Down to The Wire

I love a good TV show.

When it’s done right, television can inspire, teach, make us laugh and cry, stimulate our intellect and transport us to another time and place. A series about Victorian England? I’m in! With Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu, etc., the options are infinite. But you don’t need me to tell you this…hey, you are probably binge watching something right now, right?

Recently I finished watching the TV series, The Wire, on HBO Max. The Wire is a police/crime/political show that takes place in the nitty gritty streets of Baltimore. It is a beloved series, that spanned five seasons from 2002-2008. Considered one of the best TV series of all time, (though it did not receive awards during its heyday) its rivals for this “of all time” title include shows spanning over 20 years and include Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Crown, The Sopranos, Seinfeld and Mad Men, to name a few. Since finishing The Wire, however, I have been giving a lot of thought to what makes it so memorable and considered a “masterpiece.” Though it was not set in Victorian England, (tisk, tisk!) I thought it was one of the best series I have ever watched.

I’m going to make a confession now, too, so hold on to your tv loving couch potato seats. I didn’t understand all of the dialogue in the show because of street vernacular and some soft spoken actors. Also, I had a hard time keeping up with some of the political hijinks. The latter is more a “me problem” as I am not always able to follow complicated political plot twists. With that said, the show grabbed me because of the intricate characterizations and compelling themes.

If you love a good novel, where there is depth to the plot and complex characters, you will love The Wire. This is a show that makes you think. As I watched it, I realized that the “good” characters were as flawed as the “villains.” Even the criminals had a “code” a code that infuses so many of the heroes/heroines choices and consequences. I can almost guarantee that you will root for the kid selling drugs on the corner, as much as you will condemn the cop who screws up his marriage. Metaphorically, the line between right and wrong, between damnation and salvation, can be as thin as a wire. Baltimore’s seedy corners, alleys and pathways, lined with trees and bursting with gunfire are almost characters in and of themselves.

The creators and writers of The Wire know their subject, as well. David Simon is an author and former Police Reporter. Ed Burns is a former Homicide Detective and public school teacher. Simon once said about the show that it is “really about the American city, and about how we live together.” He created a tapestry of lives intertwined in Baltimore’s lower and upper echelons — and at each level from street, to police, to the port, to the public schools to the politicians — there is a fight for supremacy.

I started watching The Wire after having withdrawal symptoms when I finished another police show, Bosch, which takes place in my sunny, crime ridden, serial killer strewn hometown of Los Angeles. Bosch is also an excellent watch, as well, with a noir vibe and focus on the primary detective, Harry Bosch. My husband suggested The Wire (he had already seen it once…and watched it again with me) though he was concerned that I would find it “too dark.” Well, it is very dark at times, but there is enough humor infused to lighten the load. Some scenes take on an almost old fashioned slapstick quality.

I guess I could go on and on about The Wire and all of the nuances to that show. I miss it. Enough said.

Meanwhile, to take the edge off of my detox, I thought I’d list my ultra secret and personal top 10 TV shows:

1. The Wire (see above for glowing review)
2. The Crown (history, drama, incredible acting, no setting better than Buckingham Palace!)
3. Mad Men (Sophisticated advertising agency drama — I worked in the biz after college, so a subject dear to my heart)
4. Mind Hunters (spell binding though EXTREMELY creepy, so beware)
5. Turn (very underrated story of George Washington’s spies during the Revolutionary War)
6. Hell on Wheels (story of a post civil war America and the trans-continental railroad)
7. All in the Family (ground breaking comedy — we loved to hate Archie Bunker who was politically incorrect but once in a while showed sensitivity)
8. Get Smart (funny, smart as a whip, inside jokes, Mel Brooks at his finest)
9. Seinfeld (classic comedy about smug people doing nothing)
10. The Honeymooners (an ode to old school TV that relied on dialogue, characterization and brilliant comedic acting)

Please take this super secret list with a grain of salt. I am leaving out so many great shows for two reasons: one, because I haven’t seen everything ever made and two, I am too old to remember everything I have seen and watched. Also, although I am a big admirer of Breaking Bad, (considered by many to be “the best TV show ever made”), it did not affect me the way the above shows did. I never watched Game of Thrones (gasp!) and after three seasons of Outlander I got impatient with the protagonist Claire making bad choices. I am also too embarrassed to admit that I grew up watching and adoring The Sonny and Cher Show, That Girl, and Mr. Ed. I also indulge in the mindless, guilty pleasure of The Bachelor. (Perhaps I have just lost all credibility by that last admission!)

If you get a chance, please check out The Wire on HBO Max and let me know what you think!

RIP Michael K. Williams, the brilliant actor who played the Robin Hoodesque character of Omar on The Wire. He passed away on September 6, 2021 at the age of 54.