I’ve made a point of not reading past the OP of SDMB threads on The Wire, since I’ve heard great things about it and didn’t want to spoil myself before watching it. In any event, I finally got around to borrowing DVDs of the first season and, while I don’t dislike it, three episodes in I’m very, very bored. The writing seems decent, but it takes sooooo loooong to get anywhere. I’m happy to keep watching, if it’s worth it, but I’m wary of wasting time on a show if the plot isn’t worth the buildup.
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees.
I tried it, didn’t like it. The characters all seemed like the artificial creations of a screenwriter, and the lead actor’s Irish accent keeps seeping through his put-on American and distracting me. I watched 5 or 6 episodes and then moved on.
I didn’t like the series the first time I saw it. Then I went back and watched it again after I got hooked during Season 3. I was amazed at how good the series was.
Aren’t all dramas filled with characters who are artificial creations of a screenwriter? It’s not a documentary.
Um, yeah, since that is literally true, then obviously I wasn’t referring to that simple tautological fact. I’m sure you understand what I mean.
Wouldn’t it have been easier to say? Or clearer?
“I didn’t like the characters because of X, Y, and Z.”
I did. Why don’t you start a pit thread if it’s gonna ruin your night?
Yes absolutely. The plot is so intricate that the first few episodes are rather boring. I didn’t like it at first either. As I got through it, I feel it’s the best written show that has ever been made. As far as lissener’s objections, I don’t get them. From what I hear it does a great job of capturing the authentic ‘Ballmer’ experience.
I was about to abandon the show at episode 4, but my husband made me keep watching and then the characters sucked me in. Untill then, they were all just caracatures, rather unpleasant people like the archetypes of rough street life. The blacks were all cliche,(drugs, violence, lack of education), the police were clichee stupid and power-mad.
But while watching episoede four of five or so, something werid happened: I started caring about them (in particular about Bubbles, Wallace and D’angelo, and Lester Freamon). Then, rapidly, all characters sprang vividly into life and
I’ve been hooked to the series ever since.
Count me as another fan who took the first half of Season 1 to really get into the show. For those first half dozen episodes, my wife and i both thought, “Yeah, this is fine, but i’m not sure what all the fuss is about.” We stuck with it partly because we live in Baltimore, and felt some sort of local obligation.
But then, as the threads of the story started to come together, and we began to realize what a great job the screenwriters have done in developing both the story and the characters, it really grabbed. By the end of Season 1, we were hooked, and subsequent seasons simply confirmed our addiction. Because we don’t get HBO, we watched them all on DVD, and there were times when we had to purposely NOT watch an episode, just so we could save them for later and not get through them too quickly.
We haven’t seen Season 5 yet, and we’re very happt that we have it to look forward to.
It took me 5 or 6 episodes to get into it as well. I would have given up after the frist couple of episodes, but **Rhiannon8404 **wanted to keep watching. It was well worth it, and I was totally hooked by midway through Season 1.
Same here. I started in on season one, and was kind of bored but I was willing to watch the whole season.
All of a sudden I found myself clamoring for season two. I was absolutely blindsided by its goodness.
Don’t put off episodes 1-5 because everyone says they’re boring, btw. You have to watch all the episodes or else you’ll be totally lost.
I just finished Season 1, and I basically feel like the OP - it’s just another cop show, no different from anything else I’ve seen before. It was mildly entertaining, but you don’t see me watching NYPD Blue on DVD.
I believe it. I tried watching an episode when it was on TV, one that I assume took place much later in the series, and it was completely incomprehensible.
Thank you everyone, though, for your comments: I’m most of the way through #4 and I’m starting to enjoy it more, so I think I’ll at least stay tuned through the first season. 
I had all of season 1 in my Netflix queue. I watched episode 1 and deleted the rest of the discs from my queue. I didn’t think it was bad, but it didn’t quite grab me, and there are other series in my queue, blah blah, excuse. But since I had the disc and the mailman had already been here that day I watched the next two episodes. I was comfortable with my decision not to watch the rest until the last 5 minutes of episode 3 when McNulty’s FBI(?) friend tells him “We’re watching Daniels.”
Hmmm, that’s intriguing enough to want to watch more. Plus I feel I have to since I do live in Baltimore.
Seconded, exactly. Sure, sometimes at the beginning I was bothered by McNulty’s accent, or bored, or confused. But I watched all the seasons, more than once, and when season 5 was over I cried because that show was some teevee unlike anything I’d ever seen before; I doubt we’ll see its like again.
Well, seein as how* NYPD Blue *is the best cop show of all time–one of the greatest TV shows of all time–I’d give quite a bit to see it released in full on DVD.
You’re about to get to know Omar Little, my favorite TV character of all time. Stick with it for that reason alone. Believe me, the show picks up. Season 3 alone is worth it.
Hmm. I can’t say that I’m particularly fond of Omar yet, but I appreciate his ethics.
Also, I know it wasn’t a particularly important scene, but I absolutely loved:
The three-minute segment in which they successfully complete a detailed forensic investigation using nothing but the word “fuck”.
It shows on cable in my area often, usually at 3AM or so. I am recording it. It is remarkable how not dated it is.
Sorenson just arrived. I was not happy how that story arc ended.