Utterly Compelling Television
The Wire, simply, is about Baltimore's drug trade told from the the point of view of the police, the dealers, the bosses and the users. It's a complicated issue with heros and villains on each side with those divisions sometimes blurring.

This is all told in an uncompromising way - with slang laden dialogue, violence and moral turpitude. The viewer in firstly considered to be smart and full of attention because things happen so fast that you sometimes miss things. The characters are complex and develop over SEASONS rather than episodes and one finds oneself warming to not just the police but the protagonists.

I think that this is one of the best series that I have seen - it's up there with The West Wing, 24, Six Feet Under and Rescue Me. I think The Wire pips it because it is so well made and so uncompromising with characters so rich that you question whether they are actors at all. HBO must be considered, at this point, to be at the apex of television as an art form.

An absolute must see.

This is what TV should be like
I've just finished watching at the last ever episode of the wire and was compelled to write a review of this masterpiece. I won't go into too much detail just to say that if you like a superbly written, well acted (for the most part) show that's totally compelling without the need for gimmicks or an unrealistic pace, then this is the show for you, it may take a few episodes to get hooked in but once you are there's no turning back, all the seasons connect up so it truly is epic in scale, yet despite it's complexity, multiple character lines, authentic street talk and shifting plot developments, it's still easy to follow

One small criticism would be that some of the direction in the earlier episodes is a tad clunky and sometimes has a feel of finding it's feet a little, but overall it's an amazing achievement by creator David Simon and co. I put it right up there with the Sopranos but for different reasons. This fully realizes the potential of television in doing what film can't. Basically if you don't like this you've got no taste


five stars plus!
Thanks, Amazon. I fancied this after reading about it on your website, and I really needed something to fill the void left after I had seen the Sopranos. Not as immediately engaging, but, in fact, this makes it all the more powerful since the audience has to concentrate on the drama unfolding, and on the disparate characters who populate the series. I am just at episode 10, and can't wait to finish this series and move on to the next. This is wonderfully written, un-cliched,intelligent and mesmeric, and I am so glad I discovered it (especially at the knock-down price on Amazon). Can I give it more than five stars, please?

Simply Fantastic
I bought this DVD on the strength of reviews on Amazon and the fact the it rated Top 10 in Shortlist magazine for the best TV programmes of all time. There's nothing better than reading reviews and finding out they're exactly right. I'm not about to go all in-depth about this programme, it's realism, character building etc - just buy it. It is simply fantstic and the best programme I've viewed in a long time.

Finally The Show I've Been Waiting For
No lengthy "Previously On"

No "creature of the week"-styled storylines

No exposition

Good God, I'm in Heaven!

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