I hope this one goes off the air soon. It's just plain boring.
Slowly developing would be putting it very nicely.

I can't tell bdshort about the episode because the cast are a bunch of drones and I could care less about them.

I'm giving this episode 3 and that's probably it.

Im enjoying it. Its not an immediate stop down and watch like Sopranos or 6FU, but if im home its on!

Anyone Watching 'The Wire'?
 

When it first premiered, there was a flurry of posts around here about how much it sucked, but my faith in Sunday nights on HBO is unwavering, so I never stopped watching. Happily, I can say that I really enjoy this show. It reminds me a lot of <I>Murder One</I> which chronicled a murder trial from start to finish, detailing every aspect of the procedure. With <I>The Wire</I>, we're being treated to a detailed analysis of their attempt to bring down this drug kingpin. So far, I think they've done an excellent job developing all the players in this "game" and while it's not as strong as other HBO dramas, I find myself looking forward to it each Sunday night.

Anyone else watching?

das

<I>Edit: removed usage of the nonexistent word "chronicalled"</I>

It was a little slow moving at first, but there were still a lot of positive signs for me. I stuck with it and now enjoy it a lot.

I caught it whan HBO aired the first four episodes one night and have been watching it every week since. At first I was just interested because of all the ex-Oz cast members. But now, I must say it's a good show.

Omar DON'T SCARE!

The king ... stay the king.

das

Man, I wish I had stuck with it. I saw the first episode and thought it was pretty good, but with it being the only new show on Sunday nights for awhile, I sort of forgot about watching it. I suppose it's probably too late to pick up now?

Brian

If you come after the king you best not miss !

This show has really gotten good.

Slight spoiler ahead regarding 7-28 episode
 

I've watched every episode. And though I was not impressed with the first episode, I soon contributed that to a poor marketing campaign. HBO never explained what the show really was and I was looking for something entierly different. But after watching the first show over again and then the second, I was quickly hooked.

This thing is deep, complex, and fascinating.The way they are delving into these charachters is impressive. The relationships between the different elements seem very authentic. The dicotomy of the criminal enterprise from the ruthless drug boss to the disenfranchised and sometimes dim witted street thug. The politics of the big city police force. The relationship of the lower ranked cops is priceless. The episode where the detectives threw around the F-bomb about 20 times straight had me on the floor cracking up.

I place this show right on par with the Sopranos as for as HBO shows go. And equal to Homicide Life on the Streets and NYPD Blue (The two best ever as far as I'm concerned) as far as cop shows.

Spoiler Ahead sort of.
















When was the last time a cop got drunk cheated on his wife and set his clothes on fire in the womans bathtub to destroy evidence. I've never laughed so hard in my life.

"If any of them have a problem with me being with you all, I'd be much abliged to stick my gun down their throats."


I'm really diggin the show a lot :)

:thumbsup:

I knew I could count of some DVD Talkers to spot quality. For a while there, I thought I was watching this show in obscurity.

<B>bdshort</B>, you probably could watch now, but knowing HBO, I'm sure they'll do a marathon of sorts to get people back on board. I'd just wait. You'd miss out on so much character interaction and development that are really quite pivotal.

das

It started slow at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I don't get half the cop and street lingo they use though.

I have watched the show from the start, and yes it did start slow, but that was because of character development.

I actually feel empathy (?) for the bad guys, especially the younger ones in the projects. Even though I strongly disagree with them selling drugs to their neighbors, I think every one in the world just wants to earn a living. Though I think sometimes the glamour of earning a lot of money, real quick, clouds their judgement as to what is right or wrong.

Instead of earning a minimum wage at McDonald's or at some other job (like I did in 1978, $2.35/hr), they want to get rich quick and live the good life without trying to make the world a better place.


Chris

I was quite worried when I missed the first episode, but from how everyone talks, it seems I didn't miss all that much. I easily jumped in on espisode 2 ;)

Actually they did a marathon a week or two ago.

I thought it was funny last night when McNaulty A COP lost track of his kids and couldn't describe them properly to security.
Another good scene was Stringer Bell telling off his employees at the print shop. I found it amusing because i know guys like that who come to work with that same "F**k 'em" attitude like its asking too much of them to do their job.

I was looking forward to watching this since it is being filmed in Baltimore. The first couple episode's didn't hook me so I stopped watching. I'm sorry I did now with so many people enjoying it.

I have to agree that this show is pretty damn good I would compare it to say the Sopranos but each show in it's own right is quality television. I love the way they have you understand the drug dealers in the pit Dee is a complex character and the way he's teaching the others about life and the streets is pretty good entertainment. I love how everyone hates McNaulty yet he seems to be oblivious to that.

Absolutely love The Wire. I love how it doesn't shortcut any of the police work, goes into a lot of detail and has some pretty amazing characters. It reminds me a bit of a grittier TV Version of the BADGE OF HONOR series written by W.E.B Griffin.

Did anyone notice that Edward Burns is one of the writers!

I watch it every week...HBO has hooked me on another one!

:)

I have been hooked for a while. I think HBO has another winner. Each episode has seemed to get better. I hope HBO brings this back for another year.

That isn't THE Edward Burns, the film actor/director, it is David Simon's writing partner Edward Burns, a 20 year veteran of the Baltimore police department. The 2 collaborated on The Corner (another outstanding book and HBO miniseries).

I have been watching since the beginning, and love the show. When I saw the ad's for it, I thought David Simon had another book out that I hadn't heard about. I consider Homicide: Life on the Street to be my all time favorite TV show, and certainly would not miss anything that David Simon has a hand in.

As previously stated, the show started slow (as did Six Feet Under...which just got better every week in Season 1), but keeps picking up the pace and story with each episode. I do hope HBO bring The Wire back for a second season, but to do so, I don't think they can catch Avon during season 1. With only 4 or 5 episodes left, I think Omar has a better chance than the Police of taking down Avon.

If Avon's drug ring is taken down, what could happen in a second season? Will viewers watch more of the same with a different drug ring? I don't think there is a lot more ground the series would be able to cover without repeating itself. In my opinion, Homicide went downhill after Luther Mahoney was killed because he offered a great storyline that could progress with the series. After that, the show became, more or less, a typical cop show, with a murder happening, and being solved in the course of an episode.

Another HBO winner, Oz, has slipped due to the fact that for the past couple seasons, everyone is trying to kill each other, and there isn't much else in the line of plot. It has become redundant.

I don't want the same to happen to The Wire. So far, it has been a fantastic show, and I urge everyone and their brother to watch. I can't wait for season 1 to debut on DVD.

http://www.hbo.com/thewire/img/cast_...ealer_omar.jpg
"The Cheese Stands ALONE!"

No spoilers, but the ending of last night's episode was one of the most intense things I've ever seen on television.

Yes it was pretty brave to kill off (???) one of your main characters during the 1st season. I believe that by the end of this season all of the bad guys will be arrested or killed, so next season will probably be an entirely different storyline with new bad guys.

It kind of reminds me of the 1987 series 'Wiseguy' with Ken Wahl. He spent the 1st season undercover and brought down Sonny in the last episode. The 2nd season he went against Mel Profitt (played brilliantly by Kevin Spacey), the incestuous brother of hottie Joan Serverance.

So I would think that the 2nd season of The Wire would feature most of the same 'good' guys, but a whole new cast of 'bad' guys. It looks like next week the 'good' guys come down real hard on the 'bad' guys, because of the shooting of the undercover officer.

Chris