Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

SO i recently just purchased the complete series.
I had previously watched the first two series sets 4 years ago and found them to be ok at best but realized I may not have been mature enough to appreciate the series for all it was worth or something. SO I hear for years about how this is one of the best series of all time and blah blah blah. I love most all of HBO's original series and my top favorite tv ever is the Sopranos and Six feet under. I also love Deadwood, Big Love and Carnivale.
Anyways I decide to have a marathon and try to watch the complete series a couple of weeks back. I get to about the 3rd episode of season two before I give up and instead decide to re-watch t he last 3 seasons of six feet under again. I liked The Wire even less this time watching it and an unable to describe why I can't get involved in this show. I find it boring most of the time or at least uninvolving. Easily this has to be the most overrated show of all time IMO.
Does the series get better after the first two seasons or am I just not gonna be able to get into this? I really tried to like this show but dont think its gonna be possible.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I really tried - I watched the first 5 or so episodes On Demand several years ago, but I just couldn't get into it. Some HBO shows I love - Deadwood, Sopranos, Big Love, Oz, but some I just don't care for - Six Feet Under and The Wire.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

If you're not hooked after the first season it's not going to get any better for you after that. The third season is great but again if you're not hooked after the first season you won't get it.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

It's not for everyone. I had a couple of friends who absolutely loved The Shield, so I recommended The Wire (knowing that they aren't necessarily same type of cop show), but they just couldn't get into The Wire the way they got into The Shield. I think part of it was having to be a lot more patient with The Wire, where other shows (even "slower" ones like Deadwood) had more plot development per episode than the Wire sometime had over the course of several episodes.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I LOVED the Wire but like the others said if you don't like it after the first season I doubt you'll end up enjoying it much more. That's a shame,great show!

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

i'm halfway through the 3rd season and i'm wondering were the greatness is.

Sure it is a good show and well worth watching, but i keep hearing people
say it is one of the best shows ever.

Is this really how police act towards each other?
do they really call each other "POH-LEECE"?

So halfway through the series i'm just kind "yeah it's good but still waiting for the great to happen."

I'm having some trouble with the season 3 police created drug neighborhood too.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Interesting. I almost blind bought the complete set during these recent sales. The Shield is one of my favorites, and I just had a feeling I wouldnt like it as much, and also wouldnt give it a fair shake either.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

in Ballmere murrland yes they do lol. Thats the baltimore accent.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I guess what i menat to say is they apparently just say "police"
and dispense with "the" and "officer" .

As in "that mcnullty, he's good police."

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

the problem with the wire is that that are so many characters in the show. sometimes it's daunting to remember all of them. that said, it was probably the best show in the history of television to portray the police and what they deal with on the streets.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I watched season 1 and was really bored.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Season 4 was far and away the best IMO, but if you're that far along and aren't hooked you will never be.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I hate cop shows, but fell in love with this show after Netflixing the first disc of season 1. I'm halfway through the fifth season now.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Pretty sure it has something to do with the lack of a soul.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Its closer to a novel than a traditional TV show. In its pacing, wealth of characters, the way it tells a story. That may not be everyone's cup of tea. Nothing can be all things to all people. I'm sure alot of people don't Like Citizen Kane.


Oh yeah and this. -wink-

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I watched the first season a couple years ago on DVD and didnt really care for it. The one day during the summer it was on sale as a Gold Box deal and I got the whole series. I blew through it in less than a month. All 5 seasons. I just loved it. You really gotta pay attention when you watch it.

My own experience (not that it matters ;) ):

I only liked the first two seasons, but starting with season 3, I started to love it.

I agree with the "novel" comment: it's not MTV paced, it slowly builds and builds within every season.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I couldn't because its just so deliberatley paced.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

It's not a typical series. It requires a lot from the viewer. I guess it's really not for everybody, but I thought it was brilliant.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Normally if I like a show I can blitz through a 5 season marathon in a week. I normally do this for shows just before they start their new season. The wire though, I can't do that. I watched 1-3 back when 4 was on and although I liked it, I just couldn't bring myself to keep on with it. Recently I just watched seasons 4 and 5 and I take back my reservations. Absolutely first rate television. Certainly in the top 10 of all time (with the Shield).

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

My experience:

I watched two episodes of S1 about a year ago and was confused, bored, and almost drifted off a few times.

Decided to give it another shot 2 weeks ago, and I'm now about done with S2. After about 5 episodes of S1, I couldn't stop watching. There's just so much going on, but once you start getting a feel for the characters, it all starts to click. There's still a lot I don't understand or pick up on and sometimes wonder who a certain character is, but I just sit back and soak it all in and it all comes together at some point. It's all about the characters.

Definitely like the comparison to a novel in that you can't just start watching at a certain point, or skip an episode or two. The way a character behaves in a certain scene might be because of something that happened in an earlier episode. I'll be both happy and sad to finish off the series so that I can stop staying up until 4am on marathon watches.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I was a huge fan of Homicide, so naturally I tried to watch it when it first aired. I saw the first four or five episodes and I was enjoying it, but real life got busy and I fell behind, at which point I realized I wasn't enjoying it enough to catch up.

So now when the complete series came out, I decided to give it another try and I was completely blown away. Absolutely great stuff. I've seen the first two seasons so far and I loved them. My faith in David Simon is renewed and all is right in the world once again.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I hope I enjoy this one. I blind bought the complete series set at Best Buy during that 50% off sale. I haven't even started it yet.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

:up:

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I wonder if it may be because a show as deeply layered as The Wire doesn't lend itself to watching it in marathon sessions. I watched them as they aired..sometimes watching them a second time before the next one aired and discovering many things I missed during the first viewing.

To each, his (or her) own, I guess...

Thos.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

The Wire is very close to the mundane real life aspect of police work...since in reality not everything is a shoot out or does it involved DNA CSI style. That being said, if every day life bores you, this show is not for you.

I also agree that the show "demands" a lot from the viewer. Ironically, Homicide (I consider that the best show ever, with The Wire at #2) was exactly the same. If you weren't hooked with the first moments of Homicide, you wouldn't like it later either.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

This.

It's not a show like CSI or L&O that you can have in the background, or miss a few minutes and get caught up quickly. There can be some quick scenes or lines of dialog that if you miss, you'd be completely lost, and at the same time, you have to be cognizant of things you've already seen/absorbed in order for things to fit together - I'm not saying the you're dumb or lazy if you don't get into it, it's just not typical TV, and it really does ask a lot of the viewer.

He's good Poh-leese
 

slop, that's good stuff, very helpful in convincing me to continue watching.
I can see that there are lots of subtle things going on that are like puzzle pieces
that will probably all come together near the end.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Best description... What I found was you have to watch an entire season. Just watching a few shows into it wont be enough. Now if you do watch an entire season and its still not your cup of tea, then yeah you probably arent going to like it.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I purchased all 5 seasons and have them ready to watch. I've heard so many good things about this show so I wanted to give this show a shot even though it's a total blind buy.

I've heard The Wire is a tough watch, so I'm waiting to find the time when I can focus and watch these without any distractions.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I too was a big fan of Homicide, and tried to get into The Wire. Couldnt get through the first season. Just couldn't do it. I have yet to try again.

As for the way they say "police" in Baltimore, I rmember Meldrick Lewis on Homicide always using just "police", not officer or anything when referring to cops. Like in the Episode when Michale Michelle gets his Porkpie shot off his head, he calls her "Female police".

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

And being completely honest, I caught the first few episodes when they first aired after Sopranos, and I couldn't get into it either - it wasn't until a few years later when I met the show on it's own terms that it won me over.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

my cousin is a baltimore city cop and his wife used too be, she's now in a different county, but they do talk like that around us, ha-ha. maybe just not as exaggerated.

the former mayor of baltimore did want to legalize drugs so it isn't that far off to what people in the city wanted to do.

i enjoyed the show a bunch, but i can understand why people can't get into it.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

i'm curious to get your thoughts after you finish the 3rd season. I think I was in the same situation as you, I was liking it, but wasn't on the best show ever! bandwagon. Then there was a certain episode at the the end of the 3rd season where everything clicked. Then after seeing the rest and revisiting the first seasons again, i'm firmly in the best show ever camp.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

I'll probably get a lot of shit for this, but here goes...

I tried to watch this show a few years ago...couldn't even make it through the first episode. I've been wanting to give it another shot, but after giving The Sopranos a second chance recently and having it not keep my interest for a second time, I'm inclined to just pass on it for good. I think that in general, dramatic television just isn't my bag.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

My wife and I both love this show. I like how each season examines different elements of the drug trade in Baltimore.

The 2nd season often strikes me as the odd man out for this show because it spends so much time talking about the docks and shipping industry (how the drugs get into the city) and not so much time with the drug dealers we met in the 1st season. My wife often suggests skipping this season until you're definitely hooked and then go back and watch it. I find the ending sequence to this season heartbreaking.

It took me a couple tries to get into the first season - there's really a lot going on that you have to pay attention to and is very subtle, and certainly small things that will crop up later on.

Personally, I have never been able to get into The Shield, but find the characters in The Wire to be fascinating, especially Omar;)

Michael

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Nah, don't skip season 2. I find it interesting and again it plants seeds for things in later seasons.

Damn, all this talk is making me want to go back and re-watch the series but I don't have season 5 on DVD yet.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

Watched the whole series last year (finished around when it wrapped up on HBO). The first few episodes of Season 1 were complicated, especially just getting to know character names. But I stuck with it and ended up enjoying the show. I had to rewind scenes at times just to be sure I caught everything but I thought it was a great series. I remember some late nights and trying to squeeze in multiple episodes when I got really into it.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

The Wire was on right after Oz for a few years and while I was a huge Oz fan, I don't think I ever made it through a single episode of The Wire.

Re: Why can't I get into the Wire?
 

The Wire is not your typical series. You need some patience to get into its rhythm.

It took me a while too, but once I started getting used to its pace, I loved it.

Not everyone's cup of tea for sure. I remember when it was on sale and everyone was buying it because of all the raves, I posted that you may need some patience with it and that its not 'The Sopranos'.

To the poster who said its like a novel ... that's pretty accurate.