Other TV shows like The Wire

ToadVine

I've just got into The Wire over the last few weeks and am just finishing Season 2. Its some of the best TV I've ever seen. I cant believe I missed the show originally and that it took me this long to discover how brilliant it is.

So I was wondering if there are other similar shows I might have also missed? Someone told me The Shield was similar, but I've never seen it. What other TV series are similar to the Wire?

amacachi

So many threads on this topic.

The Shield isn't like The Wire, nothing is, but it is excellent.

ToadVine

amacachi wrote: »

So many threads on this topic.

Apologies ... I'm new here :-)

Could you link me to these threads please?

amacachi

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055602715 Just the one on the front page, but that's not the point! :pac:

I'd recommend The Shield, but for me I don't think it would work as well as it did without watching it in quick succession. Maybe a week or two. There's 7 seasons so it could take a while to watch it all. Also if you're acquiring it not on DVD be careful, I had an episode missing which ruined an hour for me.

I'd also advise Breaking Bad, only 2 seasons and only 7 episodes in the first season. Bryan Cranston has won the Best Actor Emmy for the last two years for his part, so that will give you an idea of the quality. It just gets better and better too, perhaps the best-acted series I've watched.

Dexter is also excellent, 4 seasons so far, season 3 was probably the weakest but 4 was a strong return to form.

Mezcita

amacachi wrote: »

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055602715 Just the one on the front page, but that's not the point! :pac:

I'd recommend The Shield, but for me I don't think it would work as well as it did without watching it in quick succession. Maybe a week or two. There's 7 seasons so it could take a while to watch it all. Also if you're acquiring it not on DVD be careful, I had an episode missing which ruined an hour for me.

I'd also advise Breaking Bad, only 2 seasons and only 7 episodes in the first season. Bryan Cranston has won the Best Actor Emmy for the last two years for his part, so that will give you an idea of the quality. It just gets better and better too, perhaps the best-acted series I've watched.

Dexter is also excellent, 4 seasons so far, season 3 was probably the weakest but 4 was a strong return to form.

Agreed. Breaking Bad is a fantastic show. Dexter as well.

Also really enjoyed Deadwood.

Dandelion6

Homicide: Life on the Streets and The Corner are the closest to The Wire. Both are set in Baltimore and many of the same people were involved in creating them.

The one episode of The Shield that I saw seemed closer to CSI than to The Wire - overacting, bad background music, completely unrealistic dialogue. Is it not all like that?

amacachi

Dandelion6 wrote: »

Homicide: Life on the Streets and The Corner are the closest to The Wire. Both are set in Baltimore and many of the same people were involved in creating them.

The one episode of The Shield that I saw seemed closer to CSI than to The Wire - overacting, bad background music, completely unrealistic dialogue. Is it not all like that?

One episode? Really?
The acting is superb tbh.

An Citeog

The Shield is a lot more high octane than The Wire. Although the acting may not be up to the standard of The Wire, I really enjoyed it.

Dubhthamlacht

I'm 3/4 way through Season 2 of The Shield. It's a very good show. Granted it's not the Wire and not as good, but it's still a fine TV show. Vic Mackey is such a a watchable character.

deisedude

Generation Kill and the Corner are both worth a watch too

Bodhisopha

OZ was excellent.

amacachi

Dubhthamlacht wrote: »

I'm 3/4 way through Season 2 of The Shield. It's a very good show. Granted it's not the Wire and not as good, but it's still a fine TV show. Vic Mackey is such a a watchable character.

You're still at the least good part of it tbh. :pac:

godtabh

I'd have a look at sleeper cell

Mensch Maschine

The Sopranos is an excellent show and is very similar to The Wire in many ways.

Hour-long episodes. Similar style of direction and pace. A long continious story that unfolds over each season. Excellent acting and a look behind the scenes of a troubled mafioso.

I still don't know which I prefer. The Wire or The Sopranos.

pokaface

The corner is similar in that it's about Baltimore slum life but it's done in Documentary format and doesn't get into other aspects of a city, a lot of the same actors and also created by David Simon. Homicide Life and the streets TV show & book is another by him I haven't seen - apparently not as good.

In terms of excellent TV the Sopranos is the only other show I've seen of such a high standard. The main difference is that the wire is mainly about many people - the different strands of a city and the Sopranos is about the psycholody of one man and his interation with those around him.

Just below that Stratosphere I'd rank Deadwood, Mad Men and west Wing as other high quality dramas and for comedy I'd go with Curb your Enthusiasm, The Office & Extras.

Life's too short for crap TV.

If in doubt ask the question "is this HBO?", when you're talking about an overweight guy called Hurley who's been "LOST" on an island for a few years but doesn't look like he's been without his doughnuts for a day of that time the answer is most definately no.

Dandelion6

pokaface wrote: »

Homicide Life and the streets TV show & book is another by him I haven't seen - apparently not as good.

Homicide is better than 99% of television, it's really only in comparison to The Wire that it falls short. There are clips up on YouTube of the best episodes (eg "Three Men and Adena", one of the finest interrogation sequences ever made) so you can see a bit for yourself.

If you watch the whole series you'll see a lot of actors you know but looking much younger, eg Carmela Soprano has a recurring role in the first season, D'Angelo Barksdale makes an appearance, Orlando etc.

trebor28

generation kill was what david simon did after the wire. based on a recon team as the first wave of soldiers into iraq.
in the same style lots of great acting, really shows all the fuk ups and problems that they had and how badly the whole thing was run.
really like mad men. the acting writing and cinematography are excellent. none of the violence of the wire but comes close behind it.

Penn

I'd recommend Sons Of Anarchy. It's about a motorcycle gang in California who are involved in stuff like gun-running etc. I've only seen the first season, but I thought it was incredible. Supposedly its very like The Shield (I think some gang who appeared in The Shield also appear in SOA)

I've recently finished the first season of Breaking Bad. Thanks to all who recommended it. Fantastic show. Really amazing

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Oz, The Sopranos, Dexter are must sees...

Also check out Treme, which is also created by David Simon and just began a couple of weeks ago... Wendell Pierce (Bunk) and Clarke Peters (Freamon) are two of the main characters in Treme and a couple of other The Wire alumni have already popped up in it...

PokerManAA

Indeed Oz was excelent OZ was just like the other side of The Wire when all of those garbage **** went To prison...........And also One of my favorite dead characaters of Lost Adebisi/Mr.Ecko was there.............

sfag31

another vote for OZ. Same fantastic character casting that the wire had. Your in for a treat if you get into this one.

golfball37

Deadwood

pablomakaveli

trebor28 wrote: »

generation kill was what david simon did after the wire. based on a recon team as the first wave of soldiers into iraq.
in the same style lots of great acting, really shows all the fuk ups and problems that they had and how badly the whole thing was run.
really like mad men. the acting writing and cinematography are excellent. none of the violence of the wire but comes close behind it.

Just started watching this and it's a great show. It has that same realistic feel to it that the Wire has.

I've also been watching the Shield and im really enjoying it. A bit more high octane and fast paced than the Wire but still a great show.

SimpleLogic

I just finnished watching the first season of the Shield. I thought the first few episodes were a bit iffy. But thought it improved a lot towards the end and is set up nicely for the next season. Vic's character is interesting, is he a good or bad cop story but I prefered some of the sub character's stories.

I would rate Oz more highly than what I have seen of The Shield so far.

honkytonk52

i second sons of anarchy it is brilliant, can wait for the 3rd series, its written by kert sutter who i believe, was a writer on the shield

steerforth80

Underbelly is very good.. australian true crime Drama.. Not quiet Wire standard but Top quality television show..

ButtersSuki

Seasons 1 and 3 of Damages are excellent and (going to be controversial here) as good as The Wire! Superb cast, movie style production values, tight script, interesting and unexpected twists - I could go on. But don't just take my word for it, here's what other Boardies say:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055799163&highlight=Damages+Season

sfag31

Yes - Damages is underrated but excellant and very cleverly directed.
Nothing of course comes close to the Exhilaration of OZ.

Three actors from The wire had big parts in Oz - Chief Rowls, L. Daniels & D'Angelo.

amacachi

Burner- wrote: »

I just finnished watching the first season of the Shield. I thought the first few episodes were a bit iffy. But thought it improved a lot towards the end and is set up nicely for the next season. Vic's character is interesting, is he a good or bad cop story but I prefered some of the sub character's stories.

I would rate Oz more highly than what I have seen of The Shield so far.

Other than a couple of episodes The Shield just gets better and better right to the end. The final episode is one of the best things I've ever seen.

K4t

sfag31 wrote: »

Three actors from The wire had big parts in Oz - Chief Rowls, L. Daniels & D'Angelo.

Did you mean to say Bodie.....or even Carver? Both were in Oz. Don't remember D'Angelo being in Oz and it doesn't mention it on his wiki page.

There is no other show quite like the Wire as others have pointed out. The Sopranos is excellent. So reliable, such good acting, so much fun. Great series. I've just started the Shield myself and am very impressed. Glad to hear that it gets better too.:)

RDM_83 again

Would suggest Brotherhood (think I got the recommendation from Boards actually myself)

IMO Sons of Anarchy is an exact opposite of the style of tv the Wire should have ushered in, its poorly researched

One of the main story lines is the IRA running guns INTO the states via Dungloe apparently :-0, they leave blood of a character that a previous episode stated was in the DNA register at a Federal crime scene(Tig and Jax's fight in witness protection intimidation episode) that's never referred back too, plenty off others too

The side characters don't seem to act in a believable way, especially none of the law enforcement ones.

Every single intimidation the gang carries out is succesful from the Witness, the Judge, the hospital administrator, thus ruining any dramatic tension

As a review on IMDB said, the show deeply want you to care about the characters but it doesn't seem to work.
Unlike Brotherhood where even though all the characters are dislikable (much more so than the Sopranos).

Its a pity because felt the show had loads of potential, good actors and good music and it is pretty compelling viewing just the failings spoiled it for me.

The Shield suffers from the same problem of resolving everything in last 1 or 2 episodes of each season but is worth checking out for Ross Kemps twins' performance alone

sfag31

K4t wrote: »

Did you mean to say Bodie.....or even Carver? Both were in Oz. Don't remember D'Angelo being in Oz and it doesn't mention it on his wiki page.
.:)

Yeah you're right - got my names mixed up there.

jab1

i have too second damages,i loved this show,season 1 and 2 were superb,season 3 took a while too get going,breaking bad also is excellent along with the shield and the fantastic mad men,i cant wait for the next season of this show.someone mentioned sleeper cell another excellent show just 2 seasons i think, im nearly sure its finished along with the brotherhood.the brotherhood is a slowburner but really good.dexter of course(i love rita hottest woman on any show).now i have too say i hated sons of anarchy and generation kill,coulndnt get them at all.

Turtyturd

pokaface wrote: »

The corner is similar in that it's about Baltimore slum life but it's done in Documentary format and doesn't get into other aspects of a city

Just finished this and thought it was brilliant, gritty realistic and usual upbeat tv. Really feels like being back in the world of the Wire. Focuses mainly on the corners as the title suggest but is full of well written and believeable characters and you will have a good time playing spot the person from the Wire.

amacachi

Turtyturd wrote: »

Just finished this and thought it was brilliant, gritty realistic and usual upbeat tv. Really feels like being back in the world of the Wire. Focuses mainly on the corners as the title suggest but is full of well written and believeable characters and you will have a good time playing spot the person from the Wire.

They'd want to be believable characters. :pac:

Killer Wench

I would agree about the Shield. But, probably up until Season 4 with Season 1 and Season 2 being exceptional standouts.

I also would recommend Deadwood. Season 1 was probably the best of the 2 1/2 seasons but it was a very good series.

I would also recommend The Closer. Not a gritty crime drama on the level of The Sheild or The Wire but it will keep you involved in the story and the acting and chemistry amongst the cast is great.

An Citeog

Don't think it's been mentioned but I'm enjoying Southland at the moment.

Johnny Storm

Any love here for "Mad Men"?
It's extremely well made with the emphasis on characterisation and atmosphere. OTOH nothing ever happens
Like the Wire it takes a couple of eps to get into. I was amazed that I became quite interested in the development of characters who I thought were totally obnoxious in the first ep. It presents a fully realised world that you would normally have no knowledge of and makes it entertaining (again like the Wire).

PhiloCypher

Im gonna give a shout out for Rome and Spartacus: blood & sand I know they are pretty far removed from Wire but both were and are respectively excellent shows (granted Spartacus opening 2 or 3 eps were kinda cringey but boy did it get good) in fact I would go so far as to say that the Spartacus season finale was the best I've seen in years .

Dannyboi3k

Bodhisopha wrote: »

OZ was excellent.

was waiting on someone to mention that

TrueDub

Try Sons of Anarchy - well-crafted and interesting. Faster-paced than The Wire.

Mind you, some of the Irish accents are a pain in the arse, why does every American actor think he has to be Darby O'Gill when being Irish?

civis_liberalis

TrueDub wrote: »

why does every American actor think he has to be Darby O'Gill when being Irish?

Tru dat.

civis_liberalis

Johnny Storm wrote: »

Like the Wire it takes a couple of eps to get into. I was amazed that I became quite interested in the development of characters who I thought were totally obnoxious in the first ep. It presents a fully realised world that you would normally have no knowledge of and makes it entertaining (again like the Wire).

It really is excellent at drawing you in. Reminds me of the times you pick up a good book and just don't want to stop reading until you have it finished.

I'm halfway through the final season and am nearly afraid to watch the rest as I'll have no more Wire then.

SafeSurfer

I would have to say Underbelly, a 13 episode series based on real evets in Melbourne between 1995 - 2004 is the best show I have seen since the Wire. The fact that it is based on true events makes it all the more gripping.

One word of warning, dont go googling the names of the characters or it will ruin the suspense as most of them meet an unexpected, violent end.

deise48

steerforth80 wrote: »

Underbelly is very good.. australian true crime Drama.. Not quiet Wire standard but Top quality television show..

i love it im on series three at the moment and i hear they have got the go ahead for another series four and five recently

krudler

Homicide: Life on the Street is well worth a watch, loads of similarities to the Wire, but mostly focusses on the cops, they even use the photocopier lie detector joke. A lot of the cast of the Wire is in it too, the guy who played Gus n season 5 is one of the main characters.

Beefy78

pokaface wrote: »

If in doubt ask the question "is this HBO?", when you're talking about an overweight guy called Hurley who's been "LOST" on an island for a few years but doesn't look like he's been without his doughnuts for a day of that time the answer is most definately no.

I know this post is six months old and that this is the The Wire board and not the Lost board, but that is such a lazy, and not even accurate, criticism of Lost that it completely undermines the rest of the post.

deise48

Dannyboi3k wrote: »

was waiting on someone to mention that

ive just finished the first series and its brilliant

sfag31

Beefy78 wrote: »

I know this post is six months old and that this is the The Wire board and not the Lost board, but that is such a lazy, and not even accurate, criticism of Lost that it completely undermines the rest of the post.

ah - but it is humourous.

clived2

Beefy78 wrote: »

I know this post is six months old and that this is the The Wire board and not the Lost board, but that is such a lazy, and not even accurate, criticism of Lost that it completely undermines the rest of the post.

Wow you just summed up Lost, amazing

ButtersSuki

A day late I guess but Season 1 of Damages started again on BBC1 and BBCHD last night for the "non-believers"!!!!