The Wire vs. The Sopranos

jimpump

FrostyJack wrote: »

Sopranos wins by a nose, the last season of the Wire (the newspaper stuff anyway) was complete garbage and a waste of time. Paulie Walnuts wasn't in the Wire hence it loses out.

Just finished watching Breaking Bad, must say that is pretty good tv too.

Paulie and chrissie made that show! tony was top notch aswell along with sil and pussy(r.i.p),HA

but compared to the guys in the wire like avon,stringer,omar,d'angelo,brodie,marlo,chris,snoop and i aint mentioning the coppers in the show like mc nulty and the rest. and dont forget clay davis the corrupt politician....he is 1 gas mofo!

there is way more better and interesting characters in the wire

thedaveman

To hard to call, both classics IMO

FrostyJack

jimpump wrote: »

there is way more better and interesting characters in the wire

Just because there is more characters in it doesn't make it better. Band of Brothers had thousands of them None of the characters in the Wire went were developed as much as Tony (because there were so many of them) and most of them were unlikeable Herc, McNulty etc It's hard to pick flaws in the Wire but there are some. It is probably just down to person preference.

enfant terrible

jimpump

enfant terrible wrote: »

this video basically sums it all up

good find enfant t

Victor_M

For me The Shield is the TV show I enjoyed most, Vic Mackey is the best lead character I've watched.
Massively under rated show in Ireland due to TV3 showing it so late to make sure it didn't interfere with the 23 hrs of White thrash reality ****e they normally broadcast.

Have the Wire on my todo list Sopranos was excellent is found 2 series a bit of a struggle though where as the shield I didn't see one bad episode.

Arrested development was another underrated classic.

themandan6611

1. Sopranos

2. The Wire

3. The Shield

4. Oz

some amazing shows from the US

L31mr0d

jimpump wrote: »

this video basically sums it all up

good find enfant t

Yeah +1

"Novelistic Density" is exactly how I'd describe the Wire. Like a truly great novel, after you've read it you remember it like you where there.

The Wire is just that. I don't remember it like a TV show, I remember it like I was there, in Baltimore, walking through Hamsterdam or raising a pint at Cole's Wake in Kavanagh’s Irish Pub.

The Sopranos does not ever come close to it. I could take or leave watching the Sopranos, but once I'd started watching The Wire I watched nothing else until I'd finished every episode of it.

Also, if any wire fans haven't already, watch it with commentary on. The sheer amount of symbolism that goes into nearly every shot is staggering.

jimpump

themandan6611 wrote: »

1. Sopranos

2. The Wire

3. The Shield

4. Oz

some amazing shows from the US

totally forgot bout OZ....now that was a deadly show

TG4 for the win...........lol

ringadingding

I think the wire kicks sopranos around the room, I've watched both start to finish several times.
Both are great, but the wire is just in a different league .

You do have to endure a kinda slow first couple of episodes of the wire in series one, but it's got a pretty deep plot to lay.

Series 2 is my favourite and Frank sobotka is one of my favourite characters, a guy doing all the wrong stuff for all the right reasons.
Series 5 I didn't enjoy too much, found it a tad surreal and self indulgent on the journalist front.

Clay davies for the win

Hawk Wing 2

The Wire for me, The Sopranos was excellent but it just felt a bit contrived at times, the ganster stuff was a bit stereotypical at times I thought, like they were trying to transplant Goodfellas and The Godfather into the present

CivilServant

The Wire. Television hasn't been the same since.

ixoy

'The Wire' without a shadow of the doubt. It's not even close. 'The Sopranos' is one of the most over-rated shows and Tony Soprano was an unlikeable bastard.
I was a big fan of 'Homicide: Life on the Street' so it's no surprise I got into 'The Wire' so easily. That and I went in without the hype, watching it from the airing of the pilot on TG4. Whereas 'The Sopranos' was hyped up when I watched it and, certain pieces aside, I could take it or leave it.

cena

What is the wire about. I see the channel fx is rerunning the show again for the last time ever. add came on last night

Dman001

FX are currently re-showing Season 1 of The Wire. I tried watching it and I couldn't get past the first episode, just didnt like it at all, not my type of show. The Sopranos on the other hand is brilliant.

krudler

Dman001 wrote: »

FX are currently re-showing Season 1 of The Wire. I tried watching it and I couldn't get past the first episode, just didnt like it at all, not my type of show. The Sopranos on the other hand is brilliant.

you shouldnt dismiss it after one episode, its a slow burning show but by the 3rd episode it becomes unmissable

Sl!mCharles

I fvcking love The Sopranos.

I fvcking love The Wire.

pickarooney

I find the Wire is just kind of boring, really, there's no other way to put it. Far too much tedious bureaucracy and no interesting characters. Give me the Sopranos (or a dozen othe shows) any day.

Dman001

krudler wrote: »

you shouldnt dismiss it after one episode, its a slow burning show but by the 3rd episode it becomes unmissable

Very true, and I dont usually (if that was the case, I would have given up on Six Feet Under long ago), but I just couldn't see myself getting into the show.

Hawk Wing 2

I thought the wire was rubbish after the first episode but I gave it a chance, by episode 4 I was hooked, and watched the entire boxset in 2 weeks, totally addictive

Paparazzo

Watched them both in the last 18 months, The Wire is better imho. More believable characters in the wire for me. Sopranos is still an excellent show and if you haven't seen either of them, buy them now, money and time well spent.

KnifeWRENCH wrote: »

Biggest difference for me is that The Sopranos grabbed me from the very first episode, whereas The Wire is more slow burning and takes a while to get into. Have the entire Sopranos collection and seasons 2-4 of The Wire at home, can't wait til I eventually have the time to get stuck into them.

Agree with that. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Teyla Emmagan

I got Season 1 of the Wire on DVD. Forced my way through about six episodes and then abandoned it. Even with the subtitles on I couldn't figure out what half the characters were saying. It was just hard work didn't find it in any way interesting.

So it's a big 'No' from me then!

NWPat

RichieC wrote: »

Because the wire is another level of TV.


Sopranos can be compared to Weeds and Desperate Housewives, and favourably, but does not belong anywhere close to the wire in terms of quality and drama... and realism.

I reckon the only show anywhere close to the wire is Breaking Bad.

Sopranos is the by far the superior tv drama, the Wire is good, but its characters are cartoon like in comparison, to say it is more realistic is nonsense and the quality of the Sopranos has yet to be touched by anything.

ixoy

NWPat wrote: »

Sopranos is the by far the superior tv drama, the Wire is good, but its characters are cartoon like in comparison,

Can you give an example? Bearing in mind "The Sopranos" gave us OTT characters like Paulie.

to say it is more realistic is nonsense

Right - all the critics, viewers, leading figures (including Baltimore cops) who acclaim its realism then are wrong. It was also written by people who've had experience in the area they're writing about - over a decade of it. It is far more realistic than "The Sopranos" ever achieved.

pickarooney

ixoy wrote: »

Can you give an example? Bearing in mind "The Sopranos" gave us OTT characters like Paulie.


Right - all the critics, viewers, leading figures (including Baltimore cops) who acclaim its realism then are wrong. It was also written by people who've had experience in the area they're writing about - over a decade of it. It is far more realistic than "The Sopranos" ever achieved.

This is true, and it's The Wire's biggest problem - it's stultifying. A bit of suspension of disbelief never did any harm.

Hawk Wing 2

NWPat wrote: »

Sopranos is the by far the superior tv drama, the Wire is good, but its characters are cartoon like in comparison,

haha, paulie walnuts and silvio are like something out of a 70's b movie

Oasis678

I love both shows am just starting to watch season 4 of the wire. So far i think the wire is better but sopranos was excellent as well.

The 2 Best Shows Ever.....:D

SB-08

The Sopranos is by a mile the greatest TV show of all time imo. The sheer level of quality changed the face of US TV. David Chase is a genius if you ask me and created a truly groundbreaking show. But The Wire is also excellent, and also deserves it's place among the all time greats.

don ramo

i liked both shows, sopranos edges out the wire though, the red ribbon stuff was a bit much, and anyway i prefered the west wing over both these shows,

Marty McFly

The Wire is definetly the winner for me now i did love the sopranos but it cant touch the wire at all.