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The Wire is an HBO original television series based on the ongoing drug wars in Baltimore, Maryland. It is produced and written by David Simon, a former Baltimore journalist, and Ed Burns, a former police officer.
The series examines the drug trade not only through the eyes of the police but also by following the lives of the drug dealers and addicts. It also broadens out to look at the life of the city and the ways its instutions work, or don't, creating the problems that feed the drug trade.
The series was shot in Baltimore and often used locals as extras, includig cameos by a former Police Commissioner and by the Governor of Maryland..
It has been widely praised as one of the best TV dramas ever made, and compared in scope and power to a great novel.http://www.slate.com/id/2149566/
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Fast Facts
- Air Dates: June 2002 - March 2008
- Network: HBO
- Created By: David Simon
- 5 seasons, totalling 60 episodes
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Cast and Show Details
- Debuted: June 2, 2002
- Series finale: March 9, 2008
- Network: HBO
- Number of seasons: 5
- Number of episodes: 60
- Created by: David Simon
- David Simon
- Nina Kostroff Noble
- Joe Chappelle
- Ernest R. Dickerson
- Clark Johnson
- Edward Bianchi
- Steve Shill
- David Simon
- Chris Collins
- George P. Pelecanos
- Richard Price
- Runtime: 60 minutes / episode
- WGA Award (2008)
- Peabody Award (2004)
- Edgar Award (2007)
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An Episodic Novel On Television
Creator David Simon based The Wire on his experiences as a police reporter for The Baltimore Sun, as well as on those of his writing parter, former Baltimore homicide detective Ed Burns. Initially intended to focus on police surveillance, the show grew to represent the larger pressure between individual need and institutional pressure. Each season approached the show's core issues and themes from a different perspective: the police department, the dockworkers, the politicians, the education system, and the media.
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The Mahalo Top 7
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HBO: Official The Wire Website
HBO's site dedicated to The Wire with detailed epsiode summaries, cast and character information, interviews, features, news and much more.hbo.com -
Slate: "Why The Wire is the Best Show on Television"
slate.com -
The Wire Wiki
The Wire Wiki is a freely editable database for the HBO TV series, with season and episode information, character information, and more.thewire.wikia.com -
NPR: David Simon, Unspooling 'The Wire'
A 40-minute NPR interview with the creator of The Wire, shortly after the end of the series, discussing some of its major themes and characters. Contains plot spoilers for all five seasons.npr.org -
The Atlantic: The Angriest Man In Television
How David Simon’s disappointment with the industry that let him down made The Wire the greatest show on television—and why his searing vision shouldn’t be confused with realitytheatlantic.com -
Wikipedia: The Wire
en.wikipedia.org -
IMDb: The Wire
imdb.com
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HBO: Official The Wire Website
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The Wire Season 1
The first season of The Wire introduces the main characters and centers on an investigation of the Barksdale drug gang in West Baltimore.Due to the complexity of the plot and the large number of characters, many people find that it takes a few episodes before have a good grasp of what's going on and they are fully gripped by the series.
Season 1 Opening & Intro The Wire Season 2
The second season of The Wire focuses on the port of Baltimore. The police investigate smuggling and human trafficing, while union leader Frank Sobotka tries to bring more work to the docks using money from dubious sources to buy political influence.This season has been described as an elegy to America's working class. The decline of manufacturing in Baltimore and the port workers' struggles for a livelihood are an undercurrent running through the whole season.
Season 2 Opening & Intro The Wire Season 3
The third season of The Wire returns to the West Baltimore drug scene. After some of the high-rises are demolished, the displaced drug gang seeks new territory elsewhere leading to conflict with other dealers.
Meanwhile veteran police commander, Major "Bunny" Colvin tries a new strategy to rescue normal life for the residents of his drug-ravaged district, and Tommy Carcetti positions himself to run for Mayor.
The Wire Season 4
The fourth season takes us into the lives of the West Baltimore kids, on the streets and in the schools. At the same time it follows the Mayoral election race, and shows the way that schools, police and politics all come together to make the city what it is.
Meanwhile we continue to follow the investigations of drug trafficing and the homicides that result from it, and everything comes together as the street kids get caught up as witnesses, victims or future criminals.
The Wire Season 5
The fifth and final season of The Wire brings many of the strands from all of the previous seasons together. Police work suffers from the city's financial problems, as budgets are pared to the bone to help keep the school system running. Investigators try to find ways to play the system to get the resources to follow leads from their previous work.
In the final season, we are also introduced to the workings of the press and its relationships with the politicians and the police. Press coverage influences politicians and policing priorities, while The Baltimore Sun itself faces the financial pressures of the declining newspaper market, and reporters pursue their own career and personal goals as best they can.
The Wire on Amazon | View All
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The Wire: The Complete Series - $249.99
Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 12/09/2008 Rating: Nr
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The Wire - The Complete Second Season - $59.98
(HBO Dramatic Series) The most unvarnished, uncompromising and realistic police drama ever returns for another hard hitting season. McNolty has been demoted to harbor patrol, Daniels is in the police archive dungeon, Prez is chafing in the ...
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The Wire - The Complete First Season - $59.98
From David Simon creator and co-writer of HBO's triple Emmy-winning mini-series The Corner this unvarnished highly realistic HBO series follows a single sprawling drug and murder investigation in Baltimore. Told from the point of view of bo...
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Super Solder Wire 60% 1.0mm Diameter - 1lb Spool - $14.58
High quality solder for electronics and electrical work. 60% tin and 40% lead with flux in the core for a strong, long lasting bond. Diameter: .031"/1mm. 1 lb. spool.
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Questions and Answers About The Wire | View All | Ask a Question
View All The Wire Questions (155) | Ask a QuestionIf I love The Wire, what other shows would I like? (4 Answers)I just went to your The Wire page, read a bit about it and watched the "how to play chess" video. I had never seen The Wire before I don't ... read moreHow many seasons of The Wire is there? (2 Answers)The Wire was 5 seasons long and ran 60 episodes total. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Wire_episodes read moreMahalo was mentioned on Wired Magazine!! (5 Answers)This is the link http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2008/12/mahalo-answers/ Mahalo is getting good publicity. I am glad about it. Thank you for sharing the news!!! read moreThe Wire - How true to life is it? (1 Answer)My personal opinion is that The Wire is the greatest TV drama that's ever been made - yes, even better than the way-more-popular Sopranos. It never got recognition from the ... read more
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The Wire on Twitter Powered by Twitter
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The Wire star Sonja Sohn fights real life Baltimore crime after show ends. http://bit.ly/4d9YTA
@miriamberkley | November 11, 2009 07:18 AM -
Down to the wire: new qualifying and point distribution rules have... http://tinyurl.com/ydqobjm
@celeste8nyl | November 11, 2009 07:15 AM -
TripleClicks Deal-of-the-day: QuikStrip Self Adjusting Wire Stripper Deluxe Set $9.99 (normally $19.99) http://tinyurl.com/8okd34
@bairi1260 | November 11, 2009 07:15 AM -
Taylor Swift could wire her way to entertainer of the year: The lone female contender for the top prize has achieved .. Westwood Village LA
@b2review | November 11, 2009 07:15 AM -
10 Strangest Animal Incidents: Blown away by the wind or hanging from a wire by its horns, meet some of the mos.. http://twurl.nl/osycn2
@twistol | November 11, 2009 07:14 AM
The Wire - Articles
- Redemption Song and Dance - A profile of Little Melvin Daniels, former gangster and actor in The Wire
- 'The Wire': Young Adults See Bits of Their Past (Washington Post)
- Everything you were afraid to ask about "The Wire" (Salon)
- David Simon on cutting "The Wire" (Salon)
