When it comes to racial tension in America, one can look in any direction, on any street in just about any city in America and tell you what happened there in what time period. But David Simon ("The Wire," "Treme"), creator of HBO's new mini-series "Show Me a Hero," says this is about a real story, not about the stories you see on TV pulling in zombie-like ratings, according to an interview with Grantland.

Simon has always been one to craft his television shows as more of a real-life portrayal, not a glamorized, special-effects driven show embellished to reach bigger audiences. "The Wire" had many characters in it that played to the different themes of the show.

But, what the show never did was embellish a characters scene to draw in a big audience. Just take Omar's death as an example, who was an integral character in the show up until the last season. It happened in a random setting, on a random day, by a random kid. The shot lasted a little over a minute then the show continued on.

"I've gone 16 years. I've gone as long as you can go in television without having an audience," Simon said in reference to his shows not dancing to the pandering tunes that draw big followings.

According to the Los Angeles Times, that is what we can expect from "Show Me a Hero." The story, based on a non-fiction book of the same name, focuses on a young mayor (played by Oscar Isaac) in Yonkers, New York in the late '80s. The drama centers around the desegregation of the area when a federal mandate orders low-income housing projects to be built in the area for the poor.

When the young mayor attempts to comply with the mandate, upper-class white residents enter into the struggle, tearing the city apart. The municipal government becomes dysfunctional and the mayor's political life is destroyed.

"You are not going to get zombie-like numbers," Simon told Grantland, "for a story about 200 units of low-income housing being built on the east side of the Saw Mill Expressway and the racial strife that ensues."

Vulture reports that the series will be directed by Paul Haggis ("Crash") and will premier on HBO on Aug. 16. The cast also includes Catherine Keener, Alfred Molina, Winona Ryder, LaTanya Richardson-Jackson, Bob Balaban and Jim Belushi as well as Argentine actress Carla Quevedo, who will play the mayor's wife, according to LoHud.