Rob V

Title says it all... I've read great things about each of these series and I'll be wrapping up S5 of Ray Donovan soon. I'm leaning towards Deadwood because of it only have two seasons (I believe) and I have HBO... but The Shield is the most intriguing to me.

Noonan

The Wire

bunkaroo

The Wire

Just finished my fourth viewing of it - still makes me want to see the next episode right away.

jpcamb

Deadwood hands down.

Tried to rewatch the wire and the shield and although I loved both shows when they aired we could not get into them when we tried about 6 months back. Deadwood we have rewatched a few times in the last few years and like you said its short and easy to get through.

The Cow

The Wire

dex14

In order of best "binge" worthy:
The Wire
The Shield
Deadwood
Strike Back

All them are great though.

alfredog1976

The Wire, then Deadwood

Unclejosh

I will be another dissenter in that I did not care for the Wire at all when I tried on multiple occassions to binge it.

Of the remaining 3 I would watch them in this order but all are entertaining and worth watching.

The Shield
Deadwood
Strike Back (start with the UK only series with Richard Armitage then the Cinemax version with Sullivan Stapleton and Philip Winchester) I am not sure if the first series is included with the others which is why mentioned it.

cleaver

The Shield is my favorite show plus most conducive to binging

Geofferson

I loved The Shield when it aired, but have not revisited it since. I vote for either Deadwood or The Shield.

Raul3

The Wire.

The Wire so you could be one of those annoying people, like the majority of us here, that always to these questions with The Wire.

*The "annoying" part should be coming, if you are impatient just do a search.

MrSmearkase

The Shield

eXcentris

The Wire? That would be last on my list. It's much too dense and rich for binging. It's something you savor in small doses. Binge worthy stuff to me are shows like "24". In this case I'd say The Shield.

davidh777

I've watched the Cinemax series a couple times and have heard that the UK one is much slower. I actually think I own it on some service but haven't gotten around to sitting down to watch it. The US series is an immediate grabber, though, and doesn't have that much connection with the original, so I'd start with that. Rob V should be able to tell whether he wants to continue after the first two episodes.

mattysemo247

I couldn't recommend bingeing The Wire. While it's a good show, it can be slow at times and might feel like a slog to watch too fast. I would say The Shield or Deadwood. Deadwood is shorter, so that might be your best bet.

Rob V

Thanks everyone! I'm going to give The Wire first crack... my brother highly recommended that one too. I'll follow it up with Deadwood.

Noonan

Be aware that The Wire is a slow burn at the start. It may take you a few episodes to get into it.

stingermck

The Shield. For all its acclaim I could not get into the wire. But the shield has the most satisfying ending IMO for a show.

hdnmickey

I have similar list and need to make the same choice. Having seen Kim Dickens mention that the Deadwood movie may actually get made this fall I'm leaning towards that one. Second choice is actually Rome. I bought it a long time ago and have never got around to watching it.

Cusm

The Wire
The Wire
Deadwood
Strikeback
The Wire
The Shield
The Wire


I like every show on your list, but the Shield is the lowest on the list for me. While it is not CSI/NCIS level it is not The Wire/Breaking Bad. It is very good, but gets very predictable and then very unbelievable and then better. All the others on the list are much more constant. The Shield is also one from your list, people here will have it First or Last of the bunch and usually the Wire will be the opposite on their list.

eXcentris

But, IMHO, "best show" does not equate to "best show for binging". The Wire is the former, but not the later.

Binging "The Wire" is the equivalent of trying to "Joey Chesnut" a five course meal prepared by a world renowned chef. You want hot dogs, in this case "The Shield".

mrhan

I started off watching the actual first season in the UK. They do connect it with the 2nd season with the first episode and it was sort of jarring to me with the major changes. But by the 2nd or 3rd episode I was hooked. The series was bad ass. I'm still on the fence about the current season. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad, either. I have to watch it again.

davidh777

Yeah, they use it as a jumping-off point for the new series, but it's not like you really need it to understand what's going on. I liked the latest season more than I expected considering the major changes, but I should probably watch it again as well.

Rob V

this is good to know... "binge-ing" in my household can take moooonths. We'd likely get thru 1-3 episodes per week. That said, once I start down the path and like the show, it's pretty much the only show I'd watch regularly outside of regular TV watching (Survivor, AGT and the like).

hdnmickey

Same here. Binging typically just means watching that show, and only that show until we finish. But still only about 10-14 episodes a week. We personally don't just sit at home and watch full seasons over a weekend.