Here’s a good mission impossible – Google HBO’s The Wire and try to find someone who isn’t mad about the show. It was the universal acclaim of Metacritic that first spiked my interest and I decided to take a chance on buying the Season 1 box set. One of my better decisions!
It’s a show where you just run out of superlatives. Now, I’ve just got to the end of Season 3 and have to wait until number 4 hits the shelves. It’s something of a cliché to read of a show getting better and better but in this case it’s the truth. The creators – notably writer David Simon and producer, ex-Baltimore homicide cop Ed Burns, deserve all the acclaim that’s heaped upon them. HBO also should be praised for sticking with the show even when the ratings didn’t match the critical reception.
What makes it work? I’d say it’s the fact that it doesn’t use cheap gimmicks or contrived plot twists to draw the viewer in. You’re hooked by the sheer quality of the writing and ensemble acting. As many have commented it works like great literature.
In Season 3 this reaches new heights of excellence with the almost unbearable tension between street gang leaders Avon Barksdale & Stringer Bell magnificently played by Wood Harris and Idris Elba respectively. My favourite character is still Omar (Michael Kenneth Williams) who is still alive and out of jail so will hopefully feature in seasons 4 and 5.
I can’t wait!
