Hear hear!
Season 1 and 3 are probably the best IMO.
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Yeah, The Wire is absolutely brilliant television - it just cracked my top five TV shows of all time. My favorite seasons are probably 3 and 4. I was thinking of trying to run a Star Wars campaign inspired by it set on Nar Shadaa, but I doubt that will ever materialize.
Also, my college roommate my senior year had a recurring role on the show in seasons 2 and 3, though I hadn't seen the show yet at the time.
I found British TV critic Charley Brooker's appraisal of the show intriguing, which argued that whilst up until the end of Season 3 it was merely the greatest TV show ever made, Season 4 lifted it onto a level where it was simply the greatest piece of entertainment made for consumption by the human race in its history until this time.
Personally I think he undersells it.
Just discovered this series and had to say wow.
It is amazing. Season one introduces you to the cops and the drug lord they are chasing, along with his capo's and mooks. Season two deals with the ports and how blue collar jobs are leaving America with the added bonus of skin trade. Season three is about reform and the drug lord gets released from prison. Season four is about politics. Season five caps it off with the media and the spin doctors, along with actually letting the cops who were in the show from start to finish finalize their character arcs.
Its a great way to show how to link characters and in my mind...it reminds me of Ptolus except instead of a campaign setting it is a television series. It is so well layered and explained through scenery and just having at times, "no dialogue." You see how to have characters interact, you see how to connect friends and family through every day occurrences.
Five stars, bravo!
I got into this show late, but I quickly made up for it. Season 2 is my personal favorite, for reasons of union solidarity (I was thinking of waging a Frank Subotka write-in campaign next election). EDIT: I don't know how many times in my capacity as a shop steward I've found myself quoting Frank, Nick or Ziggy.
Season 5 with its serial killer plot (I'll leave it vague for spoilers) disappointed me a little, but I liked the resolution of the four kids from Season 4.
One thing that I've been intensely curious about is the use of the Pogues' song "Body of an American" in the cop bar scenes. I chalk that up to the involvement of Dennis Lehane. When Shane MacGowan used to come to Boston, the entire BPD would be in the audience. Is this true in the rest of the country? Black cops singing along to a punk(ish) tune about dead Irish-American boxers struck a false chord with me, but I wouldn't exactly say I've hung out with many law enforcement types.
Oh, the scene where the corrupt state senator uses Aeschylus to help get himself acquitted was pretty hilarious, too!
One more word: Omar.
In other news, the actress who plays snoop just got arrested in a drug raid. Her real life rap sheet includes second degree murder conviction when she was 14.
Art imitates life, as many say. The only thing that makes me sick about the entire thing is that the web articles talk about "two Americas". Makes me think back to the initial episode of The Wire, when McNulty is talking to the guy on the street about the murder scene.
(summarized here)
"Why would you let the guy gamble with all of you if you knew he was going to try and steal the winnings?"
"Man, this is America, yo!"
Aside from that, it's sad to see this. I really liked her as Snoop and up until Mike said, "you look good, girl," I thought she had one of the most memorable characters in the later seasons.
And yeah.
Omar rocks.
Just think Mike will take over his spot as shown in the last episode.
Art imitates life, as many say.
I don't remember all the details, but I heard or read somewhere that the gentleman playing the deacon involved in Cutty's boxing ring was one of the major players in Baltimore's drug business in the eighties. There are scenes throughout the seasons where people talk about things "back in the day". He might even be mentioned by name in one of these scenes, but I forget.