The Wire -- How long until I'm hooked?

[MongGrel]

I'll have to wait for seasons 2 & 3 before making a decision.

Yeah but still, season one was pretty freaking good, ya think ?

 

[MongGrel]

The show was about the inner city and the cast was dominated by black actors. It never won a single fucking emmy and was shut down after only 5 seasons. Many that watched it loved it. Many did not care for it because they could see what the show was talking about when they walked outside or turned on their television. It was too real, too strong, and too in-your-face for most of America to give a damn about. So, yeah, it didn't last long because it wasn't an escape for many. But it was damn good.

To show you how realistic it was at the end of season 5 a black female character becomes mayor of Baltimore through bartering and her "waiting her turn". In the real Baltimore a couple of months after the show ended the black female mayor was indicted for corruption. Again, too real for most of America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Dixon_trial

Remind me not to move to Baltimore in the near future I guess

 

[M0RPH]

Tried to get into this show and couldn't. I watched 5 episodes and just had no desire to continue. None of the characters grabbed me. I'm a big Breaking Bad fan and some other BB fans recommended this, but it just didn't do anything for me.

 

[RossMAN]

Yeah but still, season one was pretty freaking good, ya think ?

Agreed but that's only 1 season and new main characters for seasons 2 and possibly more.

No more Woody & Matthew

 

[HendrixFan]

Those who can't get into The Wire for whatever reason, are doing yourselves a tremendous disservice by missing out on seasons 3 and 4.

I love BB quite a bit (though I still prefer Deadwood when it comes to writing and characters; what we had of it, anyway), but I don't think there has been a show that, overall, surpasses the content of seasons 3/4 of The Wire.

http://www.cracked.com/video_18485_the-only-8-types-tv-shows-that-get-made.html

 

[justoh]

Charlie Brooker explains why The Wire is the best TV show of the last 20 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ2iGYwdEi8

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

A question for Wire fans:

Does it have a sense of humor? As I recall the episodes I watched were very very dry in that respect, and that interfered with my enjoyment of it. If there are laughs in the show as it goes on, that will greatly enhance my willingness to spend a lot of time getting to know the show.

I always loved the Sopranos' sense of humor, and probably got more and bigger laughs out of Breaking Bad than nearly any sitcom that aired in its era (Veep being one notable exception). I really admired the way Vince Gilligan wisely crammed as much humor into that show as possible, which made its dramatic moments (of which there were obviously many) that much more stark and dramatic, and also made the show much more fun to watch. Obviously this is not a new concept - Shakespeare certainly understood it - but a lot of filmmakers and show runners are tone deaf in this respect.

 

[MongGrel]

Agreed but that's only 1 season and new main characters for seasons 2 and possibly more.

No more Woody & Matthew

The writers will be the same though, I think they did that to get people hooked a bit, of course. And loved the acting myself.

I have a suspicion they have a plan going there.

 

[Dari]

A question for Wire fans:

Does it have a sense of humor? As I recall the episodes I watched were very very dry in that respect, and that interfered with my enjoyment of it. If there are laughs in the show as it goes on, that will greatly enhance my willingness to spend a lot of time getting to know the show.

I always loved the Sopranos' sense of humor, and probably got more and bigger laughs out of Breaking Bad than nearly any sitcom that aired in its era (Veep being one notable exception). I really admired the way Vince Gilligan wisely crammed as much humor into that show as possible, which made its dramatic moments (of which there were obviously many) that much more stark and dramatic, and also made the show much more fun to watch. Obviously this is not a new concept - Shakespeare certainly understood it - but a lot of filmmakers and show runners are tone deaf in this respect.

There are definitely characters that have a sense of humor. It's not all serious business.

 

[QueBert]

A question for Wire fans:

Does it have a sense of humor? As I recall the episodes I watched were very very dry in that respect, and that interfered with my enjoyment of it. If there are laughs in the show as it goes on, that will greatly enhance my willingness to spend a lot of time getting to know the show.

I always loved the Sopranos' sense of humor, and probably got more and bigger laughs out of Breaking Bad than nearly any sitcom that aired in its era (Veep being one notable exception). I really admired the way Vince Gilligan wisely crammed as much humor into that show as possible, which made its dramatic moments (of which there were obviously many) that much more stark and dramatic, and also made the show much more fun to watch. Obviously this is not a new concept - Shakespeare certainly understood it - but a lot of filmmakers and show runners are tone deaf in this respect.

The show has some hilarious moments, when they partner Herc & Carver up there were some scenes that killed me. Clay Davis almost always cracked me up and there are a lot of funny ass moments between Jimmy & Bunk. The lighter funny moments don't seem forced or out of place, and they don't really break up the underlined seriousness of the show imho. I also got a laugh out of Cheese & a few other characters.

 

[alkemyst]

Is there something wrong with me?

yes. You are a total nutsack (being canadian predicates this) and a guy that thinks his basic Mustang is a Muscle Car.

lolololol.

Waiting for you to go ape shit crazy now.

 

[Thump553]

A question for Wire fans:

Does it have a sense of humor? As I recall the episodes I watched were very very dry in that respect, and that interfered with my enjoyment of it. If there are laughs in the show as it goes on, that will greatly enhance my willingness to spend a lot of time getting to know the show.

I always loved the Sopranos' sense of humor, and probably got more and bigger laughs out of Breaking Bad than nearly any sitcom that aired in its era (Veep being one notable exception). I really admired the way Vince Gilligan wisely crammed as much humor into that show as possible, which made its dramatic moments (of which there were obviously many) that much more stark and dramatic, and also made the show much more fun to watch. Obviously this is not a new concept - Shakespeare certainly understood it - but a lot of filmmakers and show runners are tone deaf in this respect.

Apparently you and I have similar tastes, for the sense of humor is the main reason I watched the Sopranos. And yes, The Wire has a great sense of humor. The very opening scene of The Wire is a prime example, as is the "we need affirmative action for white drug dealers" from Herc in Season Two.

I'm in the midst of watching The Wire for the second time now. It remains one of my favorite shows, but remember it is now more than a dozen years old.

One tip-the dialog tends to be very fast and many characters have heavy accents. Subtitles on will add to the enjoyment.

 

[squarecut1]

Yes when I watched the beginning of the first episode of the first season I had a hard time understanding the accent. Will need subtitles.

 

[justoh]

lol @ americans (i assume) needing subtitles to watch american television. Really upper class whites with no previous exposure to ghetto america?

 

[squarecut1]

I always loved the Sopranos' sense of humor, and probably got more and bigger laughs out of Breaking Bad than nearly any sitcom that aired in its era (Veep being one notable exception). I really admired the way Vince Gilligan wisely crammed as much humor into that show as possible, which made its dramatic moments (of which there were obviously many) that much more stark and dramatic, and also made the show much more fun to watch. Obviously this is not a new concept - Shakespeare certainly understood it - but a lot of filmmakers and show runners are tone deaf in this respect.

Yes another thing that made BB so good was the underlying humor, actually sort of inherent in the characters. Jesse for example. I always thought White was a tragi-comic anti hero. A lot of the serious scenes had that current of humor in them, sort of implicit. Not forced.

 

[DaTT]

yes. You are a total nutsack (being canadian predicates this) and a guy that thinks his basic Mustang is a Muscle Car.

lolololol.

Waiting for you to go ape shit crazy now.

Someone is upset that I brought up your mortgage issues. Get money. Lol.

 

[DaTT]

Had foot surgery on Friday so I will be diving into this while on disability.

 

[twinrider1]

Just finished S2. Good, but left unsatisfied at the end. Did like seeing some Homicide: Life On The Streets people on the show though.

 

[Dari]

Can anyone answer this for me? It's hit upon many times in season 1 and 5 but what exactly did Cedric Daniels do in the Eastern District that got him monitored by the FBI? Was all that speculative or did they have something concrete on him? Also, from his demeanor, was he guilty? I don't feel like watching 60 hours of television to find out.

 

[DaTT]

Can anyone answer this for me? It's hit upon many times in season 1 and 5 but what exactly did Cedric Daniels do in the Eastern District that got him monitored by the FBI? Was all that speculative or did they have something concrete on him? Also, from his demeanor, was he guilty? I don't feel like watching 60 hours of television to find out.

Due to the nature of this thread.......spoiler?

 

[silverpig]

A question for Wire fans:

Does it have a sense of humor? As I recall the episodes I watched were very very dry in that respect, and that interfered with my enjoyment of it. If there are laughs in the show as it goes on, that will greatly enhance my willingness to spend a lot of time getting to know the show.

I always loved the Sopranos' sense of humor, and probably got more and bigger laughs out of Breaking Bad than nearly any sitcom that aired in its era (Veep being one notable exception). I really admired the way Vince Gilligan wisely crammed as much humor into that show as possible, which made its dramatic moments (of which there were obviously many) that much more stark and dramatic, and also made the show much more fun to watch. Obviously this is not a new concept - Shakespeare certainly understood it - but a lot of filmmakers and show runners are tone deaf in this respect.

The Wire has the single funniest tv moment in history for me - the opening sequence from the first episode of season 5. I split my gut laughing at it every time, and show it to everyone that will let me.

 

[momeNt]

Regarding Dari's post.

Spoiler

Cedric apparently has a ton of money stashed away from corruption in his earlier days. I don't think they ever get specific about the specific type of corruption, other than it happened at the Eastern District.

 

[Dari]

Due to the nature of this thread.......spoiler?

It's been over 6 years since the show last aired. Besides, I don't think I'm giving too much away considering it wasn't a major aspect of the show.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Regarding Dari's post.

Spoiler

Cedric apparently has a ton of money stashed away from corruption in his earlier days. I don't think they ever get specific about the specific type of corruption, other than it happened at the Eastern District.

I don't think they ever revealed what he did specifically.

 

[MongGrel]

I never realized till looking around a bit The Wire guys were the same ones that made Generation Kill.

That is still one of my favorite things to re watch.

Wasn't trying to derail, but I do like their work.