The Wire

Many believe this to be one of the best HBO series to ever exist. And it is not hard to see why. The series came out between 2002 and 2008 with a total of 5 seasons and 60 episodes. Each episode is about 55 minutes long with some of the season finales being 90 minutes or so.

The show follows a few different groups throughout the seasons. But mostly the Cops following the Drug Trade, and the Drug Traffickers. Characters will come and go, with some dying at some points. But as you watch all 5 seasons you will see everything linking together and connecting. We get to see the web of interconnecting cogs in the city of Baltimore, Maryland.

The first season is all about setting up a Wire(an electronic monitoring of phone usages) on Barksdale's gang of drug peddlers. We get to see the inner workings of the police department as well as what goes on in a gang. We get to see the politics of a drug dealing hierarchy. It's not just the kids on the street selling the drugs. Throughout the series we never abandon the characters we meet in this first season. Even when they aren't being directly investigated we still see them in their lives.

Season two deals in the smuggling that occurs on the Baltimore docks. We meet a large variety of new characters. We see some of the issues that come to the working folk of America. Technology and cutbacks taking these good hardworking folk and forcing them out.

Season three gets back into directly hunting down and catching the gangs again. But mostly it gets into the idea of what just might occur if Drugs were to be legalized.

Season four may be the most interesting of them all. This looks into the school systems. It reveals the problems and corruption that the US school systems have. Specifically going into the problems of teaching students only test questions. We don't teach our children to learn anymore. It shows us something that helps to explain why America is so low on the world scales in Education. They of course point this toward just intercity black children. But it hints at so much more.
This season also goes into the politics of the city. A man working toward becoming Mayor and the corruptions and dark dealing that occur in a public race like that.

Season five gets back into taking down the drug dealers. But because of political issues and funding problems the police are unable to fully do their jobs. So a horrible plot ends up being created. This season wraps up everything that occurred in all the previous seasons as well as some new issues that come about here.

This really is an incredible show. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a cop show with some of the most intricate and fascinating story arcs. You will find that over time you will grow to hate then love then hate some characters. One of the things I like most about the series is the Theme Song. It's the same song but performed by different artists for each season.

The show easily earns it's 11 out of 11.