The Deuce, HBO’s unfortunately titled new drama series, might feel a little familiar to fans of The Wire. Although one concerns the dawn of the porn industry in 1970s New York City and the other is about the contemporary drug trade in Baltimore, both are bursting with urban grittiness, moral ambiguity, and about a million and a half distinct characters. Both shows also happen to share a lot of talent both in front of and behind the camera.

The new series, which premiered to rave reviews last week, incorporates actors and directors from some of co-creator David Simon’s previous HBO projects, like Treme and Show Me a Hero. The most overlap by far, though, is with The Wire. Perhaps not coincidentally, The Wire is also Simon’s most beloved creation and is widely considered one of the all-time greatest TV shows. Drawing heavily from that talent pool sends a signal flare to Wire-lovers that Simon is operating in full-on beast mode once again.

The marquee names on The Deuce–stars/producers James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal–may have nothing to do with The Wire, but below is a guide to who’s who on both shows.

The Brain Trust

David Simon: A 12-year veteran of the Baltimore Sun before moving into television, Simon works with both feet planted firmly in reality. Although The Wire was his baby, he had a lot of help bringing it to term. With The Deuce, he has even more help, including a co-creator.

George Pelecanos: Pelecanos is an author of hardboiled crime fiction, like The Sweet Forever, who hooked up with Simon in The Wire days. He was a producer on season 3—which many consider its pinnacle—and a writer of seven episodes. With The Deuce, the pair’s collaboration has become a full partnership.

Richard Price: A kindred spirit to Simon. Price’s milieu is New York City’s seedy underbelly. (See for example his novels Clockers and Lush Life.) He successfully transplanted his urban insight to Baltimore when writing for The Wire, but as a producer and writer on The Deuce, he puts his expertise in New York nightlife to great use.

The Players

Gbenga Akinnagbe: On The Wire, Akinnagbe played Chris Partlow, a stone cold hitman (with subtle shades of depth) who worked directly under rising kingpin Marlow Stanfield. Here, he plays Larry Brown, a vicious pimp (with subtle shades of depth.)