HBO’s masterpiece crime drama, The Wire, hasn’t aged a day, even 24 years after the five-season series premiered. When it comes to ranking the best TV shows of all time, most people have a rotating trio of shows: The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and The Wire. Of these three, The Wire seems to be the least viewed.
The Wire almost has the reputation of a classic novel, or one of Shakespeare’s longer plays. You know it’s great, you nod your head when people say you should see it, but the undertaking seems too formidable; there’s so much analysis and history with the show before you even press play. I’m here to tell you to take the plunge.
The Wire Will Never Get Old
The Wire is a show that will never get old, no matter how many years pass. In fact, it’s one of the key themes of the five-season series. The problems afflicting a city like Baltimore are inherent within the system it’s built and are cyclical in nature. The names and faces change, but crime and corruption remain.
There’s a timeless American story within The Wire, one that anyone who has lived in a big city can relate to, even two decades later. Too often, governments and the people attempt to fix problems as they come, rather than dealing with the root cause, and what we end up with is a never-ending cascade of poverty, pain, and death.
Why The Wire Has Aged So Well
However, it’s not just the themes of The Wire that have kept it relevant all these years. The Wire is simply a fantastic show, with thrilling plotlines every season and many career-best performances by the actors who appear in the series. While it’s not an anthology, each season is set in a different part of Baltimore.
This makes the show’s five seasons much less daunting than they initially appear. You can watch a season at a time, taking as long a break in between as you want. Characters and storylines do mix across seasons, but the primary plot concern of each is different, making for a show that feels fresh each time you watch it.
The Wire Is One Of The Most Influential Shows Of The Century
The Wire is one of the greatest shows of all time, full-stop, and it’s also one of the most influential of the 21st century. Not only was it the real start to showrunner David Simon’s run of nearly two decades creating acclaimed series for HBO, but every crime drama afterward has in some way been influenced by the series.
The term “gritty drama” is overused, but if you’re looking for the true definition, look to The Wire. The series did “realistic” drama like no other show. There are no superheroics, and both the antagonists and the protagonists operate in shades of grey. The Wire tells a real story that could be happening outside your window.
- Release Date
- 2002 – 2008-00-00
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- David Simon
- Directors
- Ernest R. Dickerson, Ed Bianchi, Steve Shill, Clark Johnson, Daniel Attias, Agnieszka Holland, Tim Van Patten, Alex Zakrzewski, Anthony Hemingway, Brad Anderson, Clement Virgo, Elodie Keene, Peter Medak, Rob Bailey, Seith Mann, Christine Moore, David Platt, Dominic West, Gloria Muzio, Jim McKay, Leslie Libman, Milcho Manchevski, Robert F. Colesberry, Thomas J. Wright
- Writers
- Richard Price, Joy Lusco, Rafael Alvarez, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, William F. Zorzi, Kia Corthron
