Mind you I'm on episode 11 of season 1, finally gave into the hype.
But better than,
Homicide: Life on the Street
The Shield,
N.Y.P.D Blue
I don't hate it, but its a cops and robbers type of show.
It's absolutely not a cop and robbers type show. Either you havent got far enough into the series to see that or you arent paying attention to the details
shareI looked up on the show and one of the writers / producer of Homicide: Life on the street helped create it which is why the 1st season felt like and episode of that show.
I'm on S:2 Episode 4 and about to quit.
I have never been so bored in my life.
Wow. Season 2 is amazing. The show isn’t for everyone. Just like anything else I guess. Personal preference
shareWell, it is one of the best cop shows I have seen. It is so real, explained the politics and motivation of the police so clearly.
But I can understand the grim reality is not what you were looking for.
I bet you are more into CSI or Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
That's not what I said.
More of The Shield.
No. I fed into the hype and binged the entire series back in 2014 or 2015.
It is definitely an excellent show, but I really don't understand why so many people put it on such a pedestal. Even if I'm limiting it's competition solely to dramatic shows that were made in that era or earlier, it's still not even on my top 5 list for that time. 'The Sopranos' was a thousand times better, IMO.
I always feel The Wire is something I should enjoy, considering all the praise it has received, but I tried the first 2, 3, 4 episodes back in Blockbuster days, and somehow the tone of it did not grab me. It just seemed gritty and grim and everyone was compromised and not terribly likable.
That's one of the remarkable aspects of The Sopranos. I'm sure some perhaps literal minded people might object that Tony and his gang were objectively reprehensible and unlikable, but the show struck a tone with many of us where the grimness was leavened with an odd mix of charm and humor.
I don't object to trying The Wire again, but it's hard for me to imagine why I would come around to it considering what I have seen already. I'm not sure what makes it so intriguing to so many.
I get it, man. I never found the series appealing on its face, which is why I never watched it until it was over. I only eventually watched it because of the bizarre amount of accolades "the internet" gave it. When I did finally watch it, I remember having to force myself to finish the first season. To it's credit, it did definitely grab me by the end of season 1. It was very compelling and good for several seasons after that, and then I remember the last couple of seasons were garbage. One season in particular, maybe the second-to-last, seemed to be an almost completely disconnected, separate Baltimore crime story that didn't even center on any of the main characters at all.
Overall, I definitely think it's worth a watch. Easily. The cast and their acting in particular is absolutely stellar. I also don't think that a person has given a serialized show a fair chance unless they've at least watched the entire first season. I would recommend at least forcing yourself to finish season 1, and then decide whether or not you feel inclined to continue.
Thanks. What you say makes sense, and I actually looked for the availability of The Wire in case I wanted to give it another go. So I'm still intrigued, but wanted to express my impression of viewing what I had.
As an aside, at that Blockbuster the majority of copies of the various episodes of The Wire were returned w/o their discs in the box. (The show's THAT good, roll eyes.) Annoying.
I retired from law enforcement after 32 years and just watched The Wire a few years ago for the first time. I never watched "cop" shows for obvious reasons but another retired buddy told me that I should really give it a try. In my opinion it is the most accurate portrayal of law enforcement, politics, the drug scene etc... that I have even seen.
After the 2nd ep I knew that it had to be written or produced or advised by law enforcement and it was.
The inter-office politics going up and down the chain of command along with the actual politics dealing with the Chief, Deputy Chief and Mayor was absolutely spot on.
As Chriscon said above...This is certainly not a cops vs robbers show, it is so much more
I agree 100%! Enjoyable enough, but it's just not on the level of those top-tier shows...
shareI watched it about ten years ago, and found it enjoyable...However, I've never felt the need to own or re-watch unlike the shows I count among my favorites such as Sopranos, Deadwood, Mad Men, and Justified...
shareI've just binge-watched the whole show in the last month or 2, having tried a couple of times before and not being able to make it past the first episode. Obviously I enjoyed it enough in the end to be able to binge-watch it all the way through but as far as being the greatest ever show? Personally I would still rate things like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones seasons 1-7, True Detective season 1 all above it. Probably The Sopranos too. I can appreciate how well written it is and impactful in terms of reflecting real societal issues, and while I think it's very good, it still doesn't resonate with me as much as those shows. Maybe it's the themes and the tone of it. It's very much steeped in its Baltimore roots and me as someone not even from America I sometimes find it difficult to really go with it and its characters.
shareProbably The Sopranos too? It's not even close. Sopranos is a top 10 show all time. Now go home and get your fucking shinebox.
shareDefinite top 5 for me. It's legit one of the best written shows I've ever watch.
Just an all round excellent show
Is the Barney show not in this discussion?
share