The Wire

[wadesworld]

Had always heard good things about the show but never watched it.  Zach Lowe did a Podcast with Jonathan Abrams on Abrams's book about The Wire.  I never realized how culturally relevant/important the show was.  If you simply Google "The Wire" you'll get a number of articles claiming it is the greatest show/drama ever.

I decided to start watching the show after I heard Lowe's podcast on it.  Interesting storyline.  Very, very good acting.

I assume many Scoopers have seen it.  Thoughts on the show?

[MU82]

Certainly one of my top TV dramas ever, right up there with Breaking Bad, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Sopranos, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, The Americans, Transparent, Homeland and maybe a couple others.

The first season is quite complicated, with a lot of characters being introduced and a storyline that bobs and weaves. I actually think the series gets better with age. I preferred Season 2 to 1; Season 3 to 2; and I think Season 4 might be the best season of any television show in history. Unfortunately, IMHO, Season 5 isn't as sensational, but it had a very difficult act to follow and still was decent TV.

Otherwise, I won't give you any spoilers. Enjoy!

And while we're talking about catching up on HBO shows, if you haven't watched Veep from the beginning, do it. TV's best comedy since Seinfeld. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is brilliant (there's a reason she keeps winning the Emmy), the supporting cast is hilarious and the writing is exemplary.

[Bo Ryan's Massage Therapist]

The Wire is my favorite show of all time.  Omar is IMO the greatest villain ever created... a gay black man who carries a sawed off shotgun and steals from the toughest drug dealers and even whistles the farmer in the dell to let them know he is coming.  He is the ultimate bad ass.  So many fantastic characters and storylines.   hard to believe it was based on real events, stories in Baltimore from the writer's time as a journalist for the Baltimore Sun.  You will love it!

[Hards Alumni]

Had always heard good things about the show but never watched it.  Zach Lowe did a Podcast with Jonathan Abrams on Abrams's book about The Wire.  I never realized how culturally relevant/important the show was.  If you simply Google "The Wire" you'll get a number of articles claiming it is the greatest show/drama ever.

I decided to start watching the show after I heard Lowe's podcast on it.  Interesting storyline.  Very, very good acting.

I assume many Scoopers have seen it.  Thoughts on the show?

Its amazing, just go watch it.

[LloydsLegs]

The Wire is amazing.  The "F*ck only" dialogue scene between Jimmy McNulty and Bunk is one of my all-time favorites.  So many great characters.

Agree with MU82, though I have not (yet) watched 6 Feet Under or Homeland, and I am 3 episodes into season 2 of Deadwood.

Cannot wait for the finale of The Americans.  Lots to resolve...so little time.   

I think one of the reasons I enjoy The Americans so much is "nostalgia" for the era.  I took Professor Farmer for Soviet politics and imagine him to have been an agent for one or both sides and spent the Spring of '84 semester at American U studying international relations, which mostly meant the cold war.

[Jockey]

The Wire is amazing.  The "F*ck only" dialogue scene between Jimmy McNulty and Bunk is one of my all-time favorites.  So many great characters.

Agree with MU82, though I have not (yet) watched 6 Feet Under or Homeland, and I am 3 episodes into season 2 of Deadwood.

Cannot wait for the finale of The Americans.  Lots to resolve...so little time.   

I think one of the reasons I enjoy The Americans so much is "nostalgia" for the era.  I took Professor Farmer for Soviet politics and imagine him to have been an agent for one or both sides and spent the Spring of '84 semester at American U studying international relations, which mostly meant the cold war.

The Wire ranks right up there with Breaking Bad. MU82 was spot on with his analysis.

Six Feet Under was a solid, entertaining show - not even close to The Wire, though.

Absolutely watch Deadwood as it is a great show - maybe not Top 5, but pretty close to the top.

[PVMagic]

Funny timing.  I've watched it through at least twice, and over the last couple of weeks have been rewatching it with my girlfriend who is watching it for the first time. We are approaching the end of season 1.  I've always thought it was great but I forgot how truly good it is.  IMO >Homeland, Breaking Bad (and I love/d both).  Season 1 alone the characters are just incredible and I struggle to find a weak performance. They way they evolve (or really, are revealed) as it progresses is what puts it over the top in my book.

[MU82]

The Wire ranks right up there with Breaking Bad. MU82 was spot on with his analysis.

Six Feet Under was a solid, entertaining show - not even close to The Wire, though.

Absolutely watch Deadwood as it is a great show - maybe not Top 5, but pretty close to the top.

I think Six Feet Under is underrated, but I'm probably influenced by the fact that it was the first HBO series I watched from start to finish - even before Sopranos. I loved the macabre humor, and the acting. My favorite in a talented cast was Lauren Ambrose, who was absolutely perfect as the ever-put-upon teenage daughter Claire. Without giving away too much, the series finale was as good as any since Mary Tyler Moore! But sure, as a pretty picky consumer of great TV, I can easily admit that Six Feet Under is no Wire or Breaking Bad.

Loved the first 4 seasons of Dexter, too. Got dopier and dopier the next three years, though, unfortunately dropping it from the ranks of truly great dramas.

Always a soft spot for NYPD Blue, too. They had a couple of bad seasons, but Dennis Franz was amazing as Andy Sipowicz, one of the all-time great TV characters. That and Friday Night Lights were probably the last network dramas I truly liked. Thank goodness for HBO, Showtime, FX, AMC and Netflix.

[MU82]

Funny timing.  I've watched it through at least twice, and over the last couple of weeks have been rewatching it with my girlfriend who is watching it for the first time. We are approaching the end of season 1.  I've always thought it was great but I forgot how truly good it is.  IMO >Homeland, Breaking Bad (and I love/d both).  Season 1 alone the characters are just incredible and I struggle to find a weak performance. They way they evolve (or really, are revealed) as it progresses is what puts it over the top in my book.

The guy who plays Jimmy on The Wire is awesome in The Affair on Showtime. Not nearly as good a show; more "guilty pleasure" fare. I've had a few shows like that. Sons of Anarchy ... for whatever reason I really liked it even though the acting was mediocre and the violence was off the charts. The Shield ... that certainly was better than Sons of Anarchy, but it wasn't "great." A few like that. They can't all be The Wire and Breaking Bad!

[Jockey]

Loved the first 4 seasons of Dexter, too. Got dopier and dopier the next three years, though, unfortunately dropping it from the ranks of truly great dramas.

Always a soft spot for NYPD Blue, too. They had a couple of bad seasons, but Dennis Franz was amazing as Andy Sipowicz, one of the all-time great TV characters. That and Friday Night Lights were probably the last network dramas I truly liked. Thank goodness for HBO, Showtime, FX, AMC and Netflix.

Agree on Dexter. The last couple years were hard to sit through after years of quality shows.

As for NYPD Blue, that is probably the only network TV show that we made sure we were available for every week. Not only was Sipowicz a truly great character, but it was Jimmy Smits' best work. David Caruso was great in his only season and the female characters were outstanding.

If you haven't watched it yet, Animal Kingdom is on Amazon Prime. Sort of a mix between the 1st few years of SOA and The Sopranos. Ellen Barkin outdoes Katy Sagal as the matriarch of the show.

Bosch (on Prime as well) is the best cop show I have seen in years although I really, really liked the Shield. Justified is my guilty pleasure.

[brewnewsman]

The Wire is a must watch. The first few episodes can be tough to figure out who everyone one is but stay with it. Amazing.

I need a show to binge. Thinking Deadwood or Westworld. Anyone have a preference?

[Jockey]

The Wire is a must watch. The first few episodes can be tough to figure out who everyone one is but stay with it. Amazing.

I need a show to binge. Thinking Deadwood or Westworld. Anyone have a preference?

I was disappointed after the first few episodes of Westworld. Be interesting to see if others liked it more than I did.

[MU82]

Agree on Dexter. The last couple years were hard to sit through after years of quality shows.

As for NYPD Blue, that is probably the only network TV show that we made sure we were available for every week. Not only was Sipowicz a truly great character, but it was Jimmy Smits' best work. David Caruso was great in his only season and the female characters were outstanding.

If you haven't watched it yet, Animal Kingdom is on Amazon Prime. Sort of a mix between the 1st few years of SOA and The Sopranos. Ellen Barkin outdoes Katy Sagal as the matriarch of the show.

Bosch (on Prime as well) is the best cop show I have seen in years although I really, really liked the Shield. Justified is my guilty pleasure.

Justified was a fun show to watch. Certainly not "great," but lots of enjoyable moments. Often seemed more comedy than drama. Loved Walton Goggins (Boyd Crowder); he also was excellent in The Shield.

I've seen the ads for Animal Kingdom. Maybe I'll check it out. Denis Leary was always funny in Rescue Me - another "guilty pleasure" FX show.

[Jockey]

Justified was a fun show to watch. Certainly not "great," but lots of enjoyable moments. Often seemed more comedy than drama. Loved Walton Goggins (Boyd Crowder); he also was excellent in The Shield.

I've seen the ads for Animal Kingdom. Maybe I'll check it out. Denis Leary was always funny in Rescue Me - another "guilty pleasure" FX show.

First 2 seasons are on Prime - Leary is just joining the show for the 3rd season. Never a fan of his, but loved him in Rescue Me

[MU82]

The Wire is a must watch. The first few episodes can be tough to figure out who everyone one is but stay with it. Amazing.

I need a show to binge. Thinking Deadwood or Westworld. Anyone have a preference?

I was disappointed after the first few episodes of Westworld. Be interesting to see if others liked it more than I did.

For all I heard about Westworld, I eagerly decided to catch up on Season 1 before Season 2 began. My wife hated it immediately and wouldn't watch a second episode. I stuck with it for 3 or 4 episodes. I just couldn't get into it. That happens sometimes, even with good shows though.

brewnews, not knowing what kind of stuff you like to watch, I'll throw out a few in different genres that I've recently enjoyed.

Transparent, if you get Amazon Prime, saw incredible work by Jeffrey Tambor; it's hard to imagine the show without him (he was forced out, and seemingly deservedly so, in the MeToo movement).

Bloodline, on Netflix, was some tense stuff. Sometimes difficult to watch, but usually good TV. The first two seasons, especially, an incredible performance by the actor who played troubled Danny.

Wild Wild Country, also on Netflix, pretty effen amazing documentary about an Indian guru's cult taking over a chunk of Oregon.

If you haven't done the Stranger Things binge yet ... I guarantee it will be difficult to stop. Addictive and satisfying. It does help if you like Sci Fi, but my wife doesn't really and she still loved the two seasons.

Again, not knowing what you like or have already seen ... Homeland is most definitely binge-worthy. I actually thought the season before this one was only OK but I thought it had an excellent "comeback" this year. Claire Danes was sensational.

Jeesh ... I watch too much TV!

[MU82]

First 2 seasons are on Prime - Leary is just joining the show for the 3rd season. Never a fan of his, but loved him in Rescue Me

Oh, thanks brand. See ... I didn't even know this was the third season.

[PVMagic]

Loved Justified as well (though I am finishing up 4 years in Lexington, so a little biased). I thought the side characters they would bring in for individual episodes were excellent, and Boyd Crowder was just a fantastic character.

Loved season 1 of Westworld; while I did enjoy the first few probably more than a few on here, it really took off the second half of the season.  I'm considering a rewatch of season 1 prior to watching season 2; will leave it at that to avoid spoilers.

[MU82]

Loved Justified as well (though I am finishing up 4 years in Lexington, so a little biased). I thought the side characters they would bring in for individual episodes were excellent, and Boyd Crowder was just a fantastic character.

Loved season 1 of Westworld; while I did enjoy the first few probably more than a few on here, it really took off the second half of the season.  I'm considering a rewatch of season 1 prior to watching season 2; will leave it at that to avoid spoilers.

Well then, maybe I'll give Westworld Season 1 another shot, because it sounds like I stopped watching right before it "really took off." A lot of people like it, so I maybe shouldn't give up on it.

But I'm a guy who was burned by "John From Cincinnati" way back when. I might be the only HBO viewer who watched the entire season in real time, waiting for something to happen. It's kind of my personal "Ishtar." Back then, HBO was the king of TV content and it seemed everything they did was a winner. Wrong! Effen John From Cincinnati!

[Archies Bat]

I think one of the reasons I enjoy The Americans so much is "nostalgia" for the era.  I took Professor Farmer for Soviet politics and imagine him to have been an agent for one or both sides and spent the Spring of '84 semester at American U studying international relations, which mostly meant the cold war.

Farmer was my favorite Prof at MU.  TBH, he did not have much competition, because most of my Professors were engineers.

[Hards Alumni]

The Wire is a must watch. The first few episodes can be tough to figure out who everyone one is but stay with it. Amazing.

I need a show to binge. Thinking Deadwood or Westworld. Anyone have a preference?

Westworld is great, but there is only a season and a half released.

[Hards Alumni]

I was disappointed after the first few episodes of Westworld. Be interesting to see if others liked it more than I did.

If you quit after the first few episodes, you should finish season 1 out before truly judging.

[Jockey]

If you quit after the first few episodes, you should finish season 1 out before truly judging.

I did, Hards. I just got less interested as the season went on. I watched the 1st episode of season 2 a few weeks ago and then gave up.

To each his own, I guess.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I was disappointed after the first few episodes of Westworld. Be interesting to see if others liked it more than I did.

Westworld did start off slowly and I wondered what all the fuss was about.  I stuck with it and the 2nd half of the first season got better.

The second season has been outstanding thus far.  I'd highly recommend you revisit it.

I don't want to compare it to Breaking Bad, which is my favorite drama of all time, but I know a lot of people initially gave up on that show during season 1 and later regretted it. 

[Skitch]

Agree on Dexter. The last couple years were hard to sit through after years of quality shows.

As for NYPD Blue, that is probably the only network TV show that we made sure we were available for every week. Not only was Sipowicz a truly great character, but it was Jimmy Smits' best work. David Caruso was great in his only season and the female characters were outstanding.

If you haven't watched it yet, Animal Kingdom is on Amazon Prime. Sort of a mix between the 1st few years of SOA and The Sopranos. Ellen Barkin outdoes Katy Sagal as the matriarch of the show.

Bosch (on Prime as well) is the best cop show I have seen in years although I really, really liked the Shield. Justified is my guilty pleasure.

I loved SOA but admit it was over the top and ultra violent. I recently watched The Shield and thought it was amazing.

You mention Jimmy Smits. He is like a great relief pitcher. He comes in during the middle of a great shows run and makes it better. He was great on NYPD Blue and I loved him as Matt Santos on The West Wing. I think his best work was as Nero Padilla on SOA, though.

[MU82]

I loved SOA but admit it was over the top and ultra violent. I recently watched The Shield and thought it was amazing.

You mention Jimmy Smits. He is like a great relief pitcher. He comes in during the middle of a great shows run and makes it better. He was great on NYPD Blue and I loved him as Matt Santos on The West Wing. I think his best work was as Nero Padilla on SOA, though.

Smits was great as Nero, that's for sure.