Okay I am very interested in this show and have heard nothing but praise. Since Season 4 is premiering very soon, I was wondering if I haven't seen the 1st 3 seasons, would watching the show now make any sense? Is this show a serial where there is a long story arc? I heard that Dominic West has a very limited role this season.

It's not wise. The first 3 seasons tie in with each other so I doubt 4 will be stand alone from the first three.

Your robbing yourself of some great television if you just skip the first 3 seasons.

I first tried watching the show when season 3 started and i had no idea what the hell was going on. Over the last few weeks i have watched the first 2 and a half seasons and everything is much clearer now. This is the kind of show that you absolutely have to watch from the beginning.

The org chart on the Wire page at hbo.com gives an overview of all the characters. When you click on it it will take you to all the cops and the politicians. You can click on "The Street" to see the whole drug web. *Don't click on "The Street" if you intend to watch the early seasons as if a character has died it is marked on there.*

Since my review, I've gotten a bunch of emails about this (or starting with Season 3). I think it's possible, potentially since Season 4 will likely start a bunch of new threads, but I really don't recommend it. Honestly, the show is that damn good. Do yourself a favor and find a way to see those first 3 seasons.

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You still have the problem of figuring out who the hell everyone is, but it would help with season 4 since it looks like the target for this season is

If you aint watched seasons 1-3 then you gots to get got.

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All three of the first season are out on DVD, so just have a big marathon session. It's easy to do once you get started watching the show anyway. I'm watching season 3 as it's being shown on HBO right now, having watched the first two seasons after their arrival on DVD, and I would definitely NOT recommend starting with season 4. There's so much to learn about the characters.

I had the same dilema when season 3 was on. I decided to take the time to watch the first two season, and they flew by. Great television. I think you could do it and still enjoy it, but I think you would be better off to record the new ones while the rent the old.

If you're interested in the show at all, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning.

Record Season 4 in the meantime, I'm sure you'll catch up quickly enough.

Not watching the first 3 seasons first would just be silly.