Good Television

It used to be I would subscribe to HBO for just three months a year, so I could watch the prison drama Oz. Now Oz is gone, so I subscribe to watch The Wire, the finest cop show in the history of American television.

Season two of The Wire starts on Sunday, and I can't wait to see it. Fellow fans can get prepped by reading the Baltimore City Paper's interview with David Simon, the show's creator and primary writer.

Comments

[Anonymous]

is that like an adjunct to the corner?

[Anonymous]

opps, me no read. me dumb.

[Scott Harris]

I'm with you. The Wire is solid as rock television. After watching a rerun the other night, I was thinking that it's the only show of my favorites where my "disbelief is suspended" for the whole episode. I'm so glad it wasn't a one-off series.

[Gilbert Martin]

"finest cop show in the history of American television"?

Nah.

I don't think so.

The best cop show was Miami Vice.

[Jesse Walker]

I hated Miami Vice, as I hate virtually everything Michael Mann produces. I haven't seen The Shield but I keep meaning to sample it.

Anyway: as Simon comments in the interview, it's somewhat misleading to think of The Wire as a cop show. It's a show about cops and criminals, but it doesn't follow any of the genre formulas. The first season was more like a 13-chapter novel, or 13-hour film, that grew steadily more engrossing as it unfolded.

[Gilbert Martin]

To each his own.

Since every other show that's been on TV in the last 40 years has been a "cop show" of some sort, I rather doubt that The Wire is the best of them all, although I've never watched it. In fact although I have HBO I rarely watch any of their "in house" created programs (including the Sopranos). I would rather they showed more movies instead of trying to create their own shows.

Another one of my favorite cop shows is an oldie but goodie - The Untouchables.

[Anonymous]

FX's the Shield is really enjoyable and gritty if a little low on the memory of past offenses of its officers. Now that its season is over, FX is running Lucky, which is fun and watchable in a similar way; it's not really realistic but quite enjoyable.

[Cal Ulmann]

Right on Jesse. The Wire is great because the charachters all have minor flaws and are real people. The Wire really tells the story of a world from all sides not just from one side like most cop shows.

[Anonymous]

What do you guys think about 24? Is that a TV cop show?