# Is it true what people say? That The Wire is the greatest TV show of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299 "2012-01-22T12:07:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/61 "2012-01-23T01:23:44Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I still can’t believe how little love Slim Charles got in that poll. The man was stand-up. Agreed, one of my favorite characters. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/62 "2012-01-23T01:45:31Z")
> [@PrettyVacant](#): > > ^ Yep, the last thing you want to do is watch it and make your mind up based on your own experience. I trust my instincts. I’ve been burned too often before. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/63 "2012-01-23T01:53:57Z")
I watched _The Wire_ when it debuted on HBO. I gave up on it after a few episodes. After all the proclaim, I gave it another shot and watched Season 1 on DVD. It was entertaining, interesting, and well-made, but it didn’t get me excited for what comes next. I didn’t rush out to watch Season 2 immediately like I did with _The Shield_ or _Buffy_. I do plan on watching the rest of the series eventually, but I’m in no hurry. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/64 "2012-01-23T03:15:09Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I trust my instincts. I’ve been burned too often before. Dude, it’s a TV show. Not a thai hooker. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/65 "2012-01-23T03:32:14Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Dude, it’s a TV show. Not a thai hooker. I still have to spend money to experience it. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/66 "2012-01-23T03:46:01Z")
What’s the exchange rate Which is cheaper? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/67 "2012-01-23T04:01:17Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Uh…he was my least favorite character. The first season almost lost me because it seemed to be playing to that “White Man Saves the Day” trope. Fortunately the second season put an end to that nonsense and show him to be a jerkoff just like everyone else. “What the fuck did I do?” > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I thought Omar, but it applies just as well to Stringer Bell. What a guy – going back to school to learn professional business tactics and strategies that could be applied to drug dealing! He’s certainly the best drug kingpin ever written for television. “Nigga, is you takin’ notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy?” And of course, “Who the fuck was I chasing?” Actually the greatest moments with Stringer was when he is trying to go legitimate with real estate development and finds that white collar corruption is even more insideous than selling drugs. My favorite character is still Bunny Colvin, though. Hamsterdam was a masterpiece in showing how nobody wants to take responsibility for actually solving problems. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/68 "2012-01-23T04:07:37Z")
The comparison to Dickens is apt. As is the comment about it residing in a different, more “lived” place in your memory than the place where most TV series reside in your noggin. Two things I love about it: 1. Just like in real life, not everyone knows everything all of the time. There are miscommunications and gaps in knowledge, even among people who work together daily. Just one example: McNulty et al. just stumbling on the fact that Avon was no longer in jail. In any other show, that would have magically been “common knowledge”. 2. People start up projects of one sort or another, but they usually just fizzle out, sooner or later. Just like in life! Either funding dries up, or people lose interest, or something unexpected intervenes, or it just doesn’t continue to be a priority. That’s so real, and so rare on TV or film. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/69 "2012-01-23T08:49:11Z")
And Charlie Brooker pointed out something we kind of know without knowing - which hapopens a lot with The Wire - and that’s that everyone is trapped one way or another. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/70 "2012-01-23T11:32:58Z")
**Breaking Bad** has been in my Number 1 slot since the first season. While I wait for its final season to air, I think I’ll finally check out **The Wire** on Netflix. The only other HBO programming I got into was the Sopranos (was my #1, until Breaking Bad dethroned it), Deadwood, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. All great shows, so I’m sure I’m in for a treat. ---
**Author:** ![svrider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@svrider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svrider)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/71 "2012-01-23T11:39:28Z")
I watched the 3 first seasons and while it was good, it’s certainly not among the best I’ve seen. Never understood it’s hype. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/72 "2012-01-23T17:14:38Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > “What the fuck did I do?” > > “Nigga, is you takin’ notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy?” > > And of course, “Who the fuck was I chasing?” > > Actually the greatest moments with Stringer was when he is trying to go legitimate with real estate development and finds that white collar corruption is even more insideous than selling drugs. > > My favorite character is still Bunny Colvin, though. Hamsterdam was a masterpiece in showing how nobody wants to take responsibility for actually solving problems. > > Stranger These lines illustrate that \*\*The Wire \*\*was also one of the funniest shows on television. It made the contrast with the tragedy that much more tragic. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/73 "2012-01-23T18:33:19Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > I was actually quite angry at the writers for letting Namond get the fairy tale ending when Randy didn’t, even though Randy was smarter, wittier, less of a coward and most of all tried _way_ harder to leave the 'hood behind. > > Then I realized that was sort of the point. Yeah, this outcome was what made the ending so poignant. As much as we’d like to believe that Namond and “bad kids” like him are destined to destitution and criminality while “good kids” like Michael, Daquan, and Randy scramble out of their bad circumstances to eventually live happy lives, this is how life works in fairy tale fiction. It’s not how it works in the real world. The truth is none of those boys were ever “bad” or “good”; they were just people, born with both flaws and gifts. Environmental circumstances ultimately determined what happened to them. I liked Namond’s character. Even though he acted like a brat, at least he was a 3-dimensional brat who had redeeming qualities at times. For instance, despite his tough guy gangsta act, he was friends with boys who were not that way and he was loyal to them. That he even accepted Daquan in his circle (and came to his defense sometimes) caused me to view him a bit sympathetically. Such an alliance doesn’t make sense on paper, because Daquan (and Michael as well) clearly is a victim of the drug trade, while Namond hails from the profitteers of it. But it still struck me as plausible. My theory is that Namond was never really cut out for drug dealing (mainly because he wasn’t ambitious enough for that world) and this was why he was so accepting of guys who also didn’t really fit in it. Anyway, The Wire is definitely one of the best. Mainly because it is thought- provoking in a way most TV dramas aren’t. I thought the acting was excellent as well. Especially by those kids. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/74 "2012-01-23T21:19:44Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > I was actually quite angry at the writers for letting Namond get the fairy tale ending when Randy didn’t, even though Randy was smarter, wittier, less of a coward and most of all tried _way_ harder to leave the 'hood behind. > > Then I realized that was sort of the point. I think you nailed it! I did _really_ want Randy to escape the 'hood/thug life. He was a likable kid and that made his later fate all the more heartbreaking. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/75 "2012-01-23T21:58:25Z")
I not only think that it is some of the best television ever made, I think it is some of the best art America has ever produced in any medium. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/76 "2012-01-23T22:22:02Z")
That’s a big call, which I happen to agree with. For me _The Wire_ has the weight and depth to put it up there with the finest novels. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/77 "2012-01-23T23:03:51Z")
For sure, it belongs on the tv like Hemmingway and T.S.Eliot belong in the bookcase, Hopper on the wall and John Coltraine in the background. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/78 "2012-01-24T23:27:23Z")
I’m not comfortable calling something “the best.” BUT, I wouldn’t really disagree with someone calling it the best show. It is definitely very very high up there in the list of the greatest television shows ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/79 "2012-01-29T18:01:44Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > And then there’s Bubbles, one of the most poignant characters I’ve ever seen on T.V. He’s funny, he’s smart, he’s a dumbass loser, his story is heart warming, his story is gut wrenchingly horrible, he’s likeable and yet sometimes you get to loathe him so much. He’s in the margin of the stories and almost outside of society, yet he’s also pretty much a living embodiment of all the problems society has. Brilliant piece of storytelling. Yes. Except that I never loathed Bubbles for anything ever. I always saw his pain and his fundamental goodness. He was an addict, that’s all. His heart was righteous always, and his very real agony over his terrible mistakes made loathing him impossible. His loneliness was gut-wrenching. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I disagree. Strange as it may seem, Omar is one of the good guys, in the way that Robin Hood was a good guy. He only took from the dealers. He even joined up with the guy who was hired to kill him. > > I’m not even sure he was an anti-hero. I’m leaning toward him being a just plain hero. That’s what I was going to say. Omar an anti-hero?? No way! Omar WAS the hero…you feel me? > [@monstro](#): > > He was an anti-hero because his motives weren’t altruistic or for the “good of all”. He was simply filling a niche–a robber of criminals–that no one else had the guts to fill. He never went after “citizens”, but that’s because they didn’t have the kind of money that drug dealers have. He wasn’t a philanthropist. He was an unapologetic thief and killer. Gotta take issue with you there, that was not why Omar made the choices he made, and you disrespect him to say so: “Man got to have a code!” And Omar do. Off the top of my head I have to say that of all the characters in the show, Omar lived (and died) by that rock solid code, honoring it always. just about every other character in the show on both sides violated their own codes somewhere along the way. Omar had _genuine integrity_, and that’s one thing all _real_ heroes have for sure. > [@](#): > > Folks were straight-up afraid of Omar. His name was legendary. He made even Chris Partlow look like a boy scout. This is one of my tiny little niggling complaints made only in favor of perfect accuracy and consistency, not because it really marred the story, quite the opposite, but Omar’s bad assitude was a bit oversold, I think - given his rock-solid code it didn’t make much sense for _everyone_ to scatter like rats the way they did. Especially since others, like Partlow-for-Marlo at times seemed almost inhuman. People feared Omar in a manner that suggested he was a madman who would blow your head off just to watch your brains fly, and that was _not_ Omar at all. (I kinda have the same problem with Brother - both of them represent the most significant poetic license of the show, since Brother’s bad-assitude was also slightly puzzling in a world where you have the Marlos and Partlows.) But the rep was cool anyway. Just like the man… after all, who else would think nothing of stepping out for Honey Nut Cheerios in his silk robe and pajama bottoms early in the morning with nothing but a shotgun for an accessory? Another character I just love is Snoop, although I think what I really love is the actress who plays her…who really isn’t an actress, or wasn’t until she was cast. Someone brought her on set to talk to the producers or director and the legend goes she opened her mouth and they created a role for her on the spot. I think I’ve watched the nailgun negotiation at the hardware store half a dozen times just to watch and listen to her, I find her riveting. Still another character that gets no kinda love from anywhere ever that I can see is Sargeant Jay Landsman, although he isn’t really all that lovable. I think what I love about him is really just the writing, although Delaney delivers beautifully.He had some very funny, smart lines. > [@tr0psn4j](#): > > I’m not comfortable calling something “the best.” BUT, I wouldn’t really disagree with someone calling it the best show. It is definitely very very high up there in the list of the greatest television shows ever made. Many in these threads know that I have been insisting that Breaking Bad is the Greatest Show in the History of The World, and I still believe that - not least because _every single fucking thing about it_, not just the major things like acting and writing but the subtler things like cinematography and sound effects, are extraordinarily consistent in their excellence, with virtually no meaningful missteps anywhere in four seasons, and that is not something that can really be accurately said about any other television show…but I digress… The only other show that was ever held up consistently as the contender for that spot has been _ **The Wire.** _ Which is why I finally watched it. So now, given all the SDMB threads, this thread, the critical acclaim, I feel confident in saying that the two greatest television shows in the history of the world are Breaking Bad and The Wire, whichever order you prefer, and even the greatest among the rest (Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Sopranos, etc.) are still just that: the rest. So that’s my answer to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299/80 "2012-01-29T18:54:45Z")
Re: pelple running away when they hear Omar’s around. Well, many of the folk hanging on around those streets are in the drug business and have very good reason to run. The rest, if they know his name, know that there’s like going to be shooting and want to get out of the line of fire, also for very good reason. I don’t know how many innocent bystanders were shot by stray fire in the series, but IIRC it was quite a few. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-what-people-say-that-the-wire-is-the-greatest-tv-show-of-all-time/610299.md?page=5)