Classic television often sets the mold for shows that premiere in the years after they reach their end but some series break the mold entirely. The Wire, a crime drama that aired from 2002 to 2008, is one such show.
Creator David Simon took audiences in the early aughts to the city of Baltimore, Maryland where a war on drugs encompassed the dealers working the streets and the cops looking to bag lieutenants and kingpins.
But it wasn’t the kind of show that painted the world in broad strokes of black and white. The cops weren’t all knights in shining armor there to protect and serve. Like the real-life knights of old, some of them had their own nefarious deeds to keep up with and mete out how they saw fit.
And, for those really trying to make a difference, the reality of the system, corrupt figures in their ranks, and people doing what they have to do to get by often made that difficult. As for the dealers, hustlers, and anyone caught up in the life, well, they weren’t two-dimensional characters there to tell a moralistic story about right and wrong.
Where to stream The Wire
Often, survival doesn’t care about the means to an end even if people do. But that doesn’t mean trying to survive in a city tearing itself apart can’t lead to you catching a case or becoming someone else’s problem.
If you’re looking to stream The Wire, you can do so via HBO or HBO Max. Both platforms have all five seasons of the series featuring Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael K. Williams, Wendell Pierce, and Lance Reddick.
The series takes a hard look at life in overly policed communities, the disenfranchisement in areas where the education system has been left without sufficient resources, and the lengths people will, and have gone to, in order not to be swallowed by the crushing weight of poverty.
The Wire isn’t light work and neither is its storytelling. Most likely, that’s why it’s nearly two decades old and still be held as one of the best shows in television history.
If you’re looking for television like The Wire, you’ll want to check out the new HBO series, We Own This City, which takes place in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray.
Where is The Wire streaming in 2022?
Source: Pinoy White Knights
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