Once upon a time in America, pleasure became a business.
Original title
The Deuce
Released
9/10/2017
Origin country
US
Genre
Crime, Drama
Production companies
Blown Deadline Productions
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
3
Number of episodes
25
The story of the legalization and subsequent rise of the porn industry in New York’s Times Square from the early ’70s through the mid ’80s, exploring the rough-and-tumble world that existed there until the rise of HIV, the violence of the cocaine epidemic and the renewed real estate market ended the bawdy turbulence of the area.
Twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino navigate their way through the rough-and-tumble world of 1971 Times Square. Vincent crosses paths with other midtown denizens while plotting to improve his situation. Abby gets enlisted to buy amphetamines.
Vincent moves into a seedy hotel and contemplates an offer from mob capo Rudy Pipilo. Bobby hopes to take advantage of Vincent's new connections. Filmmaking intrigues Candy. C.C. shows Lori the benefits of having a pimp. Larry feels unsettled.
The appearance of an unexpected partner surprises Vincent. Rudy buys into a rival's plan to reconfigure the Deuce. Candy considers entering the filmmaking business. Abby languishes in her new job. Darlene works overtime to compensate Larry.
Rudy dangles a lucrative offer in front of Vincent. Longo uses strong-arm tactics to restore order among Bobby's unhappy construction workers. Candy attracts unwanted attention and is intrigued by a legitimate suitor. Paul questions his place at the Hi-Hat. Frankie hits a hot streak. Darlene gets a gift from Abby. Alston sees through Sandra. Bristling after a police shakedown, Vincent adds muscle in the person of Black Frankie, a Vietnam war vet.
Looking for a way out of his construction gig, Bobby tries to change Vincent's mind about Rudy's offer. Darlene returns from a trip home with a new girl, disappointing Abby. Roughed up by a john, Candy contemplates a change of careers. After getting busted, Paul explores the underbelly, and the exhilaration, of gay life in the city. With an assist from Alston, Sandra scores a key interview with a pimp.
An end-of-the-year crackdown by police in and around The Deuce sparks Vincent and Bobby. Candy tries to persuade Harvey, her adult-film director, that she can do more than act. Rudy witnesses a pivotal lower-court ruling on obscenity, and enlists Frankie and Big Mike to protect his interests in the peeps. Alston tries to convince Sandra that he's not just a “source.”
With police pushing their business off the streets, C.C., Larry, Rodney and other pimps worry about becoming obsolete. Candy eyes a different job on Harvey's set as Lori struggles with the demands of porn acting. At her wit's end, Ashley hangs out with Frankie and, later, washes up on Abby's door. Bobby is smitten with an employee.
In the Season 1 finale, Vincent balks at getting in deeper with Rudy, as expansion fever hits Frankie and Bobby. Candy gets a taste of directing, and enjoys the red-carpet perks of a major premiere. Alston finds himself in limbo at his precinct. Abby changes up the Hi-Hat's clientele; Sandra faces editorial and legal hurdles; Vincent settles a score.
Resuming five years after the culmination of the first season, season two returns to the world of 1977. Disco and punk are in full swing, and police corruption and political tolerance for New York’s midtown demimonde is at its height. And the Mafia, the early backer of pornography at the moment when courts declared for its legality, is now seemingly poised to reap great profits.
Times Square, 1977. Vincent is now proprietor of a new mob-backed disco, while his girlfriend Abby has brought the nascent punk-rock culture into the Hi-Hat. Vincent's twin brother Frankie remains a problem, "borrowing" money from the sex emporium he manages to pay off his debts. Meanwhile, Candy looks to make more artful, ambitious adult films.
Confronted with the changing realities of prostitution and porn, C.C. doubles down on his assets while fellow pimp Larry Brown eyes a new opportunity. Candy turns to Genevieve Furie, a onetime porn director who's graduated to slasher films, for filmmaking advice. Paul is approached by Matty the Horse, a rival of Rudy's, who promises Paul the mob protection he deserves.
Lori envisions a sunny future in LA after attending the AFAA Erotica Awards with Harvey and Candy, who's looking to connect with west-coast producers willing to turn her fairy tale into reality. Paul and Kenneth approach Vincent about a loan for a new nightclub, free from mob ties. Goldman visits Alston's precinct to share the mayor's vision for cleaning up the Deuce.
Ashley and Abby resolve to track down the identity of a 16-year-old sex worker killed in a recent fire. Vincent is shaken after witnessing the brutal side of Rudy's operation. Candy recruits some new faces to help her out with the production. Frankie finds his dry-cleaning business a less-than-perfect fit. Lori looks to forge a deal with Kiki.
Temporarily flush with cash, Frankie is tapped by Candy to be a co-producer on Red Hot. Lori eyes a plum role in the film, but still feels the burden of being under C.C.'s yoke. With Rudy's blessing, Big Mike and Black Frankie hit a gambling house in the Bronx. Bobby finds himself stigmatized at home and at the Hi-Hat after a surprise raid overseen by Alston.
Candy shoots her opus guerilla-style on the streets of New York. Vincent makes a confession to Abby, along with a promise to change. Ashley and Abby help a prostitute escape the Deuce, with a little help from Vincent. Larry Brown gets a promotion. Paul celebrates the opening of his new upscale club. Bobby turns to Vincent to find work for his wayward eldest son, Joey.
Trapped by his own success, Vincent envisions an idyllic rural life with Abby. Candy is frustrated by her mob backers' misogyny and weighs telling her son, Adam, what she really does for a living. Shay reverts to form, to Irene's dismay. Joey falls in love. Darlene deals with unexpected news. Lori hits a roadblock in her quest for adult-film stardom. Alston faces a dilemma.
Kiki finds new partners for a deal for Lori. Vincent visits his father for advice. C.C want to get payed for Red Hot.
"Red Hot" premieres as Candy, Harvey and Frankie get caught between competing investors. Vincent and Abby must deal with an unexpected loss. Lori is affraid to go to L.A. without C.C.'s permission. Paul turns to a familiar source to help finance Tod's Dreams. Darlene comes clean.
Season three brings us into the world of 1985, just as VHS overtakes film as the primary medium for porn production and distribution. The lure of the California sunshine, the city’s aggressive takeover of commercial sex properties in Times Square and the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic mark the end of an era. With the party of the 1970s winding down, 42nd Street has deteriorated into a hive of uncontrolled violent crime and seedy video stores, making urban renewal seem more unlikely than ever before.
On the eve of 1985, a worn-out Vincent reconnects with his ex-wife, Andrea, as his open relationship with Abby grows more distant. Despite becoming a family man, Frankie continues his risky side hustles. With the newly dominant VHS format shaking up their industry, Candy and Harvey travel to Las Vegas for an adult film convention. Now a bartender at the Hi-Hat, Loretta becomes an active member of Women Against Pornography.
Frankie takes his amateur porn business to the next level and ends up in a confrontation with Rudy, who pushes Vincent to up his profits. Candy brainstorms a new film based on the experiences of her fellow sex workers and finds that her new beau Hank is not shaken by her past. Abby and Loretta take care of Shay when she shows up to the Hi-Hat in bad shape.
Abby befriends a graffiti artist named Pilar and takes a surprising trip downtown. Candy sets a firm line with Hank when it comes to money. Todd re-examines his priorities and asks for Paul's support. Melissa is forced to face her past.
Lori returns to New York for an audition and runs into some familiar faces. Candy speaks to her critics at a Women Against Pornography meeting. Alston takes a drastic step to deliver for Goldman. Vincent and Frankie celebrate an eventful birthday.
A distraught Vincent follows a lead down a dangerous path. Paul reaches out to Tod's parents. Candy battles Harvey over her latest script. Lori hits the feature dancing circuit. Abby reflects on her choices. Bobby does right by Black Frankie. Alston defends the plan to clean up Midtown. Gene reckons with his conflicted personal life.
In the wake of a personal loss, Candy finds the emotional core of her latest movie. Abby confronts Vincent after she makes an alarming discovery. Paul turns to activism as the AIDS epidemic continues to ravage New York's gay community.
A struggling Lori turns to Candy for help before revisiting The Deuce. Candy makes a surprising deal to secure funding for her film. Abby takes a stand against the latest phase of Midtown redevelopment. Tommy explains the new world order to Vincent.
Big changes come to The Deuce as Gene sees opportunity in the city's public health crisis. Vincent looks to get out from under the mob's thumb and makes peace with Abby. Candy makes a critical choice in her relationship with Hank. Series finale.
This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.
