The first season of the television series ''
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...
'' commenced airing on Sunday, June 2, 2002, at 9:00 pm ET in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and concluded on September 8, 2002. The 13 episodes tell the story from the points of view of both the drug-dealing Barksdale organization and the investigating police detail.
The season was released on DVD as a five-disc boxed set under the title of ''The Wire: The Complete First Season'' on October 12, 2004, by
HBO Video
Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) is an American multinational media and entertainment company operating as a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Founded by Charles Dolan and based out of WarnerMedia's former corporate headquarters at the 30 Hudson Yar ...
.
Production
Crew
David Simon
David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on '' The Wire'' (2002–08).
He worked for '' The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' H ...
is the series' creator and
head writer,
showrunner and
executive producer. Alongside Simon, many of the creative team behind ''The Wire'' are alumni of ''
Homicide'' and
Emmy-winning miniseries ''
The Corner
''The Corner'' is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book '' The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood'' (1997) by David Simon and Ed Burns, and adapted for television by David Simon and David Mi ...
''. ''The Corner'' veteran,
Robert F. Colesberry, was also executive producer. Colesberry is credited by the rest of the creative team as having a large creative role for a producer, and Simon credits him for achieving the show's realistic visual feel.
He also had a small recurring role as
Detective Ray Cole.
Colesberry's wife
Karen L. Thorson joined him on the production staff.
A third producer on ''The Corner'',
Nina Kostroff Noble, also stayed with the production staff for ''The Wire'' rounding out the initial four-person team.
Stories for the show are often co-written by
Ed Burns
Edward P. Burns (born January 29, 1946) is an American screenwriter, novelist, and producer. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. For HBO, they have collaborated on ''The Corner,'' ''The Wire,'' ''Generation Kill'', ''The P ...
, a former
Baltimore Police Department homicide detective and public school teacher who has worked with Simon on other projects including ''The Corner''.
The writing staff includes acclaimed crime fiction novelist
George P. Pelecanos
George P. Pelecanos (born February 18, 1957) is an American author. Many of his 20 books are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writ ...
from
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Pelecanos has commented that he was attracted to the project because of the opportunity to work with Simon.
Staff writer
Rafael Alvarez
Rafael Alvarez (born May 24, 1958) is an American author based in Baltimore and Los Angeles. Alvarez went to work for the ''Sunpapers'' of Baltimore as a teenager—first in the circulation department and then the horse racing desk in sports—be ...
was a colleague of Simon's from ''
The Sun'' and a Baltimore native with working experience in the port area.
Another city native and independent filmmaker,
Joy Lusco Kecken, joined the writing staff and served as the
script coordinator A script coordinator is a role in the production of a film or television series. The script coordinator is responsible for producing each draft of the script and annotating it for ease of use for the production team.
On a television series the sc ...
.
David H. Melnick and Shamit Choksey complete the writing staff.
''Homicide'' alumnus
Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in '' E.N.G.'' (1989 ...
,
who directed several acclaimed episodes of ''
The Shield
''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...
'',
directed the pilot, the second episode, and the fifth episode (Johnson later had a starring role in the fifth season).
Clement Virgo
Clement Virgo (born June 1, 1966) is a Canadian film and television writer, producer and director who runs the production company, Conquering Lion Pictures, with producer Damon D'Oliveira. Virgo is best known for co-writing and directing an adapt ...
directed two episodes.
Single episode directors include
Ed Bianchi
Edward Bianchi (born April 24, 1942) is an American television director and producer. He is better known for his work on '' Deadwood'', '' Boardwalk Empire'', ''Yellowstone'', and ''The Get Down''.
Career
Prior to ''Deadwood'', Bianchi directed ...
,
Joe Chappelle
Joseph Chappelle is an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television. He is perhaps best known for his work on the critically acclaimed HBO series ''The Wire'', where he directed six episodes and served as co-executive p ...
,
Gloria Muzio
Gloria Muzio is an American theatre and television director. She has worked on a number of TV shows including ''Criminal Minds'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', ''The Black Donnellys'', ''The Closer'', '' ER'', ''Third Watch'', '' Law & Order'', ''Law ...
,
Milčo Mančevski
Milcho Manchevski ( mk, Милчо Манчевски, )["Milcho Manchevski: Full Biography"](_blank) ,
Brad Anderson and
Steve Shill
Stephen A Shill (born 1957) is a British television and film director, actor, screenwriter and television producer.
Early life
Shill was born in 1957 in Buckinghamshire, England. He attended Keswick Grammar School in Keswick, Cumbria, England ...
.
The season finale was directed by
Tim Van Patten
Timothy Van Patten (born June 10, 1959) is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has directed episodes of ''Perry Mason'', '' Boardwalk Empire'', '' Black Mirror'', '' Deadwood'', '' Ed'', '' Game of Thrones'', '' The Pacifi ...
, an Emmy winner who has worked on every season of ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
''.
The directing has been praised for its uncomplicated and subtle style.
Cast
The major characters of the first season were divided between those on the side of the law and those involved in drug-related crime. The starring cast comprised characters from both groups. The investigating detail was launched by the actions of Detective
Jimmy McNulty
James "Jimmy" McNulty is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Dominic West.
McNulty is an Irish-American detective in the Baltimore Police Department. While talented in his profession, McNulty's c ...
(
Dominic West
Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West (born 15 October 1969) is an English actor, director and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's '' The Affair'' (2014–2019), ...
), whose insubordinate tendencies and personal problems overshadowed his ability.
[
] The detail was led by Lieutenant
Cedric Daniels
Cedric Daniels is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Lance Reddick. Daniels is well regarded in the Baltimore Police Department by making his subordinates focus on decent police work and quality arrests. He occasionall ...
(
Lance Reddick
Lance Reddick (born December 31, 1962) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Cedric Daniels in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in '' Bosch'' (2014–2020) ...
), who faced challenges balancing his career aspirations with his desire to produce a good case.
Kima Greggs
Shakima "Kima" Greggs is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actress Sonja Sohn. Greggs is a determined and capable police detective in the Baltimore Police Department. Openly lesbian, she often displays a hardened, c ...
(
Sonja Sohn
Sonja Denise Plack (' Williams; born May 9, 1964), known professionally as Sonja Sohn, is an American actress, activist and filmmaker, best known for portraying Baltimore detective Kima Greggs in the HBO drama ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). She i ...
) was a capable lead detective who faced jealousy from colleagues and worry about the dangers of her job from her domestic partner.
Her investigative work was helped by her confidential informant, a drug addict known as
Bubbles (
Andre Royo
Andre Royo (born July 18, 1968) is an American actor, producer, and writer. He is best known for his role as Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins on the HBO crime drama series ''The Wire'', and his appearances on ''Fringe'', ''Party Down'', ''How to Make I ...
).
These investigators were overseen by two commanding officers more concerned with politics and their own careers than with the case, Major
William Rawls
William A. "Bill" Rawls is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor John Doman. Over the course of the series, Rawls ascends through the higher ranks of the Baltimore Police Department, eventually becoming Deputy Comm ...
(
John Doman
John Doman (born January 9, 1945) is an American actor best known for playing Maryland State Police Superintendent, Deputy Police Commissioner and Major William Rawls on HBO series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Colonel Edward Galson on '' Oz'' (2 ...
) and Deputy Commissioner
Ervin Burrell
Ervin H. Burrell is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Frankie Faison. Burrell was an officer in the Baltimore Police Department who ascended from Deputy Commissioner of Operations to Commissioner over the course of th ...
(
Frankie Faison
Frankie Russel Faison (born June 10, 1949) is an American actor known for his role as Deputy Commissioner, and, later, Commissioner, Ervin Burrell in the HBO series ''The Wire'', as Barney Matthews in the ''Hannibal Lecter'' franchise, and as Su ...
).
Assistant state's attorney
Rhonda Pearlman
Rhonda Pearlman is a fictional character on the HBO drama '' The Wire'', played by actress Deirdre Lovejoy. Pearlman has been the legal system liaison for all of Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' investigations on the show. Later in the series, she be ...
(
Deirdre Lovejoy
Deirdre Lovejoy (born June 30, 1962) is an American actress.
She is best known for her role as Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman on HBO’s ''The Wire''. She is also known for her roles as a serial killer Heather Taffet (aka "The Gr ...
) acted as the legal liaison between the detail and the courthouse and also had a casual relationship with McNulty.
In the homicide division,
Bunk Moreland (
Wendell Pierce
Wendell Edward Pierce (born December 8, 1963) is an American actor and businessman. Having trained at Juilliard School, Pierce rose to prominence as a character actor portraying roles both on the stage and screen. He first gained notoriety portra ...
) was a gifted, dry-witted detective partnered with McNulty.
On the other side of the investigation was
Avon Barksdale
Avon Randolph Barksdale is a fictional character in the American television series ''The Wire'', played by Wood Harris. Barksdale is one of the most powerful drug dealers in Baltimore, Maryland, and runs the Barksdale Organization. Stringer Be ...
's drug empire. The driven, ruthless Barksdale (
Wood Harris
Sherwin David "Wood" Harris (born October 17, 1969) is an American actor. He has portrayed the drug kingpin Avon Barksdale on the HBO crime drama ''The Wire'', cocaine dealer Ace in '' Paid in Full'' and high school football player Julius Camp ...
) was aided by business-minded
Stringer Bell
Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character in ''The Wire'', played by Idris Elba. He is a secondary antagonist for season 1 and 2, later being the main antagonist for season 3. In the criminal world of early 2000s Baltimore, Bell serves as ...
(
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor. ).
Avon's nephew
D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo "Dee" Barksdale (c.1978-79 - July 21, 2003) is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Larry Gilliard Jr. D'Angelo is the nephew of Avon Barksdale and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization which controls mo ...
(
Larry Gilliard Jr.) ran some of his uncle's territory, but also possessed a guilty conscience.
The first season featured several significant characters in recurring roles. Like Detective Greggs, partners
Thomas "Herc" Hauk
Thomas "Herc" Hauk is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Domenick Lombardozzi. The series introduces Herc as a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Narcotics Unit, begrudgingly detailed to the initial Barks ...
(
Domenick Lombardozzi
Domenico "Domenick" Lombardozzi (, ; born March 25, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Herc in ''The Wire'', and is also known for his roles in ''A Bronx Tale'' (1993), '' Entourage'', and ''The Irishman'' (2019).
Ca ...
) and
Ellis Carver
Ellis Carver is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Seth Gilliam. Carver is a former Sergeant of the Baltimore Police Department's Western District Drug Enforcement Unit. While initially matched to the simple-mind ...
(
Seth Gilliam) were reassigned to the detail from the narcotics unit.
The duo's initially violent nature was eventually subdued as they proved useful in grunt work, and sometimes served as
comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
for the audience.
Rounding out the temporary unit were detectives
Leander Sydnor
Leander Sydnor is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Corey Parker Robinson. Sydnor is a young, married Baltimore Police detective who is a member of the Barksdale detail and later works in the Major Crimes Unit. ...
(
Corey Parker Robinson),
Lester Freamon
Lester Freamon is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Clarke Peters. Freamon is a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Major Crimes Unit. He is a wise, methodical detective whose intelligence and experi ...
(
Clarke Peters
Peter Clarke (born April 7, 1952), known professionally as Clarke Peters, is an American-British actor, writer, and director. He is best known for his roles as Lester Freamon in the television series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) and Albert Lambrea ...
) and
Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski
Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Jim True-Frost. Pryzbylewski is a detective of Polish heritage in the Baltimore Police Department. Initially seen as incompetent and rash, he pr ...
(
Jim True-Frost
Jim True-Frost (''né'' True; July 31, 1966) is an American stage, television and screen actor. He is most known for his portrayal of Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski on all five seasons of the HBO program ''The Wire'', as James Woodrow in '' Tre ...
).
Sydnor was a rookie detective with a reputation for solid undercover work.
Though not initially important players in the operation, Freamon proved a quietly capable investigator with a knack for noticing tiny but important details, and Prez, while a liability on the street, turned out to be a natural at his desk job.
McNulty and Bunk served in a homicide unit squad led by
Sergeant Jay Landsman (
Delaney Williams
Delaney Williams (born December 12, 1962) is an American character actor from Washington, D.C. He appeared on the HBO drama ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) as a recurring guest star playing homicide sergeant Jay Landsman. He also had a small role o ...
), the jovial squad commander.
Peter Gerety
Peter Gerety (born May 17, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known as Judge Daniel Phelan in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008).
Career
Gerety is a veteran of stage, screen and television. In early 1992, he performed to critical acclaim on Broadway ...
had a recurring role as Judge Phelan, the official who started the case moving.
There were also several recurring characters in the Barksdale Organization. Loyal
Wee-Bey Brice
Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice is a fictional character in the HBO drama ''The Wire'' played by Hassan Johnson. Wee-Bey is a trusted soldier in the Barksdale Organization.
Character storyline
Wee-Bey dropped out of school in sixth grade and started de ...
(
Hassan Johnson
Hassan "Iniko" Johnson is an American actor from Brooklyn, New York. He portrayed Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice on HBO's ''The Wire'' and also appears as Drew in '' Flatbush Misdemeanors'' on Showtime.
Career
Johnson's first acting role was in th ...
) was responsible for multiple homicides carried out on Avon's orders.
Working under D'Angelo were
Poot Carr
Malik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Tray Chaney. Poot starts out as a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization who slowly rises through the ranks. He eventually ends up leaving the drug t ...
(
Tray Chaney
Tray Chaney is an American actor. He appeared on the HBO program ''The Wire'' as Poot Carr, which became his most successful acting role. He also appears in the Bounce TV soap opera Saints & Sinners as Kendrick.
Career
Chaney began his entert ...
),
Bodie Broadus
Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a rough, low-level drug dealer, but matures throughout the series and slowly rises through the ranks. Bodie ...
(
J.D. Williams
J.D. Williams (born May 22, 1978) is an American actor known for his starring roles in the HBO television programs '' Oz'' as Kenny Wangler, ''The Wire'' as Bodie Broadus and ''Pootie Tang'' as Froggy, ''Surviving Family'' (2012) as Bobby, ''T ...
),
and
Wallace (
Michael B. Jordan
Michael Bakari Jordan (; born February 9, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his film roles as shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama ''Fruitvale Station'' (2013), boxer Adonis Creed in ''Creed'' (2015), and Erik Killmonger in ''Bl ...
), all street-level drug dealers. Wallace was an intelligent but naïve youth trapped in the drug trade, Bodie a violent and determined young dealer, and Poot a lascivious young man happy to follow rather than lead.
Omar Little
Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', portrayed by Michael K. Williams. He is a notorious Baltimore stick-up man, who frequently robs street-level drug dealers. He is legendary around Baltimore for h ...
(
Michael K. Williams
Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire''. He has been described as a "singular pr ...
), a notorious Baltimore stick-up man robbing drug dealers for a living, was a frequent thorn in the side of the Barksdale clan.
Main cast
*
Dominic West
Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West (born 15 October 1969) is an English actor, director and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's '' The Affair'' (2014–2019), ...
as
Jimmy McNulty
James "Jimmy" McNulty is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Dominic West.
McNulty is an Irish-American detective in the Baltimore Police Department. While talented in his profession, McNulty's c ...
(13 episodes)
*
John Doman
John Doman (born January 9, 1945) is an American actor best known for playing Maryland State Police Superintendent, Deputy Police Commissioner and Major William Rawls on HBO series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Colonel Edward Galson on '' Oz'' (2 ...
as
William Rawls
William A. "Bill" Rawls is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor John Doman. Over the course of the series, Rawls ascends through the higher ranks of the Baltimore Police Department, eventually becoming Deputy Comm ...
(8 episodes)
*
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor. as
Russell "Stringer" Bell (13 episodes)
*
Frankie Faison
Frankie Russel Faison (born June 10, 1949) is an American actor known for his role as Deputy Commissioner, and, later, Commissioner, Ervin Burrell in the HBO series ''The Wire'', as Barney Matthews in the ''Hannibal Lecter'' franchise, and as Su ...
as
Ervin Burrell
Ervin H. Burrell is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Frankie Faison. Burrell was an officer in the Baltimore Police Department who ascended from Deputy Commissioner of Operations to Commissioner over the course of th ...
(11 episodes)
*
Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as
D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo "Dee" Barksdale (c.1978-79 - July 21, 2003) is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Larry Gilliard Jr. D'Angelo is the nephew of Avon Barksdale and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization which controls mo ...
(13 episodes)
*
Wood Harris
Sherwin David "Wood" Harris (born October 17, 1969) is an American actor. He has portrayed the drug kingpin Avon Barksdale on the HBO crime drama ''The Wire'', cocaine dealer Ace in '' Paid in Full'' and high school football player Julius Camp ...
as
Avon Barksdale
Avon Randolph Barksdale is a fictional character in the American television series ''The Wire'', played by Wood Harris. Barksdale is one of the most powerful drug dealers in Baltimore, Maryland, and runs the Barksdale Organization. Stringer Be ...
(12 episodes)
*
Deirdre Lovejoy
Deirdre Lovejoy (born June 30, 1962) is an American actress.
She is best known for her role as Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman on HBO’s ''The Wire''. She is also known for her roles as a serial killer Heather Taffet (aka "The Gr ...
as
Rhonda Pearlman
Rhonda Pearlman is a fictional character on the HBO drama '' The Wire'', played by actress Deirdre Lovejoy. Pearlman has been the legal system liaison for all of Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' investigations on the show. Later in the series, she be ...
(9 episodes)
*
Wendell Pierce
Wendell Edward Pierce (born December 8, 1963) is an American actor and businessman. Having trained at Juilliard School, Pierce rose to prominence as a character actor portraying roles both on the stage and screen. He first gained notoriety portra ...
as
Bunk Moreland (12 episodes)
*
Lance Reddick
Lance Reddick (born December 31, 1962) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Cedric Daniels in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in '' Bosch'' (2014–2020) ...
as
Cedric Daniels
Cedric Daniels is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Lance Reddick. Daniels is well regarded in the Baltimore Police Department by making his subordinates focus on decent police work and quality arrests. He occasionall ...
(13 episodes)
*
Andre Royo
Andre Royo (born July 18, 1968) is an American actor, producer, and writer. He is best known for his role as Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins on the HBO crime drama series ''The Wire'', and his appearances on ''Fringe'', ''Party Down'', ''How to Make I ...
as
Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins (11 episodes)
*
Sonja Sohn
Sonja Denise Plack (' Williams; born May 9, 1964), known professionally as Sonja Sohn, is an American actress, activist and filmmaker, best known for portraying Baltimore detective Kima Greggs in the HBO drama ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). She i ...
as
Kima Greggs
Shakima "Kima" Greggs is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actress Sonja Sohn. Greggs is a determined and capable police detective in the Baltimore Police Department. Openly lesbian, she often displays a hardened, c ...
(12 episodes)
Reception
The first season received mostly positive reviews from critics, holding a 79/100 on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the season has an approval rating of 85% with an average score of 9.5 out of 10 based on 34 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though it takes its time getting started, ''The Wire'' is worth the wait, spinning a connective web of characters and delivering no-holds-barred commentary on some of America's unsettling societal problems."
Some called it superior to HBO's better-known "
flagship" drama series such as ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
'' and ''
Six Feet Under''. One reviewer felt that the show was partially a retread of themes from HBO and
David Simon
David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on '' The Wire'' (2002–08).
He worked for '' The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' H ...
's earlier works but still valuable viewing, describing the series as particularly resonant because of parallels between the war on terror and the war on drugs.
Another review postulated that the series might suffer because of its reliance on profanity and slowly drawn-out plot, but was largely positive about the show's characters and intrigue.
''TIME'' named the first season as the best TV show of 2002 in their Top 10 Everything 2002.
Despite the critical acclaim, ''The Wire'' has received poor
Nielsen ratings, which Simon attributes to the complexity of the plot, a poor time slot, heavy use of esoteric slang (particularly among the gangster characters), and a predominantly black cast.
Critics felt the show was testing the attention span of its audience and felt that it was mistimed in the wake of the launch of the successful crime drama ''
The Shield
''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...
'' on
FX.
However, anticipation for a release of the first season on DVD was high at ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
''.
Awards and nominations
''
19th TCA Awards''
*Nomination for Program of the Year
*Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Drama
*Nomination for Outstanding New Program of the Year
Episodes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wire
2002 American television seasons
1