So I Finished The Wire This Week

[UpstateSM]

Finally got around to it after tons of people bringing it up when I would talk Sopranos.

I thought it was a good show but I don't think it is on the same tier as Sopranos. If I'm being honest, I watched Better Call Saul right before this and I thought that was better. I'm sure older people (I'm 25) will disagree hard with that take.

I'm not really into the police stuff so it all got a little redundant after a while. I thought that the Sobotka season and season 4 with the kids were the high points of the show.

I didn't think how they moved from Avon/Stringer to Marlo as the main "villains" made much sense. Omar was the best. The ending with Michael sticking up the dealer at the end was maybe my favorite part of the show.

All-in-all, a little overrated, in my opinion. I'm sure I would have felt differently watching it live. Still one of the better shows I've watched but there is at least two or three I would comfortably put ahead of The Wire.

 

[OrangeDW]

Finally got around to it after tons of people bringing it up when I would talk Sopranos.

I thought it was a good show but I don't think it is on the same tier as Sopranos. If I'm being honest, I watched Better Call Saul right before this and I thought that was better. I'm sure older people (I'm 25) will disagree hard with that take.

I'm not really into the police stuff so it all got a little redundant after a while. I thought that the Sobotka season and season 4 with the kids were the high points of the show.

I didn't think how they moved from Avon/Stringer to Marlo as the main "villains" made much sense. Omar was the best. The ending with Michael sticking up the dealer at the end was maybe my favorite part of the show.

All-in-all, a little overrated, in my opinion. I'm sure I would have felt differently watching it live. Still one of the better shows I've watched but there is at least two or three I would comfortably put ahead of The Wire.

I agree that season 4 is the best season, but….not a lot else, lol.

The scene where Michael and Dukie dropped off Bug at his aunt’s house might be the only time TV has made my cry.

 

[justgold315]

When it came out, it was a complex, layered, amazing series, and only shows like the Sopranos had the depth of characters with many story lines. You had to wait a week for each episode. You'd be chomping at the bit. It was one of the best shows when it came out and paved the path for more recent, and better series. I agree that it has not maintained the status as it did when it first came out. I went back and watched it and it wasn't as good going through anew. Breaking bad, the sopranos, better call Saul, Dexter all held up multiple times through.

 

[OrangeDW]

When it came out, it was a complex, layered, amazing series, and only shows like the Sopranos had the depth of characters with many story lines. You had to wait a week for each episode. You'd be chomping at the bit. It was one of the best shows when it came out and paved the path for more recent, and better series. I agree that it has not maintained the status as it did when it first came out. I went back and watched it and it wasn't as good going through anew. Breaking bad, the sopranos, better call Saul, Dexter all held up multiple times through.

Only Breaking Bad is better to me….maybe. They’re like 1A/1B.

The story told was so much bigger, more ambitious, and frankly…more important. Incredible the way it all tied together and “all the pieces matter”, IMO.

I liked it even more on repeat viewings. Heck, any time I hear a train in the distance I want to watch Bunk and McNulty shoot the over some beers.

 

[chugg21]

Only Breaking Bad is better to me….maybe. They’re like 1A/1B.

The story told was so much bigger, more ambitious, and frankly…more important. Incredible the way it all tied together and “all the pieces matter”, IMO.

I liked it even more on repeat viewings. Heck, any time I hear a train in the distance I want to watch Bunk and McNulty shoot the over some beers.

Did you read the oral history titled All The Pieces Matter? Great book. Completely agree about the part where they drop off Bug, it's absolutely brutal. Horrific outcomes for all of the kids except Namond who was the biggest shitbag of the crew.

 

[chugg21]

When it came out, it was a complex, layered, amazing series, and only shows like the Sopranos had the depth of characters with many story lines. You had to wait a week for each episode. You'd be chomping at the bit. It was one of the best shows when it came out and paved the path for more recent, and better series. I agree that it has not maintained the status as it did when it first came out. I went back and watched it and it wasn't as good going through anew. Breaking bad, the sopranos, better call Saul, Dexter all held up multiple times through.

Dexter!!?? May be the 1st show that I absolutely loved and then became so horrifically bad that I had to quit watching. Walking Dead became the 2nd.

 

[OrangeDW]

Did you read the oral history titled All The Pieces Matter? Great book. Completely agree about the part where they drop off Bug, it's absolutely brutal. Horrific outcomes for all of the kids except Namond who was the biggest shitbag of the crew.

Yup! Hated Namond, he was such a coward.

Randy’s stuff was gut wrenching too. Jeez.

Dukie getting dropped off with the horse people, where you know what his fate will be…brutal.

Have not checked out “All the Pieces Matter”…googling now.

 

[OrangeDW]

Dexter!!?? May be the 1st show that I absolutely loved and then became so horrifically bad that I had to quit watching. Walking Dead became the 2nd.

I quit most shows. “Weeds” would probably be the biggest one that I really enjoyed initially, and soon absolutely hated and quit.

 

[dan7800]

I quit most shows. “Weeds” would probably be the biggest one that I really enjoyed initially, and soon absolutely hated and quit.

Weeds started out great, and then got weird and politically preachy.

IMHO, the wire is up there with Mad Men for top series of all time.

 

[OrangeDW]

Weeds started out great, and then got weird and politically preachy.

IMHO, the wire is up there with Mad Men for top series of all time.

I don’t think I even lasted until it got preachy…I was out when it started getting too weird.

Mad Men is great one too.

 

[Roger N]

Finally got around to it after tons of people bringing it up when I would talk Sopranos.

I thought it was a good show but I don't think it is on the same tier as Sopranos. If I'm being honest, I watched Better Call Saul right before this and I thought that was better. I'm sure older people (I'm 25) will disagree hard with that take.

I'm not really into the police stuff so it all got a little redundant after a while. I thought that the Sobotka season and season 4 with the kids were the high points of the show.

I didn't think how they moved from Avon/Stringer to Marlo as the main "villains" made much sense. Omar was the best. The ending with Michael sticking up the dealer at the end was maybe my favorite part of the show.

All-in-all, a little overrated, in my opinion. I'm sure I would have felt differently watching it live. Still one of the better shows I've watched but there is at least two or three I would comfortably put ahead of The Wire.

So, “Who shot snot”?

 

[chugg21]

I quit most shows. “Weeds” would probably be the biggest one that I really enjoyed initially, and soon absolutely hated and quit.

Agree with Weeds too. It was such a great concept at 1st and then they ran out of whatever their plan was after a season or 2 and it went down the shitter. Same thing with Orange is the new black. US shows always just try to keep making a buck and ruin their legacy vs British shows that will kill themselves off at their peak before they crap the bed.

 

[OrangeDW]

I go back and forth between Lester and Bunk as to who was my favorite character on The Wire.

Lots of characters I loved despite their flaws….and lots of characters who disgusted me. And lots in the middle.

Prop Joe was my favorite on the “other side of the law”.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Sopranos
Breaking Bad
The Wire / Mad Men
GoT/Better Call Saul


Recent shows that have been excellent: The Queen's Gambit, Station Eleven, Reservation Dogs, The Bear, Barry, Squid Game, Watchmen, The Righteous Gemstones, Succession, The Mandalorian

 

[UpstateSM]

Yup! Hated Namond, he was such a coward.

Randy’s stuff was gut wrenching too. Jeez.

Dukie getting dropped off with the horse people, where you know what his fate will be…brutal.

Have not checked out “All the Pieces Matter”…googling now.

The social/political/economic issues at play interest me far more than the police aspect of the show. That is why I enjoyed season 4 more than the rest because it was a different direction than the rest of the show.

There are shows that lots of other people love that I just think are bad (Peaky Blinders) and then there are shows that lots of other people love that I just can't get into as much as I would like. That is where The Wire falls for me.

 

[OrangeDW]

The social/political/economic issues at play interest me far more than the police aspect of the show. That is why I enjoyed season 4 more than the rest because it was a different direction than the rest of the show.

There are shows that lots of other people love that I just think are bad (Peaky Blinders) and then there are shows that lots of other people love that I just can't get into as much as I would like. That is where The Wire falls for me.

I mean, the police aspect was always there but season 1 was the only 1 that was really police vs. criminals.

Season 2 was about the docks, the decline of the working class in cities, how the drugs get into the cities, etc.

Season 3 was about politics and city government.

Season 4 was education.

Season 5, the print media.

And it all tied together.

One of my favorite moments was when Prezbo says “juking the stats” as he realized the schools take the same meaningless steps to make things look like they’re improving when they’re under fire, just as the police departments do.

 

[UpstateSM]

I mean, the police aspect was always there but season 1 was the only 1 that was really police vs. criminals.

Season 2 was about the docks, the decline of the working class in cities, how the drugs get into the cities, etc.

Season 3 was about politics and city government.

Season 4 was education.

Season 5, the print media.

And it all tied together.

One of my favorite moments was when Prezbo says “juking the stats” as he realized the schools take the same meaningless steps to make things look like they’re improving when they’re under fire, just as the police departments do.

I get what you're saying. Just the foundation of the show was always the department and the major crimes unit. So I enjoyed the changing storylines like you laid out I just couldn't stay into it like I can with other shows because it always came back to something I am just meh about. I'm going to watch again at some point because I think I'll like it more focusing on different things.

I played basketball in college with a couple kids from Baltimore and in the two years we were there I think that two or three of their friends got shot and killed. They might as well have grown up on a different planet than I did based on our life experiences and I think the show did a good job painting that picture.

I think Mad Men is next for me.

 

[OrangeDW]

I get what you're saying. Just the foundation of the show was always the department and the major crimes unit. So I enjoyed the changing storylines like you laid out I just couldn't stay into it like I can with other shows because it always came back to something I am just meh about. I'm going to watch again at some point because I think I'll like it more focusing on different things.

I played basketball in college with a couple kids from Baltimore and in the two years we were there I think that two or three of their friends got shot and killed. They might as well have grown up on a different planet than I did based on our life experiences and I think the show did a good job painting that picture.

I think Mad Men is next for me.

I’ll be interested to see what someone watching Mad Men for the first time now thinks. I didn’t watch it from the beginning but definitely started streaming it while it was still going (probably 2013ish) and caught the last couple seasons live.

I might need a rewatch there. I enjoy shows where you can just get lost in its “world” even if nothing mind blowing is happening at the time. That was why I always enjoyed Mad Men.

 

[chugg21]

Sopranos
Breaking Bad
The Wire / Mad Men
GoT/Better Call Saul


Recent shows that have been excellent: The Queen's Gambit, Station Eleven, Reservation Dogs, The Bear, Barry, Squid Game, Watchmen, The Righteous Gemstones, Succession, The Mandalorian

I like all of those shows a lot except for Mandalorian but that's because I have 0 interest in Star Wars stuff.

 

[justgold315]

Mad men is definitely in my top 5. I agree that Weeds, Walking Dead, and even Lost, Handmaid's tail all started out great and went on way too long. I am hoping Mandalorian continues strong. I think the Star Wars/Marvel franchises are turning into quantity over quality.

 

[justgold315]

Dexter!!?? May be the 1st show that I absolutely loved and then became so horrifically bad that I had to quit watching. Walking Dead became the 2nd.

Dexter had some weaker episodes and seasons but bounced back strong with the season with John Lithgow. Each season was different and new unlike many of the shows that fizzled out. Shameless was another one that started out strong and went on for 3 seasons too long.

 

[chugg21]

Dexter had some weaker episodes and seasons but bounced back strong with the season with John Lithgow. Each season was different and new unlike many of the shows that fizzled out. Shameless was another one that started out strong and went on for 3 seasons too long.

The Lithgow season was the end of it being watchable and that was season 4. That's less than half of how long it went on for if you include whatever the new season is. I think I gave up somewhere in season 5 or after season 5 and have no idea what went on after and didn't miss it at all.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Finally got around to it after tons of people bringing it up when I would talk Sopranos.

I thought it was a good show but I don't think it is on the same tier as Sopranos. If I'm being honest, I watched Better Call Saul right before this and I thought that was better. I'm sure older people (I'm 25) will disagree hard with that take.

I'm not really into the police stuff so it all got a little redundant after a while. I thought that the Sobotka season and season 4 with the kids were the high points of the show.

I didn't think how they moved from Avon/Stringer to Marlo as the main "villains" made much sense. Omar was the best. The ending with Michael sticking up the dealer at the end was maybe my favorite part of the show.

All-in-all, a little overrated, in my opinion. I'm sure I would have felt differently watching it live. Still one of the better shows I've watched but there is at least two or three I would comfortably put ahead of The Wire.

Funny. I didn’t care for the docks/Sobotka season or the kids season.…

Much preferred all the police vs crooks stuff.

Overrated? It’s still a top 5-10 series in the history of television. I think there’s room for it to fit in anywhere from 3-10 without it being overrated.

My top non-sitcoms:

GoT, easily.
Then, it doesn’t matter: Breaking Bad, The Sopranos.
The Wire.
House of the Dragon—which may climb.
Twin Peaks.
The Crown.
Miami Vice.
Homeland.


Not sure where to put Better Call Saul. I didn’t love the beginning, felt it was dull. It got better, but the conclusion wasn’t satisfying. Maybe too much of a coattails show for me to rank it higher.



Mad Men, like Lost had a strong start and presence and then eventually wore itself out to the point where I just wanted them resolved and done, and it was a chore to watch. I just had invested so much time in them that i was obligated to keep going. Similar to The Walking Dead, but I actually did abandon that show.

I really liked Dexter. I just don’t think it was ever particularly ‘brilliant’ in any respect—acting, writing, dialog.

 

[Day2]

Funny. I didn’t care for the docks/Sobotka season or the kids season.…

Much preferred all the police vs crooks stuff.

Overrated? It’s still a top 5-10 series in the history of television. I think there’s room for it to fit in anywhere from 3-10 without it being overrated.

My top non-sitcoms:

GoT, easily.
Then, it doesn’t matter: Breaking Bad, The Sopranos.
The Wire.
House of the Dragon—which may climb.
Twin Peaks.
The Crown.
Miami Vice.
Homeland.


Not sure where to put Better Call Saul. I didn’t love the beginning, felt it was dull. It got better, but the conclusion wasn’t satisfying. Maybe too much of a coattails show for me to rank it higher.



Mad Men, like Lost had a strong start and presence and then eventually wore itself out to the point where I just wanted them resolved and done, and it was a chore to watch. I just had invested so much time in them that i was obligated to keep going. Similar to The Walking Dead, but I actually did abandon that show.

I really liked Dexter. I just don’t think it was ever particularly ‘brilliant’ in any respect—acting, writing, dialog.

My wife and watched the Mad Men pilot several years ago and it wasn’t enough to draw us in. After reading most of the comments in this thread, I was considering giving it another try. You’ve convinced me my initial decision was the correct one.

 

[donniesyracuse]

My wife and watched the Mad Men pilot several years ago and it wasn’t enough to draw us in. After reading most of the comments in this thread, I was considering giving it another try. You’ve convinced me my initial decision was the correct one.

It’s my favorite show of all-time.