The fifth and final 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 in the United States on January 6, 2008, and concluded on March 9, 2008; it was the show's shortest season with 10 episodes. The series introduced a fictionalized version of the '' Baltimore Sun'' newsroom, while continuing to follow the Baltimore police department and city hall, and the Stanfield crime syndicate. The fifth season aired on Sundays at 9:00 pm ET in the United States. The season was released on DVD as a four disc boxed set under the title of ''The Wire: The Complete Fifth Season'' on August 12, 2008 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

HBO announced on September 12, 2006, that a fifth and final season consisting of 13 episodesbut later reduced to tenhad been commissioned. Production for Season 5 officially began on April 30, 2007. Filming wrapped early in the morning of September 1, 2007 and the first episode aired on January 6, 2008. In an interview with '' Slate'' on December 1, 2006,

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 ...

said that Season 5 would be about the

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

and

media consumption Media consumption or media diet is the sum of information and entertainment media taken in by an individual or group. It includes activities such as interacting with new media, reading books and magazines, watching television and film, and lis ...

. A major focus would be

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

, which would be dramatized through a newspaper modeled after ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

''. The theme, according to Simon, would deal with "what stories get told and what don't and why it is that things stay the same." Issues such as the quest for profit, the decrease in the number of reporters, and the end of aspiration for news quality would all be addressed, alongside the theme of homelessness. In the same interview, Simon indicated that no other theme seemed substantial enough to warrant a sixth season, except possibly the large influx of

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

s into Baltimore. He noted, however, that since no writer on the show spoke Spanish or had any intimate knowledge of the city's Latino population, the field work would be too cumbersome. At the ''Night at the Wire'' event on June 9, 2007, Simon stated that Detective Sydnor is the only character who remains morally clean by the end of the show, but not perfectly since "after all, this is ''The Wire''." He also hinted that Mayor Carcetti might make a run for governor. The series continued the show's examination of the devaluing of human life and institutional dysfunction. The increased scope of the season to include the media allowed this theme to be explored through an examination of "the people who are supposed to be monitoring all this and sounding the alarm — the journalists." In particular Simon has spoken about the devaluing of the reporter in terms of downsizing a newspaper staff and the management expecting to do "more with less" when he asserts that in reality, you can only do "less with less." The series realism has been reported as being maintained particularly through the accurate dialogue and use of contemporary slang. Series creator

further expanded on the thematic content of season five in an interview with Fancast/Inside TV. Critic David Zurawik saw the unifying theme of the season as "public and private lies," particularly those perpetuated by the media and told by

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 ...

in protest against cutbacks in the police department. TV Guide writer Matt Roush also saw the central theme as lies and characterized it as "deeply and darkly ironic."

Promotion

A preview for Season 5 of ''The Wire'' aired on HBO on October 28, 2007 and was later made available on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. HBO sent critics the first seven episodes on DVD in December 2007. HBO's On Demand and multiplatform marketing division approached creator David Simon about producing exclusive on-demand content and three short prequel clips were produced that take place prior to the linear storyline of the show. The clips were made available via Amazon.com from December 5 and through HBO's on-demand service from December 15. The first video takes place in 1962 and focuses on the school days of drug kingpin

Proposition Joe Joseph Stewart, better known as "Proposition Joe" or "Prop Joe", is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Robert F. Chew. Joe is an Eastside drug lord who prefers a peaceful solution to business disputes when possible. H ...

; the second is set in 1985 and focuses on Omar Little making an early robbery; the third video is set in 2000 and shows the first meeting of

(played by

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), ...

) and 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 ...

). The clips aired after Season 5 episodes as they premiered starting January 6, 2008.

Locations

At that ''Night at the Wire'' event, fans were allowed to tour the ''Baltimore Sun'' newsroom constructed for the show. The real newspaper allowed the show to use their name but stipulated that no current employees could appear in the series. The newsroom was an entirely built set constructed at the show's out-of-town soundstage. The actual ''Washington Post'' newsroom was also featured, as one reporter visits for an interview. ''The Wire'' is the first production to be allowed to film at the location; even the film ''

All the President's Men ''All the President's Men'' is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two of the journalists who investigated the June 1972 break-in at the Watergate Office Building and the resultant political scandal for ''The Washingto ...

'' about the paper's role in breaking the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...

had to build a set to represent the paper.

Cast

It was rumored in August 2007 that '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' stars

Richard Belzer Richard Jay Belzer (born August 4, 1944) is a retired American actor, stand-up comedian, and author. He is best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/Sergeant, and DA Investigator John Munch, whom he has portrayed as a regular cas ...

and

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 ...

would guest star in the fifth season. Johnson was later confirmed as joining the starring cast to play

Gus Haynes Augustus "Gus" Haynes is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Clark Johnson, who is also a director for the series. Haynes is the dedicated and principled editor for ''The Baltimore Sun'' city desk. Character depic ...

, "a city editor who tries to hold the line against dwindling coverage, buyouts, and pseudo-news."''The New Yorker'' described an early scene from the season where Haynes rants about a reporter inserting a charred doll into scenes of fires to eke more sympathy from his readers. Johnson also directed the final episode of the show. In the episode "Took," Belzer made a cameo appearance as

John Munch John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on the American crime drama television series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' on NBC. A regular through the entire run of the series from 1993 to 1999, Mu ...

, the police detective he has portrayed since 1993 on ''Homicide'' (1993–1999) and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1999–2013). The majority of the starring cast from the fourth season returned. On the police front,

returned as

with a larger storyline than the fourth season;

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 Deputy Commissioner

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 ...

; Seth Gilliam as Western district Sergeant

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 ...

; Corey Parker Robinson as Major Case Unit detective

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. ...

;

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 prosecutor

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 ...

;

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 ...

as veteran Detective

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 ...

;

as veteran homicide Detective Bunk Moreland;

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 Colonel

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 ...

; and

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 Detective

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 ...

. In the political storyline,

Aidan Gillen Aidan Murphy (born 24 April 1968), better known as Aidan Gillen (), is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of three Irish Film & Television Awards and has been nominated for a British Academy Television Award, a British Independent Film Award, ...

returned as ambitious Mayor

Tommy Carcetti Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti ( ) is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious and venal Baltimore politician who begins the series with a seat on the city council. Biography Season 3 To ...

; as well as Reg E. Cathey as political aide Norman Wilson; and

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 ...

as troubled defense investigator

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 ...

. In the street,

Jamie Hector Jamie Hector (born October 7, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'' and as Detective Jerry Edgar in the drama series '' Bosch''. Career Hector began ac ...

returned as West-side drug kingpin

Marlo Stanfield Marlo Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO television drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ambitious, intelligent and ruthless gangster and head of the eponymous Stanfield Organization in the Baltimore ...

. Also returning for the street storyline were

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 heroin addict Bubbles; and

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 ...

as underworld legend

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 ...

. Former recurring characters who joined the main cast were

Tristan Wilds Tristan Paul Mack Wilds (born July 15, 1989) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his roles as Michael Lee on the HBO original drama series, ''The Wire'', and as Dixon Wilson on the CW teen drama seri ...

as Michael Lee,

Gbenga Akinnagbe Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe ( ; born 12 December 1978) is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series ''The Wire'' and as Larry Brown on the HBO series '' The Deuce''. Early life Akinnagb ...

Chris Partlow Christopher "Chris" Partlow is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Gbenga Akinnagbe. Chris is Marlo Stanfield's second-in-command and bodyguard in his drug dealing operation. He is a minor antagonist for season 3 ...

, Jermaine Crawford as

Duquan "Dukie" Weems Duquan "Dukie" Weems is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Jermaine Crawford. Dukie is a student at Edward Tilghman Middle School. He has a difficult home life because the adults in his home are either alcoholics or d ...

, Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as corrupt State Senator

Clay Davis R. Clayton "Clay" Davis is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Davis is a corrupt Maryland State Senator with a reputation for pocketing bribes. However, throughout the series Davis remains p ...

Michael Kostroff Michael Kostroff (born May 22, 1961) is an American actor. He appeared on the HBO program ''The Wire'' as defense attorney Maurice Levy. Kostroff starred in the fifth season of the series and appeared in all four earlier seasons as a guest star ...

as defense attorney Maurice Levy, and

Neal Huff Neal Huff is an American actor from New York City. In April 2018, he performed as Willie Oban in the Broadway revival of ''The Iceman Cometh''. In December 2018, Huff began performing in ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', adapted for stage by Aaron Sor ...

as Mayoral chief of staff Michael Steintorf. In addition to Johnson, joining the main cast in the journalism story line were

Tom McCarthy Thomas McCarthy (also Tom and Tommy) may refer to: Academia *Thomas A. McCarthy (born 1940), American professor of philosophy *Thomas J. McCarthy (born 1956), American professor of polymer chemistry at the University of Massachusetts *J. Thomas Mc ...

as morally challenged reporter Scott Templeton and Michelle Paress as reporter Alma Gutierrez. Season 4 main cast members

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 ...

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 ...

Robert Wisdom Robert Ray Wisdom (born September 14, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Howard "Bunny" Colvin in '' The Wire,'' Norman "Lechero" St. John in ''Prison Break'', and Harold Conway in the 2021 Hulu movie ''Vacation Friends''. ...

, and Chad L. Coleman, who played

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 ...

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 ...

Howard "Bunny" Colvin Howard "Bunny" Colvin is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Robert Wisdom. Colvin is a wise and able police major in the Baltimore's Western District, alienated by the careerism and bureaucracy rampant in the Ba ...

and

Dennis "Cutty" Wise Dennis "Cutty" Wise is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Chad Coleman. Wise is a reformed criminal who sets up a boxing gym for neighborhood children. The name "Dennis Wise" was taken from an actual Baltimore c ...

, respectively, had recurring but not starring roles in the season. Other returning guest stars included Steve Earle as drug counsellor Walon; Anwan Glover as

Slim Charles Slim Charles is a fictional character in the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Anwan Glover. An enforcer for the Barksdale Organization and later the top lieutenant of kingpin Proposition Joe, he is portrayed as principled, loyal, and compet ...

; Robert F. Chew as drug kingpin

;

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...

as drug lieutenant Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff;

Felicia Pearson Felicia Pearson (born May 18, 1980) is an American actress, rapper and author. She played Felicia "Snoop" Pearson on ''The Wire'' and wrote a 2007 memoir, ''Grace After Midnight,'' detailing her troubled childhood and time in prison for second ...

as the eponymous criminal enforcer

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson Felicia "Snoop" Pearson is a semi-fictional character on the HBO series ''The Wire'', played by the actress of the same name. She is a young female soldier in Marlo Stanfield's drug dealing organization and Chris Partlow's earliest protégé. ...

; Chris Ashworth as former enforcer for the Greeks Sergei "Serge" Malatov;

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 fallen kingpin

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 ...

; Marlyne Afflack as city council president

Nerese Campbell The following are politicians, family members, and assistants administrating the politics of Baltimore on ''The Wire''. Maryland State politicians Clay Davis * Played by: Isiah Whitlock, Jr. * Appears in: :Season one: "One Arrest"; " The Cost" ...

; and

Amy Ryan Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski, known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress of stage and screen. A graduate of New York's High School of Performing Arts, she is an Academy Award nominee and two-time Tony Award nominee. Ryan began her pr ...

as McNulty's domestic partner

Beadie Russell Beatrice "Beadie" Russell is a fictional character on the HBO drama '' The Wire'', played by actress Amy Ryan. She was featured prominently in the second season, after she discovered thirteen corpses in a container on the Baltimore docks. Char ...

. The return of guest stars from past seasons was described in reviews as a reward to loyal viewers. New recurring guest stars included

David Costabile David Costabile (; born January 9, 1967) is an American actor. He is best known for his television work, having appeared in supporting roles in several television series such as '' Billions'', ''Breaking Bad'', ''Damages'', '' Flight of the Conc ...

Sam Freed Sam Freed (born August 29, 1948) is an American actor who has performed on Broadway and television and in movies. His first major regular role on television was as Bob Barsky in the last three seasons of '' Kate & Allie''. In the short-lived seri ...

Bruce Kirkpatrick The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...

, Todd Scofield, Kara Quick, and Donald Neal. Continuing the show's trend of using non-professional actors and real-life Baltimore figures, several ex-''Baltimore Sun'' reporters appeared in recurring roles. The editor character Rebecca Corbett, played by actress Kara Quick, was named after and based on Simon's former editor at the ''Baltimore Sun'' who now works at ''The New York Times''; the real Rebecca Corbett has a cameo near the end of the series. Writer and former political reporter William F. Zorzi gained further screen time after his season 1 cameo. Steve Luxenberg, the editor responsible for hiring Simon at ''The Sun'', also had a role. Simon's wife

Laura Lippman Laura Lippman (born January 31, 1959) is an American journalist and author of over 20 detective fiction novels. Life and career Lippman was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Columbia, Maryland. She is the daughter of Theo Lippman, Jr., a w ...

also appeared as a reporter in an early scene alongside

Michael Olesker Michael Olesker (born 1945) is a former syndicated columnist for ''The Baltimore Sun'' newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland, and a book author. Olesker attended the University of Maryland where he was on the staff of the school newspaper, ''The Diamo ...

, another former Sun reporter. Baltimore attorney Billy Murphy appeared as a lawyer for corrupt Senator

, and former senator and current radio host Larry Young conducted a fictional interview with the character. Former police commissioner Ed Norris returned in his recurring role as a homicide detective with the same name.

Main cast

(10 episodes) * Reg E. Cathey as Norman Wilson (10 episodes) *

(9 episodes) *

(10 episodes) *

as Augustus Haynes (10 episodes) *

(9 episodes) *

as Scott Templeton (10 episodes) *

(10 episodes) *

as Bunk Moreland (10 episodes) *

(9 episodes) *

as Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins (6 episodes) *

(10 episodes) * Seth Gilliam as

(7 episodes) *

Herc 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 Bark ...

(5 episodes) *

(6 episodes) *

(9 episodes) *

as Michael Steintorf (9 episodes) * Jermaine Crawford as Dukie Weems (8 episodes) * Corey Parker Robinson as

(9 episodes) *

as Michael Lee (9 episodes) *

as Maurice Levy (5 episodes) * Michelle Paress as Alma Gutierrez (10 episodes) * Isiah Whitlock Jr. as

(7 episodes)

Crew

Creator

continued to act as the show's executive producer and show runner. Nina Kostroff Noble once again served as the show's other executive producer.

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 ...

reprised his co-executive producer role and continued to direct episodes.

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 ...

once again served as a writer and joined Chappelle as a co-executive producer. Karen L. Thorson returned as a producer. George Pelecanos produced the sixth episode of the series only - his first production work since the third season. Political journalist William F. Zorzi continued to write for the show and guide the political storylines. Acclaimed crime fiction novelist Pelecanos returned as a writer and contributed his seventh episode to the series. Pelecanos's fellow crime novelists

Richard Price Richard Price (23 February 1723 – 19 April 1791) was a British moral philosopher, Nonconformist minister and mathematician. He was also a political reformer, pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the French ...

and

Dennis Lehane Dennis Lehane (born August 4, 1965) is an American author. He has published more than a dozen novels; the first several were a series of mysteries featuring recurring characters, including ''A Drink Before the War''. Of these, four were adapted a ...

also returned as writers. Chris Collins returned as a staff writer and contributed his first script. David Mills contributed an episode, completing the writing team. New star Clark Johnson also helmed the final episode after previously directing the pilot. Other returning directors for the fifth season included

Ernest Dickerson Ernest Roscoe Dickerson (born June 25, 1951) is an American director, cinematographer, and screenwriter of film, television, and music videos. As a cinematographer, he is known for his frequent collaborations with Spike Lee ever since they were c ...

, Anthony Hemingway,

Agnieszka Holland Agnieszka Holland (born 28 November 1948) is a Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She began her career as assistant to directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda, ...

Dan Attias Daniel Attias (born December 4, 1951) is an American television director and producer. He is also director of his only feature film ''Silver Bullet'' from 1985, based on the novella by Stephen King. Attias' career has spanned four decades, dur ...

, and

Seith Mann Seith Mann (born 1973)"March 14, 2007...At 33, the D.C. native is one of the youngest African Americans directing television dramas" is an American film and television director. He directed ''Five Deep Breaths'' and has gone on to direct for ''The ...

. Series star

made his directorial debut. Husband and wife directing team Scott and Joy Kecken were also first time directors on the fifth season.

Reception

The fifth season received widespread acclaim from critics, scoring 89 out of 100 based on 24 reviews 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 93% with an average score of 9.8 out of 10 based on 44 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "''The Wire'' goes out with a suitably resonant bang in its final season, craftily maneuvering venturesome motifs and a colorful cast of characters to skillfully understated conclusion." Matt Roush of ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' favorably reviewed the series calling it "brilliantly bleak" and a "landmark series." Brian Lowry of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' characterized the series' look at the media as the most realistic portrayal of a newsroom in film and television history. However, Leigh Claire La Berge found that "in the popular press ..the level of critical anticipation that greeted that season was matched only by the immediate disappointment that followed it", noting that the season is ''The Wires most explicitly didactic, the one that most obviously comments on the series's own fictionality, and the one with the least realistic plot.Leigh Claire La Berge, 'Capitalist Realism and Serial Form: The Fifth Season of ''The Wire'', ''Criticism'', 52 (2010), 547--67 (at pp. 549--50); DOI: 10.1353/crt.2010.0046 epr. in ''Reading Capitalist Realism'', ed. by Alison Shonkwiler and Leigh Claire La Berge (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2014), pp. 115--39 Thus in reviewing the first seven episodes of the fifth season David Zurawik of the ''Baltimore Sun'' said that while "there is greatness in the seven episodes," the major newspaper storyline "contain nothing that matches the emotional power and sociological insight of the show at its best." La Berge argued that it is precisely the fifth season's capacity to explore the social construction of realism itself that is the season's most important characteristic.

Awards and nominations

60th Primetime Emmy Awards The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 21, 2008, at the newly opened Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California to honor the best in U.S. prime time television. The ceremony was hosted by Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Ma ...

*Nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Ed Burns & David Simon) (Episode: "–30–") Writers Guild of America Awards *Nomination for Best Drama Series 24th TCA Awards *Award for Heritage Award *Nomination for Program of the Year *Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Drama *Nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Drama (David Simon)

Episodes

All episodes except "-30-" were made available by HBO six days earlier than their broadcast date, via

On Demand On-demand or on demand may refer to: Manufacturing * Build-on-demand * Just-in-time manufacturing, a methodology for production * Print on demand, printing technology and business process in which new copies of a document are not printed until an ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wire 2008 American television seasons 5 Television series about journalism