The Wire

I've just finished watching all 3 seasons of The Wire. The first two I rented from Amazon, and the last one was a box set borrowed from a friend of my son's, so I was able to get through the series quickly. That's the one that's freshest in my mind, so I'll focus on series 3.
I suppose it's been compared to The Sopranos many times, and, offhand, I certainly can't think of any other TV series that compares in terms of character, dialogue and plot development. It's n ot like any other police series I've ever seen - it's not just cops v villains - there's the police administration, city politics, and the personal lives, beliefs and difficulties of the protagonists, all of which play important roles.
The Wire is set in west Baltimore, a crumbling, decaying ghetto in which drugs form the basis of the economy. The inhabitants attempt to lead lives that do not depend on drugs but it's a struggle. The police are hardworking, lazy, venal, selfless, committed, time-serving, idealist and cynical - just like the people they're policing. The drug runners are as riven with in-fighting and internecine warfare as the police; all these elements make for compelling drama, but the quality of the script lifts it way above the run of even the best of most TV drama. It was broadcast on HBO in America, always a pretty good pointer to quality, but it hasn't found a slot on British TV, except on the obscure digital channel FX, so, apart from illegal downloading, DVD is the only practical way to see to see it.
Apparently Season 4 is about to be released on DVD and Season 5 (the last) has just premiered on HBO in the States, so there's more to come. TV of this quality doesn't come along too often, and, I have to say virtually all the best drama is American. I don't know what the problem is over here but I rarely bother with most British drama these days.
I've seen it described as 'Balzacian' and certainly the richness and complexity of the narrative stands comparison with great 19th century novels. Six Feet Under and The Sopranos are in that league but The Wire is in a category of its own. The characters are richly-drawn and many-layered, and as someone on the IMDB commented, there are no minor characters - some just have more screen time than others, everyone plays a part. Special mention, though, must be made of Omar - a Shakespearean character if ever I saw one.

Looking forward to series 4 soon - March 10th on DVD.....