More good jazz-oriented TV drama series?

October 12, 2022 5:48 AM

I really enjoyed watching Treme and The Eddy and I'm wondering if there are any other good TV drama series in which jazz plays a prominent part.

It helps that both series were really good anyway, but I also liked the various live jazz-oriented scenes and characters. So, have there been any similar series that I've missed or forgotten?

TV series, not movies, thanks.

(As I was about to post this I remembered The Beiderbecke Trilogy, which I haven't seen since the 1980s - it definitely has some jazz themes but ideally I'm looking for more jazz performance than I think this had.)

posted by fabius to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

If you can find it anywhere, Johnny Staccato was a fun 1959 crime noir series featuring John Cassavetes as a part-time private eye and part-time jazz pianist.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:40 AM on October 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Not specifically jazz characters but Peter Gunn had a lot of jazz in it, and at least one jazz club the characters frequented
posted by TimHare at 8:04 AM on October 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

There's an interesting show on Prime called "Z: The beginning of everything" with Christina Ricci(!) playing Zelda Fitzgerald in her teens and 20s as she meets F. Scott Fitzgerald. Taking place in the roaring 20s, jazz and the scene takes on a supporting role in the series.
posted by hydra77 at 8:56 AM on October 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

I haven't seen it, so I can't comment on the jazziness or quality, but the CBC was heavily promoting this a while back.
posted by sardonyx at 9:34 AM on October 12, 2022

The second series of The Avengers has a surprising amount of jazz in it - any of the episodes with jazz singer Venus Smith as Steed's companion will feature at least one song. (How well this works in the context of the episode varies.)
posted by offog at 10:05 AM on October 12, 2022

It's animated so maybe not what you had in mind, but Kids on the Slope has some great jazz.
posted by juv3nal at 3:11 PM on October 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

It's 1930s jazz, not 21st Century jazz, but I enjoyed Dancing on the Edge.

(And you're right that The Beiderbecke Trilogy doesn't have a whole lot of jazz performance, but I was going to recommend it anyway before your note - it's one of my favorite works of episodic television.)

Thanks for asking this question - I hadn't heard of The Eddy and now I'm hoping to check it out!
posted by kristi at 5:56 PM on October 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Luke Cage has at least two very good live performances in it (hip-hop flavored jazz or soul).
posted by ergomatic at 7:57 PM on October 12, 2022

I should have checked this earlier, but apparently the entire run of Johnny Staccato is available on YouTube. (In the US, anyway.)
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:11 PM on October 12, 2022