LTTP: The Wire

I’ve been putting off The Wire for about a year plus now. The buzz around the show was universally positive, but I have never been a fan of cop dramas and on first glance that’s what The Wire seems like. The first few episodes’ slow pace did not help either. The Out of The Game podcast got to talking about the show a few months back and that finally pushed me to at least go through the first season.

I finished the 5th (final) season a few weeks ago. Best TV show ever? No doubt. The flawed, fleshed out characters, the way it weaves the story of a city and its people over the 5 seasons, and its unrelenting adherence to reality, has made this show my favorite. I love The Sopranos (now my #2) and its delectably dark fiction, but The Wire just paints a much richer,layered portrait of this twisted, broken world we live in.

If you’re a fan of good TV you owe it to yourself to give The Wire a shot. As I said the first few episodes are slow (but essential as they introduce the main cast), but it picks up after the 4th or 5th ep. I’m looking forward to watching the whole series again with Noemi once we have time for it. :)

I would love to hear what you guys think of the show or what other shows would be considered essential viewing.