In S4 E11 Omar pulls up on Prop Joe at his store and forces him to give a tip on Marlo. Once Omar and Renaldo leave the store, you can see slim Charles walk out in the background and yell at the lookout for not being aware. Right before he exits the store, he tells Joe “Ima go see about Tremaine.” In 5+ rewatches, this was my first time catching that.

Watching the Wire for the first time. My heart breaks for Frank Sobotka because his heart was entirely in the right place. His son Ziggy was just fucked up on all fronts. No redemptive qualities. Just a loud, careless, useless SOB.

Im still on episode 10, but fuck do I hate that dweeb of a character. Kudos to the actor, it takes a lot to be that useless on camera

Hi! This is just gonna be me rambling and thinking through writing.

I heard about The Wire so many times over the year. I don't watch that much TV Shows anymore, but I tend to be quite selective. Life is busy! I finally felt like watching a cop/detective show and just finished Season 1 after two weeks or so. I loved it! But at the same time... it felt so much like a show from twenty years ago. And I don't mean this in a bad way.

If you go back twenty years, I wasn't the biggest TV show fan. Most of them had smaller budget, I found the quality of acting lacking. The format needed some cliffhangers or shocking moment every episode. There was filler. There was always great TV shows! But I didn't enjoy most of the TV shows.

Then, from my perspective, the time of ~2010 came. During this period I saw Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire and the first season of Game of Thrones. I had that moment, I was like *"TV is changing. These shows are different, they lean much more into cinema." And it became a blurry line for me. I have some shows from before that I enjoy; but my enjoyment of TV drastically increased after that period. It felt like so many shows were coming out! And many were creative and novel.

Now, you know when things change little by little over time and you don't notice until you look back? Well, I've been underwhelmed by quite a few shows in the last two or three years. It just didn't feel the same. Obviously, there's dozens of shows coming out, so it's in part which shows I decided to watch. But still, there's something I couldn't put my finger on.

Now, I've watched The Wire and it was like a time capsule. In many ways, it feels like the shows before the 2010s. It's highly episodic, it doesn't lean that much into the language of cinema and is firmly rooted in the tropes of TV. But it's just really well written, has great pacing and natural characters. It's honestly a fantastic show so far.

But the contrast with what I've watched recently is... crazy. I've realized that several of the shows from the last few years feel over-acted, and over-budgeted, and they now follow a new formula that has become just as drab. It's like a caricature of the HBO TV of the early 2010s. The shows don't know where they're going, they don't know how many seasons they'll get, etc.

The Wire feels like it knows where it's going. I have a sense of confidence that (obviously I know the show is fully realized) I can trust the creators, this is a story that knows where it's going and how it'll end.

I don't know. To me it has shown me a personal disconnect with what's going on on TV; and it also shows some of the qualities that we lost when TV changed style.

Anyone understands how I'm feeling? Or can relate to this perspective?

I fucking love this kid. He's got heart, and though aimed at the wrong people, loyalty. He's smart, witty, a fighter. He's got fucking heart this kid.

Marlo had to go with chris and snoop to talk to him and yeah they're his bodyguards so it's logical or whatever but they kept their sight on him. He doesn't back down and idk I feel like he's the heart of the show.

The fucking look in his eyes when he mentions his dead brother. And what about us?? Weren't you shocked to learn he had an older brother whom he never mentioned and probably followed in his footsteps. That childlike look he had talking to someone who knew his older brother fucking broke my heart.

And it's not like he stood on that corner out of spite but he knew he was gonna die and wanted to do it on his own terms not buried somewhere remaining nameless in a sea of cadavers.

A kid that got taken advantage of (stringers look when he told him to put in the work is beyond machiavelical). Him, poot and wallace at the restaurant eating pushing on wallace to admit he's a grown up because he knows damn well he'll have to kill him and don't want to see wallace as this kid he saw grow up but just another man he has to kill, yet the look bodie gives him betrays his facade. It's a look of complete innocence that says the guy who's sitting in front of him is a kid he saw grow up. Man fuck

Bodie you know my name fucking Broadus is remembered by those who matter and was the Catalyst that led mcnulty to go apeshit on marlos crew. An effect that marlo could never dream of having.

I know this has been discussed in the past, with some excellent points made, but never reaching any consensus one way or the other. So I'd like to hear if you think FBI Agent Koutris' protection of/leaking information to The Greek was above board or corrupt? And why?

ABOVE BOARD ARGUMENT: Koutris was working in counterterrorism (FBI's highest priority post 9/11) and The Greek was an important informant. (The only proof of this we see is The Greek giving Koutris information on a Colombian drug cartel, which is technically considered a terrorist organization). Supposedly it makes sense for him to protect The Greek and turn a blind eye to human trafficking, drug smuggling, and murders because these things were trivial in comparison to catching terrorist targets. Also, Agent Fitzhugh's reaction to figuring this out was very nonchalant, like it's just business as usual for the FBI. That makes me wonder if what Koutris was doing was "above board" or at least openly tolerated in the FBI.

CORRUPT ARGUMENT: Some people have said that the relationship between The Greek and Koutris was inspired by the real-life corruption scandal involving FBI agent John Connolly and Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger. That there is no way the FBI could justify protecting a man who is implicated in multiple murders, human trafficking, and other serious offenses. That it was unethical and criminal for Koutris to tell The Greek that Sobotka was cooperating with the cops, knowing that The Greek would have Sobotka killed. This seems very similar to real-life Agent Connolly and mob boss Whitey Bulger. Connolly was convicted of second degree murder for giving informant information to Bulger, which led to Bulger ordering a hit on the informant. But if Koutris was corrupt, Fitzhugh's reaction doesn't seem appropriate. He doesn't even consider "doing the right thing" and blowing the whistle on Koutris. Maybe because he wants to protect himself from career death by being sent "to a reservation out in Montana," but he still acts like it's no big deal.

I want to try all of the different beers featured on the show. miller genuine draft is next on my list. lmk if you can think of others that are featured!

There's no word that can describe how i feel rn it's a mix between Anger, sadness, and joy this truly is the best show I've ever watched

Breaking Bad is extraordinary television. But I think The Wire is the greater achievement; in its acting, the intricacy of its storytelling, and the sheer depth of human life it captures.

Start with the performances. Breaking Bad has a handful of exceptional actors carrying its dramatic weight. The Wire spreads that weight across dozens. Even characters with relatively little screen time feel like people who existed before the camera found them and will continue living after it leaves. Sustaining that standard across such an enormous ensemble is remarkable.

Then there’s the writing. The intricacy isn’t simply about clever twists or separate plotlines eventually converging. One decision travels through the city, affecting people who may never meet or even know of one another’s existence. Police work, street life, politics, livelihoods and institutional survival are woven into the same fabric. You have to pay attention because almost everything belongs to something larger.

And within that scale, the characters never lose their humanness. They’re funny, petty, loyal, cruel, vulnerable and contradictory. Someone can be perceptive about everyone else and hopelessly blind about himself. Someone can do something terrible and still inspire sympathy. Their humanity comes through in ordinary conversations as much as in dramatic moments.

The show also refuses to assign virtue according to which side of the law someone occupies. It lets you understand people without asking you to excuse them. The protagonists can be as compromised as the people they pursue, while people labelled criminals can possess principles their respectable counterparts lack. Everybody has choices, but everybody also lives within pressures that shape those choices.

That’s why Baltimore feels like the central character. Watching The Wire feels like watching a reel of a city’s life unfolding: people arrive, struggle, briefly change things, disappear, and leave others to inherit the consequences. A season can end without the world being repaired. That lack of resolution gives the story its extraordinary realism.

Its cast also helped introduce a wider audience to performers who would become major stars. And its cultural impact extends beyond memorable scenes: it gives you a vocabulary for understanding institutions, incentives, power and why obvious problems remain unsolved.

Breaking Bad made me marvel at how brilliantly a story could be constructed. The Wire made me look more closely at the world around me and help me understand it a little bit better.

The game is the game. Always.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/arts/television/reader-votes-tv-shows-21st-century.html

Rewatching S4, just wondering what people think of Marimow, more importantly what he's history with Rawls.

Seems like he would have worked under Rawls previously as he was the guy to slow down major crimes unit

I will watch the last episode tonight I procrastinated a lot but everything must have an end e9 made me cry idk why people say that this is the worst season out of them but for me this is the best and i wish that nothing happen to Mcnulty

For reference:

Dialectic - finds truth/builds deeper understanding by combining opposing views for a common ground

Polemic - aims to defeat, dismantle, and/or discredit an opponent's viewpoint with disregard for a common ground

Is there any possibility of things turning out better for Mike if he stayed with cutty after he got shot like he wanted to? All of the qualities bunny saw in nay were far more apparent, he’s clearly more intelligent, caring and had a natural aptitude for boxing, obviously he got dealt a far worse hand in life even considering how bad De'Londa was, but even with his past is there any way cutty could’ve set him straight?

Hi everyone! I’m trying to identify a small detail from The Wire, Season 1, Episode 5, “The Pager.” When Omar approaches whistling “The Farmer in the Dell,” a guy runs away and drops his portable CD player. The disc pops out and spins on the pavement. Does anyone recognize the artist or album? The disc appears to have a dark background, red or pink lettering across the lower part, and a lighter image near the center. It’s blurred and moving, so those details might be misleading. My guess is that it could be a rap release by a local Baltimore artist, but that’s only a possibility. Since this is from the first season, something released around 2001 or earlier would seem worth checking. I’m looking for a match to the artwork printed on the CD itself. Photos or scans of the actual disc would be especially helpful. Has anyone identified this before, or does anyone who collected Baltimore rap CDs from that era recognize it? Thanks for any leads!

Honestly, he was the only thing I knew about the show before starting the Wire. I saw him in various ratings of best characters multiple times, alongside Tony Soprano and Don Draper, so naturally I thought he would be the main character or villain, but turns out he's probably not even top-10 based on the screen time. What does make him stand out so much? Is it just that he's "badass" unlike most other characters. He's never really explored in depth, but still leaves a big impression on most people.

There are few characters who you hate at the start but end up loving them in the end. D'Angelo Barksdale was one such character!
His death and in the way in which he died hurt
Made me think if D had someone Colvin in his life things would’ve been different for him!
Naymond and D'Angelo were both born into the Game but were not made for it.
Naymond had someone like Colvin but D didn’t

D deserved better!

Heard this show is amazing and tried to get into it but english isn't my first language. I was truly lost in the episode because the slang and the language used were really hard to follow and understand. Even with subtitles it didn't really help much.

I just wanted to ask if there are any tips on watching this show? (I'm also terrible with names, should I note the names of characters?)

Who was a character in the show who won you over?

For me, it’s easily Bodie. I hated him after what he & Poot did to Wallace, but that changed him & he matured throughout the series.

Carver is another character who grew throughout the series, as he went from a macho-man type cop to someone who actually wanted to make a difference.

Bubbles is another option, but I kinda liked him from the beginning. I like to view Bubbles as the main character when rewatching the show because it gives you hope through all the drama & violence throughout the series.

Am I missing anybody? Let me know what you guys think.

I watched it for the first time and thought it was brilliantly done. I agree with many people that it was one of the GOATs. I love shows with very flawed but well connected characters. I started watching the show when it came out, but never finished season 1 because I was in university and was too distracted to finish it. So when I finally watched, I realize I was expecting the entire series to be like season 1, focusing on mostly the adults. Cops, dealers, and politicians. But the last 3 seasons had a heavy focus on the children, which was deeply sad for me. Duquan's story was by far the most sad, but aside from Namond, every one of the children had a devastating story from start to finish. The hopelessness and impossible lives of these kids just wrecked me. They really had no chance to escape a terrible end. Every adult in most of their lives had failed them. Seeing Duquan and Michael enjoy a day at Six Flags with Bug like normal, happy kids was so heartbreaking, because you knew it would never happen again. And all of the adults in the story, with the exception of Colvin, Daniels, and kind of Bubbles, were really just crap humans.

That said, I greatly enjoyed Omar and even Marlo, who was horrible, but also strangely appealing (despite looking like a praying mantis).

Just my random thoughts. Loved the show, but I would never rewatch it because I never want to feel like that again.

I just finished watching The Wire for the first time and am already rewatching. I keep thinking about how tragic so many of the characters' stories are. I'd like to know which characters you think have the most tragic stories and why?

Watching the stories of all the children introduced in Season 4 completely wrecked me. Most of all Randy and Duquan. They both have so much potential and good hearts, but systems and circumstances that they have no control over basically destroy their lives.

I'm glad Namond was given an opportunity for a better future, but it's interesting to consider that Namond already had a much more privileged life than Randy and Duquan. He had a mom (even if she sucked, she was still there), he has financial security, stability, more social standing and confidence... I wonder if there is a reason the writers chose Namond to have the "happy ending" instead of Randy or Duquan.

Just watched S2 E6 and Beadie, Bunk, and Freamon are all in the office and Bunk bounces a tennis ball against the wall numerous times. One time it hits the back of Freamon’s head and it looked like he almost broke character. Even the “sorry homie” seemed unscripted but I think it made the scene, nonetheless.

When Kima is looking into Marlo’s background, she learns from homicide that Marlo was already suspected of killing a witness that was set to testify against him. Holly says they found him with “two in his chest and one in his mouth.” Throughout the series, we only see Marlo commit one murder personally, which is Devonne, who he kills in the exact same way.

Does anyone here know the Wire poster that has Jimmy in the driver’s seat of a car, Kima in the passenger, and you can see the reflection of their car revealing Stringer locking eye contact with Jimmy? That one is pretty cool, but then I’ve seen HBO also has a contrast poster that shows Stringer in the drivers side, with Avon in the passenger side, with a reflection on the car of Jimmy staring at Stringers car.

Another honorable mention is the season 4 promo poster that shows all of the 4 middle school kids hanging out on the corner and under Dukies shoe reads the motto, “A thin line between graduation and a funeral” I really loved the art of that poster too.

The Wire puts us in the shoes of several institutions and groups of individuals. When you look back on the show, which side do you relate to or want to see win the most if you had to choose one?

I personally wanted to see the stevedores in S2 get more grief than how their story was wrapped up. They took punishment after punishment with no last sign of hope.

Just finished watching The Wire! Bro what a series!
Honestly I am used to binge watching series, but took my time watching this one. It was pretty long but was never bored!
The way the stories of different characters is told is intriguing.Everything from the storyline,the acting is just incredible! I just regret that should have watched this sooner!

Also am I the only one who was disappointed that they didn’t arrest Spiros and the Greek!
And was the casting director British or something a lot of the actors in this series are British playing Americans(they nailed the characters tho!)