The Wire: Season 1

Two Christmases ago, Best Buy was having a sale where all HBO shows on DVD were 50% off. I blew a few hundred dollars on Rome, Entourage, Deadwood, and The Wire. And while I watched the first three shows within a year, it took me until now to finish the first season of The Wire. I tried watching the first episode last March, but fell asleep before it ended. Then I tried again this past Thanksgiving, but once again felt myself fading away. And even though I did manage to knock off the remaining twelve episodes this summer, it took me about two months to do so. But that doesn't mean I don't like the show. It's just very slow. It's also not a show that allows you to surf the web or have a conversation while you watch. It's not that things are subtle. It's just that huge plot points come up during regular conversations. The show is extremely realistic and its greatest strength is probably that accuracy with which it depicts human interactions, whether between cops, drug dealers, murderers, or family members. Only HBO (or one of its lesser premium cable rivals) could get away with such depictions, because networks and basic cable channels simply wouldn't allow the profanity (particularly, the racial slurs) used in this "cop drama." There are a number of people who call The Wire the greatest show of the decade. So far, I think that claim may be a bit lofty, but I'd hardly call it unjustified; if realistic storytelling is your thing, you'd absolutely love The Wire. For me, it's only "very good" so far. I can usually stomach a slow pace - I'm a big fan of Mad Men and Breaking Bad for example - but I'd be lying if I said I didn't fall asleep several times while muscling my way through this first season of The Wire. I guess at this point the jury's still out, for me, on whether or not The Wire merits discussion as one of the all-time five or ten greatest television shows. But I can certainly accept some responsibility here; it's hard to be blown away when you're nodding off. Anyway, I do look forward to watching the second season - I really do - but I'm not about to promise its completion this month or even anytime soon. Hopefully I'll have more to say about the show whenever I do end up posting about it again.