Quote: catskillz @ July 28 2009, 11:25 AM BSTI must admit, I think people on here, and Charlie Brooker, are overrating the show. It's good, yes, but it's by no means the best TV Drama I've seen - the winner of that title would have to go to Oz. Oh, and I'd have to put The Sopranos above it as well.
Thankfully we live in a world where you're free to think all the wrong things you like.
By the way, what was with the sudden switch, from the black drug-dealers, to the white dock-workers, in Season 2? They went back to the drug-dealers in Season 3, and I'm guessing they stick with them in Seasons 4 and 5.
Quote: catskillz @ July 28 2009, 12:08 PM BSTBy the way, what was with the sudden switch, from the black drug-dealers, to the white dock-workers, in Season 2? They went back to the drug-dealers in Season 3, and I'm guessing they stick with them in Seasons 4 and 5.
The Wire's central character is Baltimore. For season 2 the focus moves away from the corners to the docks. Season 3 concentrates more on city hall. Season 4 deals with the school system and Season 5 the press.
Quote: David Bussell @ July 28 2009, 12:11 PM BSTThe Wire's central character is Baltimore. For season 2 the focus moves away from the corners to the docks. Season 3 concentrates more on city hall. Season 4 deals with the school system and Season 5 the press.
And black drug dealers pop up in all seasons.
The radio version is quite good too. The wireless.
I have just finished the first season on DVD and it was very good, not sure on it being the best programme ever made but enjoyable.
Will I watch series 2 ..........Mos def
Is it undeniably well written??? or edited??? or cut???...
I don't really think there is too much further to go down this road. A brilliant writing team, fantastically edited, cut to the almost indecipherable bone!
Ugly,brutal,raw.
Gripping entertainment perhaps, but not really as good as it gets.
Really good writing and TV can easily produce stuff like the sopranos or the wire.
I think we can do so much better, The wire is a good example of....
But, it ain't great.
It's just addictive TV, an as of yet, unidentified formulae that will get done to death.
But it ain't great, 'great' is still out there kids.
Keep the search going.
Quote: DaButt @ April 20 2008, 5:23 AM BSTI felt like a member of the family had died when the final episode aired
I can't put it any better.
Count me as one of those annoying The Wire fanboys. For me, the show's biggest flaw was that it ended too soon. Everything about the show was unbelievably great - the writing, the acting, the direction, the production - everything.
Three things struck me when watching the final series -
1. The Wire reminded me a bit of Lost in that you were made to work for your viewing pleasure, it wasn't all laid out with an idiots guide to plot points. As a viewer, you ended up rewarding yourself whenever you figured something out or spotted a particular nuance and then gave yourself a metaphorical pat on the back.
2. The cyclical nature of the characters and the blurring between good and evil and how the streets / institutions crush the human spirit. Carcetti becoming Royce, Michael becoming Marlow, Duquan becoming Bubbles, etc.
3. The general unease / excitement created by the doctrine of killing characters off. Just when you got safe and settled and thought, 'ah, he's going to do that', someone in a hooded top would walk up and shoot them in the head. This constant background tension added greatly to the drama.
Oh yeah, and loads of N-words were getting capped in their asses for dissing and shit.
I think it was the complete absence of compromise that took you by the balls. Burns and Simon had a story to tell and they were going to tell it the way they saw it. Christ, can you imagine anything half as real making it through the commissioning process in this country?
Quote: Timbo @ September 13 2009, 12:36 PM BSTI think it was the complete absence of compromise that took you by the balls. Burns and Simon had a story to tell and they were going to tell it the way they saw it. Christ, can you imagine anything half as real making it through the commissioning process in this country?
This country doesn't have the long tradition of 'balls out' uncompromising cop shows. The Wire was just the latest progression that began with Hill Street Blues and then NYPD Blue back in the day.
HBO is like the BBC in that they don't have to rely on advertising and can take greater risks with their programming. The similarities end there unfortunately.
HBO and the BBC have been churning out a lot of joint productions over the last few years. That's probably a good thing for everyone.
Quote: DaButt @ September 13 2009, 1:20 PM BSTHBO and the BBC have been churning out a lot of joint productions over the last few years. That's probably a good thing for everyone.
Honestly, I think that's the only way forward. HBO seems to like the Brits (even McNulty is one of us) and Rome was an outstanding series.
But obviously, it has to be a somewhat equal partnership - Yanks don't want to watch some Ken Loach rip off with indecipherable accents and we don't want a repeat of the 'Doctor Who' McGann thing with motorcycle chases and cheesy soft rock.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ September 13 2009, 2:43 PM BSTRome was an outstanding series.
I did not bother with it after the BBC butchered the first three episodes to dumb them down for British audiences.
And that is what worries me, the thought of the Beeb having any editorial input into HBO productions. Can you imagine, for instance, a commissioning meeting on The Wire: "We love the concept, but isn't the portrayal of the, er, non-white community a little too negative? And we are not sure British audiences have heard of Baltimore, could we move it Los Angeles? Oh, and could McNulty be a struggling single mum played by Carole Quentin?"
Quote: Timbo @ September 13 2009, 3:07 PM BSTI did not bother with it after the BBC butchered the first three episodes to dumb them down for British audiences.
They edited it? What was cut?
I guess it's only fair, seeing as BBC America cuts the shows down to 22 minutes to allow for commercials. 