Okay, time to talk about something (semi-)retro.

I have watched several shows since The Wire that I considered amazing (Breaking Bad, Sopranos, Game of Thrones, etc), and shows that may not be as brilliant IMO, but still very entertaining (Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Dexter, etc), but to this day I still maintain that The Wire is the best show on television.

In terms of complexity with cast, it matches Game of Thrones, yet it manages to keep things more closed form and interconnected, even when it comes to two parts that seem worlds apart. And the pacing is much better, IMO.

One of the show's strongest traits is its realism. That's something I generally don't see in shows about cops or gangsters. It doesn't have that contrivance that annoys me about most other cop shows. It manages to flesh out or give likeable traits to some people on the gangster side of things (one of the biggest criticisms I have about prominent gangster shows like Sopranos or BwEmpire is that they don't do this well). I love that it shows the world of the drug trade from both sides, and shows us the ugly and corrupt side of both worlds.

In ever season, the structure is almost poetic in a sense. You see people, on both the criminal and police side of things, invested so heavily in "the game", and yet the fundamental intricate flaws of the game usually end up biting them in the ass. It's like Marla Daniels says early in the show, "the game is rigged, you can't lose if you don't play", yet this is such a layered comment that goes well beyond the context of what she meant.

Each season has some overarching issue that contributes to the messed up politics of the drug game. Sometimes that issue is so subtle that some of the most major characters and plots can ignore it, yet this issue still somehow manages to be the central theme of the season (S4 is probably the best example of what I'm talking about).

It has some of the best cast selection. I really love how dynamic, or just plain awesome some of the characters are. Omar, McNulty, Greggs, Lester Freamon, Barksdale, Marlo, Stringer Bell, Bubbles, Dennis Wise, etc.

If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it. It's not easy to follow at the beginning, so that might turn you off, but you should give it a chance. (Most shows, even the really complex ones, start out very simple, holding your hand, to ease you into its eventual complexity; unfortunately The Wire doesn't do that as well.)

To those who have seen it, let's discuss it. Who is your favourite character? Which is your favourite/least favourite season? Favourite scenes/moments? What didn't you like about the show? etc.

This post was edited by AnomanderRake on Jun 15 2013 05:31pm

whoa, whoa, slow down, buy me a drink first, damn slow down

I'm currently watching all the seasons of Breaking Bad and do mainly to you and a friend I have at work I'll make sure The Wire is my next show to watch.

The Wire is great. Amazing characters and it did seem like it could be real. Aside from the whole thing that Bunny Colvin did, that threw me off.

some of them were real lol



yeah op ive seen everything you mentioned and i certainly agree the wire is one of the best made series ive seen. some of the characters were so well done you genuinely felt empathy for their situations, and you got to see so many aspects of real life in a major city like baltimore. great stuff all around. not sure on favorite season i liked a lot of it, or character, loved omar ofc and had feels for bubs, the port season was really interesting

id put oz, six feet under, breaking bad, the sopranos, deadwood and the wire all at the top of my list

1st season was best.

Thought the whole made-up serial killer thing in season 5 was a bit too much.

Favorite characters: Bunk, Bodi, Omar, honorable mention for Bubs.



It's definitely one of the best shows out there. Although I'd probably rate Deadwood higher...

I watched the pilot and found it boring

More than the realism of the show was mainly the character development tied into the plot. Almost every season except for the last. The characters development blended in perfectly with the plot.

Also the stages of development of the show is amazing. Don't read this any further if you haven't watched the show, heavy spoilers.

First season you see the introduction of many elements of the Police and drug underworld.

2nd season you see the ports and unions come into play all the while having the drug world and police still as a plot device.

3rd season politicians are brought into the fold.

4th season the education system is brought into the fold and how it's nothing but a circular cycle. Also 4th season has a lot about redemption in it with Dennis Wise and Bubbles getting their lives back together.

5th season was kind of weird but it still shows that even with all the changes, nothing changes because that's the way the system is designed. Cops who want to do good go through hell and the ones who go to far to accomplish good end up doing harm (Freamon and McNulty)

And Omar is probably the best ever character made on television. Literally insane how amazing his character is in the show.

The only knack I have against The Wire is that the last season doesn't live up to the other 4 and the portrayal of the News/Media seemed rather poorly done. And that's the only thing that really bugged me about the show. Best show ever on TV history. Period.

ive only watched the first 8 episodes or so and cant get hooked

i mean its ok, but i dont find it to be anything special.

should i keep watching? or is it just not the show for me?

It's deffiently up there as top contender but i wouldn't exactly crown it king