The Wire (HBO) TV Show • Page 7

Seasons 2 and 4 are probably the closest the show comes to perfection, but even they have weak links.

 

I dunno. I never felt like those parts of the show were dull, but then again, I've only seen it once and about a year ago. I definitely aim to rewatch someday soon.

I definitely think this is one of the best shows of all time, and its quality of writing near the level of Sopranos and such. Though, they're extremely different kinds of shows--so I'm not sure it's fair to really compare them.

 

A level below Mad Men??? I have always had The Wire and the Sopranos 1A and 1B. I’m ready to put the Sopranos at 1 and put Deadwood on par with The Wire but damn I’m not ready to put it below Mad Men, and I love Mad Men. Maybe I need another rewatch.

 

started my rewatch this week too.

 

With Mad Men, the two biggest obstacles were always the low budget that severely limited their ability to do anything outside (the cost of making things correct for a period piece are enormous) and the ways you can feel them dancing around the censors of a basic cable show.

The four shows are probably the Mount Rushmore of dramatic television (Twin Peaks is a different animal in too many ways).

One of the things I have had trouble reconciling is David Simon's very stupid and bizarre political rants on social media and the arguments his show is presenting. The man who pointed out how corrupt Maryland Democrats are has become a foot soldier for the same party, even though his vote for President in Maryland matters as little as the Republican nominee in the mayoral race in Deadwood.

There were some bad episodes of The Sopranos, but the entire serial killer/newspaper storyline is really hard to defend. Simon injects too much of himself into the characters he wants to make heroes, which contrasts poorly with how well done and accurate the school setting is (Ed Burns was a teacher and it shows).

It is somewhat unfair given that it is an ensemble piece, but none of the characters match up to Tony Soprano, Al Swearengen, or Don Draper. There are a lot of really good ones, but none as fully fleshed out as those three. The best characters in the show, like Stringer Bell or Mayor Carcetti or Bubbles, have less investigation into their psyche and more attention to their role. Unfortunately, one of the most distracting characters is McNulty, and it is not a coincidence that the best season barely features him at all.

Once you get the show digested, it doesn't offer as much in repeat viewings that some of the other shows do, while every time I rewatch The Sopranos I see a character in a different light or perceive a facial reaction a little differently.

 

The Wire has an agenda it was trying to get across through stories and it’s storytelling for the first 4 seasons is excellent, given what the show was trying to convey. They pulled off 4 great, realistic (to an extent) stories by looking at largely the same issues from different perspectives. The city was the character and looking at it that way I think it was fleshed out incredibly well. Even so it was able to build some pretty memorable characters with some depth, like Prez, although not as in depth as something like Mad Men.
Season 5 was definitely Simon injecting himself into the narrative and it was so just bad haha. The serial killer thing was risk taking in such a misguided form to force a compelling journalism story. It did have its moments though, so I don’t write it off completely like Godfather 3. Still frustrating that he could pull off switching over to the docks in season 2 but couldn’t pull off something he should have been so much more comfortable with.
I also agree that Simon’s politics has taken away some enjoyment of the show for me for pretty much the same reasons you laid out. It’s sad because it’s not just The Wire that impacts, Treme is excellent as well and some of what I thought was great conflicts with his shitty comments. That goes for Weiner as well though, it’s hard to be comfortable with the sexism in Mad Men given the credible accusations made about him.

 

Andre Royo who plays Bubbles lives in my neighbourhood and we’ve shared a few drinks at the local bar. Super solid friendly guy

 

FYI for those interested:

The Ringer to Debut 'The Wire' Rewatch Podcast (Exclusive)

 

sign me up, hopefully its sooner rather than later since im in the middle of my s1 rewatch

 

Did you watch I Think You Should Leave yet? stop writing paragraphs about The Wire and watch it

 

I told you my rule. Unless they are already grandfathered in, I will not start a show until it is over.

 

Best shows of all time

The Sopranos
I Think You Should Leave






The Wire
etc...

 

it’s over

one and done series

real sad

 

it’s a sketch show. And also like 2hrs max

 

Started rewatching this since my girlfriend has never seen it and it easily has the most realistic NA meeting in any movie/show.

 

This is out now.

edit: check that. Tomorrow

 

I'm almost done with season 2 but not sure I'd want to listen to that.

 

I don't understand the trend of podcasts rewatching shows, whether it is writers or cast members. I never understood DVD commentary, either.

I have been rewatching this along with The Sopranos. Is shitbird really a common expression in that area, or is that just the show? The five days I spent in Baltimore produced no uses of the word, but I was in the tourist area.

 

I don’t really see how it’s any different than discussing stuff on a forum?

 

Shitbird is something I've used and heard. I live less than 2 hours away from Baltimore.

 

Baltimore born & raised. It’s definitely a thing and one I’ve been using most of my life lol

 

Hamsterdam is still a stretch in believability, but something that really rings true is that the elite of the city spends so little time in the affected area that they don't even notice it. Even in smaller cities like Orlando, people in the wealthier areas did not visit the parts plagued by poverty and crime. I worked in a school for expelled students in the worst part of Orlando, and on my first day there I saw parts of the city I had never seen before. It seems completely plausible that something like Hamsterdam could be tried for weeks or even months without other people noticing.

 

Poot mentioning global warming in season 4 is great.

 

All the text message stuff in season 2 is very funny.