Tonight on HBO: Show Me a Hero

“Show Me a Hero” is a new miniseries on HBO from David Simon (“The Wire”) and Paul Haggis (“Crash”), starring Oscar Isaac (“Inside Llewyn Davis”). It is the story of racial, class, and political tensions in 1970’s Yonkers, New York, based on the book of the same name by Lisa Belkin about a young mayor named Nick Wasicsko who struggled to get his constituents to accept a federal order to place low-income housing in a middle class community.

The title comes from F. Scott Fitzgerald, who said, “Show me a hero and I’ll show you a tragedy.” Wasicsko’s story did not end well. Maybe telling it now will help his idealistic vision come closer to reality.

Behind the scenes:

Simon and Haggis spoke about the show on CBS This Morning: