce premieres on September, and you can watch the trailer above.