Just over a week ago, the 60th and final episode of The Wire was broadcast on the HBO network in North America. It is the single greatest television show ever made. Yet the sad thing is that so many people are completely unaware of it. I bet quite a few people reading this right now have never even heard of it.
I don't really know how to give the show a quick description that would do it justice (but I'll try). It's the most realistic fictional show you'll ever see. It's so gritty and so detailed. The show is shot and set in Baltimore, Maryland and focuses on the social and civic problems that the city faces. But it could be nearly any city.
The realism mainly comes from the basing of characters on real-life individuals and from the experiences of the show's creators. David Simon, the creator and main writer, used to be a journalist for The Baltimore Sun working as a police reporter. There he became friends with Ed Burns (now his right-hand man on the show) who was a homicide detective and later became a school teacher. All these roles play an important part in the show.
On the face of it, it's a "cops versus the bad guys" show but it's really so much more than that. It's about individuals and institutions and how the latter can destroy the former. Each of the five seasons of The Wire expands the scope of the show while continuing the main stories and themes. Season 1 focuses on the investigation and surveillance of a major drug dealing operation. The most important aspect of the surveillance is the wiretapping of phones which is where the show gets its name. But in the greater scheme of things, "The Wire" could also refer to us, the audience, wiretapping the city of Baltimore.
Season 2 took the brave route of mostly setting aside the events of the first season and introducing a whole new group of characters - the working class people of the city, specifically the dock workers on Baltimore Port. Season 3 introduces the politics of City Hall to the equation. Season 4 brings in the education system. Season 5 showcases the media angle through the happenings at The Baltimore Sun newspaper.
There must be over one hundred characters of significance on the show and every single scene is important so you really need to pay attention to what's going on. There isn't any gentle introduction to characters or plots or any lazy exposition to remind you of what's going on. You need to be discerning and focused while watching and you'll be rewarded for it.
The show airs on TG4 in Ireland and on the FX channel in the UK but you would be highly encouraged to watch it all in order from the start. The show plays out like a multi-volume literary novel so can't really be dipped in and out of. The first four seasons are available on DVD.
I know there are some fans here so feel free to talk about it or add your own comments to persuade others to start watching it. I suppose we should use spoilers when discussing any details of the show. To start us off, did you have a favourite season?
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Originally Posted by DeadParrot
