Osiris3657

I'm looking for a new show to watch and I've decided it's going to be between The Sopranos and The Wire. Not sure which to commit to, so I'm asking you guys. I'm sure I'll see both eventually, but which should I start first?

Tom Creo

Both are of high quality but The Wire wins out but ask yourself this: do you want to be entertained or depressed?


I would vote The Shield if you didn't see that one.

rfduncan

I would say that's a tough call. Both are great shows. However, I'm going to vote for The Wire first only because you don't need to watch it ALL at once. Each season is a separate "case" per se while The Sopranos is a continuing storyline through out. So you can stop The Wire any place between seasons and pick it right back up. The Sopranos was urking me toward the final seasons because they took so LONG to produce and finally air new episodes (HBO dragged it out too).

I'm certain you will enjoy either one, but I myself would re-watch The Wire before The Sopranos in a heartbeat (and I own both series).

Shannon Nutt

I own all three series, but haven't watched either The Shield or The Wire yet. I've watched The Sopranos from beginning to end three times. If not the best TV drama ever to air, it's certainly in the top 5.

Goat3001

Sopranos is great. Sure it had some misses along the way and the finale was a big let down but overall, it's still great.

But the Wire is the best show ever made. So watch that.

Noonan

This. It'll take you a few episodes to get hooked but once you do, you'll never look back. Enjoy the ride.

Tom Creo

Don't know about the best show ever made, lol, but it was a great one. The Wire is technically better overall but the Sopranos had arguably the best season ever (season 1).

macnorton

I voted for The Wire. But both have certainly qualities that may appeal to different groups.

If you like mini-movies that connect together, a deep analysis of actions & re-actions and the psychology of crime, The Sopranos is for you.

If you like a slower paced, novel like, analysis of urban decay and the inner workings of the drug traded, The Wire is for you.

JetSter735180

And another vote for The Wire.

Omar comming yo!

movieking

My thoughts exactly. The best show I've ever seen, consistently great throughout.

Deftones

The Wire x a billion.

wirefan

You forgot the option of "why is this a poll"

Sheee...iiitttt!

As good as the Sopranos was, The Wire hands down.

Timber

This, so this.

I think Sopranos turned into a confusing mess at the end, I suspect because they were trying to get so many Italian American actors on screen that it didn't matter if they served a purpose or not.

The Wire on the other hand is tight from start to finish. If you watch the first season and don't immediately want to go to the next season to see what happens next then it probably isn't for you, but definitely give that first season a shot and you won't likely be disappointed.

OldBoy

what is best DVD set to get as there seem to be a few listings on Amazon for The Wire? different release dates...what's the difference?

RoadToPerdition

I think The Sopranos is one of the most overrated shows of all-time (for the record, I like the show, it's just not the most amazing show ever like a lot of people seem to think), so I voted for The Wire, which might be my favorite show behind Oz.

bootsy

The Wire. The Sopranos is in my top 5 along with The Shield, Breaking Bad, and Six Feet Under but what separates the Wire for me besides it's great characters, writing, etc is that it knew when to quit. The Sopranos after season 3 got very dull at times until the last season.

CKMorpheus

Different seasons? I see each season individually and a few different Complete Series boxes.

In the case of the Complete Series box set, the three different versions are just the same thing sold by different Amazon partners.

OldBoy

not different packaging or anything for the complete series box sets? thanks.

Osiris3657

The Wire it is!

For the record I love The Shield, probably my 3rd favorite show all time behind The X-Files and Breaking Bad. Oz was also mentioned, tremendous show. I own all 5 seasons of Six Feet Under but have only watched the pilot (which I liked)

I was leaning towards The Sopranos because of the criticisms I've read about The Wire being a very slow show.

RoadToPerdition

It's a character-driven show, so sometimes there isn't a ton of "action" in the traditional sense, but there's always something going on and there are a ton of great characters to hook you in.

bcd

Watch The Wire first, actually don't watch another thing until you've finished The Wire. I was a HUGE Sopranos fan and still am, but I thought it was the best show on TV. My brother and I debated which show was better, and I had never seen the The Wire, but couldn't think anything could top The Sopranos. After watching the The Wire I called him up to apologize for wasting his time debating. The Wire is the better series by far.

bunkaroo

The Wire.

The Sopranos started strong but lost steam mid-series and ended weak.

The Wire started strong and only got better.

atrium

Wow not a single other person besides myself choosing The Sopranos?

The Wire is not even close to the greatest show of all time IMO and it does get boring when I see page after page of people calling it greatest of all time. Seasons 4 & 5 were both pretty mediocre.

The Sopranos was something else when it was first airing. Every character is full developed beyond belief. I didn't come close to finding the characters in The Wire half as interesting (exception for a very few characters, like Bodie).

So yeah, Sopranos for me. By a long, long shot. And mafia dramas are way more interesting than cop dramas.

Charlie Goose

This.

However, I do think Sopranos recovered a bit toward the end. And the ending did suck.

The Wire was awesome from start to finish. Never has a TV show examined the drug trade so completely from every angle.
The fact that it was nominated for only TWO Emmys during it's run is laughable.

TimeandTide

Another vote for the Wire.