The best thing to ever appear on American television was "The Wire." Period. There are other great shows, there are other good shows, but the best program to ever emerge on The Electronic Hearth in this country was "The Wire."
Most people have never seen the show, which is downright tragic. If you haven't, I emphatically urge you to treat yourself to the most amazing program ever. I suspect that for a lot of people renting "The Wire" feels like a homework assignment, like reading War and Peace. If you give it a chance, watching the first couple of episodes, you will become hopelessly engrossed. There is no other movie or television show that has ever captured so much, so accurately, with such artistic skill.
If you watch "The Wire" you'll find that much of the rest of television falls woefully short, even the good shows. I loved "The Shield," until I saw "The Wire." Now I see that "The Shield," at its best, was a really good show, but not on par with "The Wire." I still love "Mad Men" and "Friday Night Lights," but as GREAT as they are, they have not consistently displayed the excellence and authenticity of "The Wire."
If I had to describe the greatness of "The Wire," in a sentence, I would express it this way...There has never been any dramatic series on television that has been so deeply, overwhelmingly real and true as "The Wire."
If you have kids, put them to bed early, and watch this show...sooner rather than later...
Anonymous on December 30, 2008 at 10:22 PM
I appreciate you writing this.....I could not agree more....After watching this show, food doesn't taste as good, colors aren't so brilliant, and other TV shows cannot hold my attention. "The Wire" made "The Sopranos" look like Lawrence Welk reruns.....Truly the best acting and writing to ever grace the small or large screen....