This was aided in no small part to how three dimensional Simon made his TV version of Baltimore – by the time the series was over, we'd been introduced to so many different characters and situations that it felt like this fictional version of Baltimore was absolutely 100 percent the genuine article and that all of these characters were people you could bump into if you walked down the street. The series offered a "you are here" feel that nearly no other show could equal, especially others with the similar trappings of a police/crime drama. The Wire is often singled out for its incredibly realistic feeling and it's easy to see why after just a few episodes. Sometimes pathetic and often making all the wrong choices, he also was obviously a person in a lot of pain, and it was impossible not to care about him thanks to the writing and a great performance by Andre Royo. Then there was the depiction of Bubbles, our gateway into the world of the homeless addict. Omar also happened to be gay, something he and the show treated very casually, in the process creating a character even the most homophobic of audience members would probably have to admit was incredibly bad ass and cool - and certainly far different from nearly any other gay character on television. Williams), a self-serving Robin Hood who robbed from the local criminals in skilled and clever ways. Simon was also slyly subversive with aspects of the show, such as the portrayal of the ever-popular Omar Little ( Michael K. However, to say Season 5 was sorta/kinda relatively weak for this series only puts into perspective how amazing The Wire is – 90 percent of shows on the air would be lucky to ever have material nearly as strong as what this show offered in even its weakest episode. Perhaps it was because the final season also had to juggle bringing satisfying closure to all the characters already in play – compared say, to Season 4, where many of the earlier ongoing characters and storylines took a step back to let the kids take center stage – but the Sun staff never came fully alive like the other storylines, despite the strong work of Clark Johnson as the Sun's sympathetic City Editor, Gus Haynes. Season 5 faltered a bit when it came to introducing a new component to the series – another new cast of characters were introduced as the subject of media became the focus, via the staff of the Baltimore Sun. The show just got more and more powerful as it went into Season 4, which focused on the school system, bringing in four school kids who found themselves in the crosshairs of situations and decisions that were sad and frustrating to behold – such was the impact of The Wire that you wanted to reach into the television set and help these kids out. Season 3 then brought in more of a political presence, most notably Tommy Carcetti ( Aidan Gillen), a young, wannabe mayor with plenty of promises on how he'd change the city. Season 2 introduced us to the port workers bringing illegal product into the country (with varied degrees of knowledge), not to mention the source of the drugs – who was hardly the flashy type we're used to thanks to films and other TV series. Each season would add to the cast of characters and expand the world the show existed in. Series creator David Simon had elaborate plans for his show, which he would see realized over its five year run. And from that first great season, oh how The Wire would grow. Make no mistake, some of these characters committed terrible acts, but from the start, there was a clear and successful attempt to show their perspective and give insight into how trapped many were by their situations. Williams), who would clearly be living a very different life if circumstances were different. In every case, these were fully realized characters and not just cliché street thugs, including D'Angelo (Larry Gilllard Jr.), Avon's thoughtful nephew, and kids like Bodie (J.D. Instead of only following the cops, with a few scenes here and there to show the dealers' villainy, there was actually a tremendous amount of time spent with the drug dealers – and not just Avon and Stringer Bell, but the guys they had out on the street actually selling to their customers. Their target, Avon Barksdale ( Wood Harris) is the determined and street smart type, and aided by his quiet and intelligent right hand man, Stringer Bell ( Idris Elba).įrom the start, though, this wasn't your standard version of this kind of story. Among these cops is Jimmy McNulty ( 300's Dominic West), a smart but reckless type who doesn't play by the rules, and is constantly at odds with his stern but fair superior, Cedric Daniels ( Fringe's Lance Reddick). In Baltimore, a small group of police work to bring down a drug ring. The set up to The Wire sounds like a story we've seen before, and indeed, it's easy to imagine a much more basic or mundane show done with this exact same scenario.