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The Wire-Is it any good?

billyhead

I was a big fan of the Sopranos when it was shown on tv and I often here people compare both and say the wire is just as good if not better so I was wondering is it worth watching the series form 1 to whatever season it finished up with

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Slydice

Haven't seen Sopranos. I understand its a TV show with a really good story.

The Wire is not a TV show like that. It's by far, one of the best TV experiences ever. Watch the extras and especially listen to the commentary with the episodes if you got the DVDs/BluRay.

It's all in the game

Aravo

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeit

endacl

billyhead wrote: »

I was wondering is it worth watching the series form 1 to whatever season it finished up with

Yes.

el diablo

Yeah it's bleedin' deadly. Probably the best TV series I've watched.

RasTa wrote: »

Yeah it's worth a watch. Sopranos better but it's up there. Maybe skip the last season

Bizarre comment. Why watch four seasons and skip the fifth?

princemuzzy

honestly think its the best thing that ever been made

but like others took me ages to get into it like literally weeks to watch first 3 episodes but then i was hooked

[Deleted User]

I thought it was overrated. Definitely not the earth shattering TV that people make it out to be. First two seasons are great. Then it feels like it recycles the same story.

Ping Chow Chi

what the forth season was my favorite - watching the kids go through school was heart breaking

Gorgeousgeorge

Loved stringer bell. Never watched the last 2 seasons

Pelvis

geecee wrote: »

Don't forget to also check out The Shield another similar series that's well worth watching

The Shield is as similar to The Wire as The Bill.

I love The Shield, but it is in no way similar to The Wire.

sbsquarepants

The wire is amazing - possibly the best cop show ever (maybe even best series full stop).

The only slight criticism I'd have about it now is it might be a little bit dated - but apart from that it's a 10/10

tylercheribini

yes

.red.

Fantastic show, up there with the best. Ive honestly never seen anything else that compares to it for a mixture of script, characters, highs and lows!
I loved season 2, very different to the other series but some great scenes in it. Season 4, as said above could be a stand alone show all by itself!

It can be a chore to watch the first few episodes as there's just so much going on.
I heard it being compared to a jig saw before, in a way that it looks like a mess for the first 6/8 episodes and then all of a sudden it starts coming together, eventually you get the full picture of what's going on and it was all worthwhile!

_Kaiser_

geecee wrote: »

It took me around 10 attempts to get past the first 5 minutes
It took me another 2-3 goes to finish the first episode

After that I was hooked!

Don't forget to also check out The Shield another similar series that's well worth watching

The Shield is fantastic, and unlike The Wire it grabs you from the start. I've watched it several times now and IMO it's the better of the two (but I agree with others, the direct comparison that's so often done is odd? Very different shows).

My experience with The Wire was the same as yours but once I got into it, the first season was very good. Then they changed everything in Season 2? Still haven't gotten back to it...

Sebastian Dangerfield

I thought Series 1 was ok. Not the "must-see" TV that I had been told about by my friends, just ok.

Series 2 lost me a bit, with the change of setting.

I had higher hopes for Series 3, but lost interest completely 3-4 episodes in. Doubt I'll ever go back to it now.

spurious

Loved it, though more fond of 'Homicide - Life on the street' its daddy.

[Deleted User]

Well done on taking the first step Billyhead. This is the greatest series i have ever watched. Im absolutely hooked on it and for me absolutely nothing will top it.

The Wire for me is more than a Cops v Gangsters drama. More than anything it highlights institutional failure which in turn leads to unemployment, crime, substance addiction and thus the break down of society. And its as relatable in the Ireland of 2017 as it was in the Baltimore of 2002. It demonstrates a complete disconnect between the institutions and the people due to reasons ranging from vested interests to just sheer incompetence.

I can understand how people can find it a slow investment, but to call it overrated is puzzling. If anything it is hugely underrated. TV today is full of instant gratification, bad acting, junk, and cheap laughs, but David Simon done something marvellously different with the Wire. Instead of being storyline focused he built characters and dialogue and the interaction between these characters flowed so naturally as a result. There was no sides taken like other cop shows which i admired. The characters were built with layers upon layers of facets. Good cop, bad husband. Brown Noser but empathetic, Drug Dealer but honours a code.... Simply marvellous and will be usurped by none.

Joe_ Public

Brilliant, brilliant series. Up there with Mad Men for me as the greatest ever produced, deserved every accolade it has received and more. That said, I'd have some reservations about the last couple of series which I felt started to get a bit preachy and the characters less nuanced, too much light and shade. I refer in particular to the Baltimore Sun storyline which had too many cliched characters - the bent reporter, the unscrupulous award-hungry bosses, the quiet-spoken honest editor etc - I know Simon had worked at the Sun himself but this just didn't ring true for me and I felt the writers were beginning to lose it a little at that point. In the overall scheme of things, though, that's fairly minor criticism. Rewatched Series 1-3 last year and amazed at how well they stand up over a decade on.

[Deleted User]

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Brilliant, brilliant series. Up there with Mad Men for me as the greatest ever produced, deserved every accolade it has received and more. That said, I'd have some reservations about the last couple of series which I felt started to get a bit preachy and the characters less nuanced, too much light and shade. I refer in particular to the Baltimore Sun storyline which had too many cliched characters - the bent reporter, the unscrupulous award-hungry bosses, the quiet-spoken honest editor etc - I know Simon had worked at the Sun himself but this just didn't ring true for me and I felt the writers were beginning to lose it a little at that point. In the overall scheme of things, though, that's fairly minor criticism. Rewatched Series 1-3 last year and amazed at how well they stand up over a decade on.

Season 4 for me is without doubt the best because it highlights the failure of the most important institution. The kids preparing for Street life are being taught by a system designed for every single kid in the world irregardless of background, level or personal circumstances.

To be fair also, season 5 covered many topics relevant today such as the whole area of fake news

Withrax

Most def

Tell me how

As several have said, the wire is awesome. Some outstanding dialog in it throughout from several characters. Bubbles, Lester Freamon, Omar. Brilliant. Very few weak characters on it.

Seasons in order of preference (in my opinion obviously)

4, 2, 1, 3, 5

My favorite dramas; The Wire, Love Hate, GOT, Peaky Blinders..... Whats the connection between them?

Aidan Gillen :eek:

P.S. Sopranos is very good also but watched it again lately and found the continuity and pacing between episodes lacking in a way that was never a problem with The Wire. Still very good though. Some excellent dialog in it also.

P.P.S. I fail to see the attraction with Breaking Bad when comparing it to the wire I feel it doesn't hold a candle to it but lots feel strongly the other way.

P.P.P.S. As well as The Shield, David Simon also created a drama about New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, Treme. Some cross over of actors with Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters playing central roles. I think all music was performed by the actors paying the parts but I could be wrong. Totally different viewpoint to his other work but I thought it very good in showing character depth, as with The Wire. Was very well received by people from NO too.

Joe_ Public

Deleted User wrote: »

Season 4 for me is without doubt the best because it highlights the failure of the most important institution. The kids preparing for Street life are being taught by a system designed for every single kid in the world irregardless of background, level or personal circumstances.

To be fair also, season 5 covered many topics relevant today such as the whole area of fake news

Yeah I totally get that. Season 4 is excellent in so many different ways and gets plenty of votes as people's favourite series. For me, on a less noble premise, I prefer the earlier series, No.2 especially as I loved all that stevedore stuff (even the very word pleases me), because they entertained and thrilled me more and there's more focus on the characters that drew me to it in the first place. Simple as that really.

I just didnt like the Baltimore Sun stuff. The do-gooder editor annoyed me, how much chin wagging can one character do? Of course those things can and have happened in real newspaper life, but that story really needed an entire series, or several, to do it justice and they ended up shoehorning it in over a couple and weakened it imo. Overstretching themselves a bit I thought. But like i said, its not a major criticism, just a personal observation.

Tell me how

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I just didnt like the Baltimore Sun stuff. The do-gooder editor annoyed me, how much chin wagging can one character do? Of course those things can and have happened in real newspaper life, but that story really needed an entire series, or several, to do it justice and they ended up shoehorning it in over a couple and weakened it imo. Overstretching themselves a bit I thought. But like i said, its not a major criticism, just a personal observation.

I agree that season 5 was weak. I thought the storyline of McNulty going rogue with Lester was too farfetched. Think if that had been stronger, the weakness of the press room would not have been as obvious. I actually liked the do-gooder editor as the rest were synonymous with an industry chasing clicks and likes than telling the news.

[Deleted User]

I would argue that something like the Leftovers is better - just three short seasons. Not a bad episode in any of those.

dobman88

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I would argue that something like the Leftovers is better - just three short seasons. Not a bad episode in any of those.

That argument would be wrong but work away :pac:

RasTa

el diablo wrote: »

Yeah it's bleedin' deadly. Probably the best TV series I've watched.

Bizarre comment. Why watch four seasons and skip the fifth?

Because it's ****e!

Season 2 is also the best.

However Sopranos is the GOAT

[Deleted User]

RasTa wrote: »

Because it's ****e!

Season 2 is also the best.

However Sopranos is the GOAT

Ill admit S5 is the weakest and like yourself i liked Season 2, but personally i would find it hard to watch just 4 seasons knowing there is a fifth. And its not that bad really. Just a victim of the series own success.

[Deleted User]

dobman88 wrote: »

That argument would be wrong but work away :pac:

I mean, in terms of quality, with The Wire having dud episodes and entire seasons and with Leftovers having none ..

dobman88

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I mean, in terms of quality, with The Wire having dud episodes and entire seasons and with Leftovers having none ..

Oh right. Still wrong. The Leftovers was pure sh!te

Huawei Gallagher

The Wire beats the Sopranos by a long way IMHO, Make sure to watch maybe first 4 or 5 episodes or more as I did not really see what was so special about it at the start. Get a DVD box set, Sky are showing it in the middle of the night at the moment (almost done) but they cut huge lumps of important stuff out of it so DVD or something else if possible.

I never watch series a second time in general but I think I am on my fifth time with the Wire. It is hyped up a lot so do not expect it to change your life! I think the Wire is one of the few shows where they actually talk like normal people talk, the bad guys are not cartoon type bad guy hams like (some) in the Sopranos. Fave clip (not really spoiling anything): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N_UuImPL4E

.red.

Charles Cabbage wrote: »

Fave clip (not really spoiling anything): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N_UuImPL4E

That's a great scene, the look on the shop guys face is brilliant.

Snoop was a great character, the actress herself had a very troubled life and spent time inside for murder.
A lot of the secondary characters in the show were pretty much picked up off the corners and given jobs as extras.

I remember reading about the lad who played Bubbles, they were filming on location when someone came up to him and handed him something and said he needed it more than they did. When he looked it was a small bit of heroin. He called it his "street Oscar".
The story of Bubbles from start to finish is a work of art in itself. He had some very funny scenes but almost had me in tears a few times, I won't say when as they would be spoilers but anyone who's seen it will know.