The Wire - any good?

It's excellent, but you have to give it 8 or so episodes before you really start appreciating it. They throw so much at you at the start it takes a while to get into it.
 
And he's the slimy bad politician chap in 300.

Oh yeah, The Wire is truly brilliant. It took me about 3 episodes for it to click. Then I just went back and watched those 3 episodes again. I'm about to start S5.
 
jp_bl_68 said:
I didn't mean that 95% talk is a bad thing I was just suggesting that it might be the reason some find it boring. I love The Wire.
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That's fair enough - enjoying "talky" films is something which comes with age. And in some cases, never comes.


M
 
It was on bbc2 earlier this year, probably the best thing on tv all year. I can see that not everyone would like it but it is very well written I think

http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/obama_loves_the_wire_i_now_love_obama







In his youth Melvin Williams, the actor who plays the Deacon, was a real-life drug kingpin who was arrested by series writer Ed Burns in 1984 when he was a Baltimore city police officer.[6] Creator David Simon was responsible for covering the arrest for The Baltimore Sun at the time.[7] Williams received a 34-year sentence for his crimes and much of the evidence against him came from a wiretap investigation like the one featured in the first season of the show.[7]

Williams was featured in the Black Entertainment Television series American Gangster.
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It's absolutely outstanding. You have to pay attention though - it's very complicated. A friend of mine told me that at one point in the middle of it there are something like 65 interwoven story lines going on.
 
vonhelmet said:
It's absolutely outstanding. You have to pay attention though - it's very complicated. A friend of mine told me that at one point in the middle of it there are something like 65 interwoven story lines going on.
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That sounds like a lot but it doesn't surprise me. It's incredible television.
 
I bought the complete box set a few weeks back, going purely on all the praise it gets.

Definitely worthwhile.. I'm on S3 at the moment and it's very good!


I've got The Shield to watch after that :)
 
I love this show! I can see why some might get bored early on but you really need to give it time to expand so you get a better picture on everything.

Whoever mentioned Prison Break has it right, I started watching that after a mate lent me his boxset and its good but the constant breaks to add drama is so lame after a while.
 
It's very good.

I don't understand why people go mental over it, saying its the best series ever, but it's certainly great TV.

I watched all 5 series in about 3 weeks.
 
Hen_Dawg said:
I think its essential television.



I always tell people to give it 5 episodes and you won't regret it. It's not your average CSI junk, everything wrapped up and solved in 45minutes. It builds and goes deeper all the way.

To the people who says its boring and 95% talk then I suggest you stick with 24 or stuff like that as you'll probably never appreciate the genius involved in writing, creating and performing TV like The Wire. It is for the more discerning viewer
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Currently watching Battlestar Galactica complete series on Blu Ray,picked up on it following many glowing reviews,some of which describe it as some of the best written made for T.V material to date,tbh having reached the mid-way point of series 3 I'd have to agree with the positive reviews,I'm finding myself completely absorbed by the series/characters and at times find it hard to tear myself away from it.

The wire is obviously a different genre,but well written T.V is well written T.V regardless of the setting,i'll be looking for something as well written as BSG once I've finished the series,do you think the wire will fit the bill for me? Also,do you rate BSG highly or is it not to your taste? Cheers for any info.Merry xmas!:)
 
I think this subject has popped up quite frequently in this forum and each time I say that The Wire is the best TV ever made, sheer brilliance.

Just got given Season 1&2 of Madmen which I'm very excited about watching.

BSG is good, not as good as B5 but it still has good story arcs, solid scripts and decent acting; almost unheard of with regards to Sc-fi
 
Although The Wire is absolutely a milestone in tv series and, as someone said, essential viewing for anyone interested in TV story telling, it has got to be said that the first episodes of The Wire - the long wound introduction to low rises and projects, consultation and creation of the task force, is one of the toughest and time consuming "get intos" you will ever experience in your tv and movie watching life. If this show wasn't on HBO it would be long gone and cancelled after third episode, as the start of the show is absolutely, undesputably and intentionally made into almost cinematic marathone which is impossible to watch in typical CSI tea break, newspaper reading, chat with wife style, and do not even attempt to watch it in a small widow/corner of the screen while browsing. You either give it full attention, even if it means forcing yourself through first episodes, or don't approach it at all.
 
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Very true v0n. I actually found it took me 3 episodes to get into it fully. I didn't give up on it though as so many people on here raved about it and i am so glad i stuck with it.

If it had been on Fox it would have been moved to friday night after the 3rd ep to die off :mad:.
 
sammo62 said:
Ive got the big box set, loved S1, but really cant get into S2. Does it just start slowly?
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Definitely... but there are a lot of necessary potatoes to devour to get through to the meat. 'New Season Shock Syndrome' also comes into play.

But stick with it. And if you liked 1, you'll love 3 :)
 
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