Why is "The Wire" so Compelling?

Through the years HBO has produce many successful television shows, including Sex in the City and The Sopranos. I will discuss one of HBO's more high quality shows, but largely underrated The Wire.

The Wire premiered on HBO in 2002 and they are about to wrapped up their fourth season. The Wire is a show that looks at the Baltimore drug scene through both the eyes of the police and the drug dealers. The show was created by former Baltimore Sun crime reporter, David Simon. Simon wrote the book The Corner, which became an HBO mini-series. One of the reasons The Wire is so compelling is because it does not play out like a typical TV show, but is more like watching a novel unfold on your TV screen.

In the four seasons that The Wire has been on the air, Simon has shown viewers how Baltimore law enforcement officials try to build a single case against different criminal organizations. In season one the focus was on drug lord Avon Barksdale, played by Wood Harris and his crew. Season two the focus was on Baltimore's longshoreman's union and the difficulty of finding work on the docks, which cause some longshoremen to go into criminal activity. Season three took a look at politics and also look at the failures of the nation's drug enforcement policies. This season the show looks at the inner-city school system.

The Wire is also a standout show because of its stellar cast. In the first three seasons you had standouts like Wood Harris who played Avon Barksdale and Idris Elba who played Russell 'Stringer' Bell, to this seasons four new outstanding new cast members Jermaine Crawford, Maestro Harrell, Julito McCulum, and Tristan Wilds who play Duquan, Randy, Namond, and Michael respectively. Other cast standouts include Michael K. Williams who plays homo thug Omar Little and Andre Royo who plays drug fiend Bubbles. Throughout its four seasons, The Wire has had a strong cast, with each member able to hold their own when called on.

If you have not seen The Wire yet, you should definitely check it out. With this show not only do you get an understanding of what police officers have to go through, but you also get a better understanding of the dealers and drug fiends too. David Simon has created a show that shows the human side of all his characters. Here's looking forward to the fifth and final season.