The Wire gets a fifth and final season

tvnutz

Only one episode into season 4,HBO has picked up The Wire for a fifth and final season.

Full story here

Don't know what anyone else thinks but this is great news. The Wire has been one of the best tv shows ever made in my opinion. And the fourth season premiere has set things up nicely for what looks like a great season ahead.

After some ridiculous decisions by HBO (cancelling Carnivale and Deadwood),they have finally something right by giving the producers a chance to finish off this great show in the right way. They had said their story would take 5 seasons.

Laredo

That is great news, it's a bloody fantastic programme that hardly anyone watches.

If I had to choose i would have sacrificed Deadwood and Carnivale for a complete story arc of The Wire, the other two are good shows but nothing on at the moment is in the same class as the Wire.

ixoy

Fantastic news isn't it? I've been championing this show since the beginning and it's damn good to see it rewarded rightly. It's easily the most intelligent and adult show on TV and so rewarding when stuck with. It's the closest thing there's ever been to having a full-length novel series unfold and thank fcuk it's on HBO where ratings aren't as important as elsewhere.

Wertz

Nice one.

Thanks for the heads up on S4 too....forgot all about that....

Tristram

w00t

was delighted when i heard the news

sad_professor

Great news about The Wire getting a fifth season, but does anyone know when TG4 will start showing Season 4?

Jilm

All the remaining episodes of season 4 seem to have been leaked.

*Must resist urge to watch 'em all in 1 day*

ixoy

Jilm wrote:

All the remaining episodes of season 4 seem to have been leaked.

*Must resist urge to watch 'em all in 1 day*

I was under the impression up to Ep10 was leaked, which still leaves 3 to wait for. If, that is, you happened to find those and watch 'em...

Oh and S4 is excellent but that really should be obvious to fans of the show by now..

dubmick

I've heard great things about this.

Would it be worth buying the first series despite never seeing an episode.

ixoy

dubmick wrote:

I've heard great things about this.

Would it be worth buying the first series despite never seeing an episode.

Yes. Probably the most intelligent show of the last decade and more deserving of praise and recognition than any of HBO's other esteemed output. I like to think of each season as a novel, each episode a chapter. Each season then is building up a series of novels, with arcs spreading over them whilst still enabling the individual novel to tell a story.

It's very realistically written - the lines are grey and there's no easy answers to many of the characters dilemnas. Both the police side and the criminal side are portrayed equally with no tiresome moralizing by the writers (very refreshing). It's also interesting to see how they refuse to use typical common writing devices to string plot devices (e.g. have one character appear in an office as another leaves, etc) that really show how professional it is.

Amazing stuff with no slip up yet in quality.

tvnutz

Ye this season has been great so far,pure brilliance. Its amazing how they have created such great characters and gotten a brilliant cast that they can use nearly everyone as a "main character". I think for seasons 1-3 McNulty was classified as the "main character". But he has hardly been in this season at all. I like his character but there are so many other great characters,with great writing and story telling you don't actually notice that he is not around!

Jilm

ixoy wrote:

I was under the impression up to Ep10 was leaked, which still leaves 3 to wait for. If, that is, you happened to find those and watch 'em...

I have up to e11 (excl 10). e10,e12 & finale have been leaked as well.

<EDIT> The best quality versions I've found of episodes 10,12 & 13 are real media files. Just about watchable but far from the standard of the other leaked episodes.

Lump

I watched the first half of season 1.... it was too slow moving for me.

John

tvnutz

Jilm wrote:

I have up to e11 (excl 10). e10,e12 & finale have been leaked as well.

<EDIT> The best quality versions I've found of episodes 10,12 & 13 are real media files. Just about watchable but far from the standard of the other leaked episodes.

I have just finished the season and without a doubt The Wire is the best show on tv. No question. This season was just amazing,the way all the kids turned out,the big shock in the season finale. I won't go into spoiler territory as it is only on episode 5 in the states on not even on Irish tv.

Great show though,glad it is getting another season but after this brilliant season,the show could go on for many more years and still have brilliant storylines.

sweetie

Lump wrote:

I watched the first half of season 1.... it was too slow moving for me.

John

Give it a chance. It does seem slow-moving but only because there's so much to take in.

djkeogh

It's a great show alright, Anyone who hasn't seen it should do their best to track it down. There is so much character development and story threads going on in the show at any given time that it may seem to be slow moving but I never found this at all. I've loved every episode I have seen so far and am just getting ready to start Season 3.

Elmo

Anyone know if TG4 plans to show it from the begining I have only seen bits and pieces of the show. I might get the DVD it looks good.

tvnutz

Elmo wrote:

Anyone know if TG4 plans to show it from the begining I have only seen bits and pieces of the show. I might get the DVD it looks good.

You are better off getting the dvd. No ads,and you will literally go on a Wire marathon. I have the first 2 seasons to a friends,he watched all the episodes in 3 days. Once you get into it,you hate waiting a week between episodes.

TarfHead

Elmo wrote:

Anyone know if TG4 plans to show it from the begining ..

Anyone know if this is screened (or planned to be) on any other channels ?
Also, where did TG4 leave it - at the end of season 3 ?

ixoy

Incredible season. It's a great example of how to write a year's storyline properly and move a wider arc in a believable and planned manner - take note please all other shows that wander aimlessly as if they're Lost and directionless. Even the twists all come about logically from the story's structure and character's interactions and aren't a "spanner in the works" or forced to enable a show to move in a new direction.

Acting was superb all round and the characterisation was great. Really felt for some of the kids and can't remember the last time I got so angry/upset with how a fictional character was being treated. Also how existing characters moved forward/backwards and the dark areas some were forced to explore.

My only complaint is that it makes nearly every other show seem sh1t by comparison. Best show on TV and possibly the best show I've ever seen. Yes, it's that good.