Best of the Small Screen, Drama No. 1


Over the past 25 weeks I've been taking a look at some of my favorite TV series, broken down into three groups (Limited Run Series, Comedies, and Dramas). In my post on March 1 I laid out the ground rules for these categories and this exploration, the biggest of which is no series that are currently airing. To read the whole thing, check out the post "Best of the Small Screen" from March 1.

Today, it all ends with my No. 1 drama (at least until "Game of Thrones" ends its run).

The Wire (2002-2008)
Number of Seasons/Episodes: 5/60
Network: HBO
Starring: Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, Lance Reddick, Michael Kenneth Williams, John Doman, Clarke Peters, Sonja Sohn, Jim True-Frost, and Andre Royo
Creator(s): David Simon
Favorite Episodes/Season: Season 4; 3.11 "Middle Ground," 3.12 "Mission Accomplished," 4.13 "Final Grades"
About: Simon is a great writer who has a knack for capturing important stories in life. He created "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Treme," among other shows. He worked as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and it was his observations on life and critical issues that helped drive his work. "The Wire" is undoubtedly his master work, and the greatest show I've ever seen. The show works on a lot of levels, and that's what speaks to me. It has a straight-forward narrative, and that part is great and moving. But the entire series is a metaphor for the decay of urban America, using Baltimore as an example. Each season looks at a different aspect of this systemic problem. Season one introduces the drug trade, season two looks at the role of the ports, season three examines the role of politics, season four tackles the failure of the public education system and season five tackles the role of the media. Each taken on their own is powerful, but taken as a whole, this is a lot to think about. And, in fact, it kept me up for a long time the first time I powered through the series. This is a great binge watch, too, at just 60 episodes over five seasons. Due to the fact that this really is one long story (or rather five long stories strung together as a whole), individual episodes don't, perhaps, have the same power as in other series. Still, I highlighted a few that really resonate. The final two of season three are powerful, and that's arguably the second best season of the show for me, while I was most moved and devastated by season four, and its final episode is a great one. But there isn't a bad episode of "The Wire," which is why it has long sat atop my TV rankings and continues to do so. If you haven't seen it, you must check it out.

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