Wired for The Wire

I have been plowing through HBO's The Wire and I can't get enough.

I am through four seasons of the five produced and I'm ready to call the fight off: The previous champ is down and The Wire stands as my all-time favorite show. The only way this can change now would be for the fifth season choke in epic fashion.

In general, I am very happy with the new trends in television shows. The cable channels have introduced shorter seasons with higher quality. A 13-episode season packs every episode with quality substance. I also like that more shows now script an ending rather than simply wait for cancellation.

I have a wide-ranging list of shows in my list of favorites: Family Guy, Lost, Mad Men, Battlestar Gallactica, Arrested Development and such. In recent years, I have been exposed to more quality shows than at any other era. There are more shows I want to see like Dexter, Breaking Bad and others. So, what makes The Wire different?

It's real. It's dark. It's balanced. It's appropriately uncomfortable. It's powerful. It's a view under the hood of our society, and the engine's chrome has lost much of its shine.

The Wire speaks to me more than it may to many of my friends or family, which is why I do not expect many people I know to feel the same way about it. But it's gold to me.

I see the grease of society and its inner workings on a fairly regular basis. It's just part of the job. The Wire deals with realities of the legal system, class structure, economic realities and brutal politics beautifully. All the while, it manages to humanize all sides.

I am fascinated by paradigms and by the amazing number of perspectives one event can inspire. The Wire will challenge the viewer to consider those perspectives. Have you ever been made to feel for and root for a drug slinger? You will. Have you ever rooted against the good guy? You will. You will also root for some good guys and against many bad ones. But, the lines are all appropriately gray.

So long as you have a high tolerance for violence, strong language and some disturbing concepts, you will love the show. It rewards you for your tolerance by making you think.

After watching the season finale to season 3, I got so deep in thought I could not sleep until almost 2 am. I ended up ordering the book Homicide: A year on the Killing Streets by David Simon (the creator of The Wire). I am now plowing through that book, a nonfiction account of Simons' year with the Baltimore Homicide Division. The Wire is a fictionalization of much of his experience as a reporter in Baltimore.

If you look for a mental challenge, an honest look at the underbelly of society and a compelling and thrilling ride, I recommend you watch The Wire.