The summer's best DVD release

'The Wire' is no average cop show

By Spencer Engel

Published Aug. 29, 2008

The fifth and final season of the best show in the history of television was released on DVD Aug. 12. No, it wasn't "The Sopranos." It also wasn't "Dallas," "M.A.S.H" or "N.Y.P.D Blue." Sorry, sitcom fans - I'm not talking about "Friends," "Cheers" or "Seinfeld" either. Sadly, most of you reading this probably haven't watched more than five minutes of the best TV show of all time. In fact, some of you might not have even heard of "The Wire," so let me tell you what you've been missing.

Most people who have vaguely heard of "The Wire" are immediately turned off by the "fact" that it's a "cop show." (The fact that it aired on HBO doesn't help either.) I don't blame them because you either like cop shows or you don't; there's no gray area. However, I'm quite incensed when people use the "cop show" reason as an excuse not to watch "The Wire" because the show is so much more than that.

Throughout five seasons, "The Wire," set in drug-infested Baltimore, examines the street culture, homelessness, the docks, politics, corruption, schools, media and, of course, police force. It has everything you could ever ask for from a television show. Although it is a drama, and a damn good one at that, there is comedy, dark and light, lurking around every (drug-infested) corner. The dialogue is witty and realistic. (Detective Lester Freamon says this gem in Season 5: "Life is what happens while you're waiting for things that never come.") Did I mention the most badass character on the show is a black, shotgun-toting gay guy who robs drug dealers?

Pretty much all the characters interact with each other, whether they're police, drug-dealers, politicians or eighth-grade students. And get this: There are no stars on the show. The four main characters from the first three seasons are either gone or had their roles significantly scaled back in Season 4, which is the best season of television of all time according to former AOL sports writer Jason Whitlock. Imagine "The Sopranos" without Tony or "Seinfeld" without Jerry!

Did you get all that? Go ahead, catch your breath. See, that's the problem with "The Wire." It's almost written too well. That's what happens when the two main writers are David Simon, who worked for the Baltimore Sun for 12 years, and Ed Burns, a Baltimore cop turned schoolteacher for a combined 20 years. The plot is thick and tough to swallow. "Entourage" it is not. It is nearly impossible to distinguish between good and evil. It's not like "Harry Potter," where you know Harry's good and Voldemort isn't.

The reason it's so tough to distinguish between good and evil, corrupt and clean, and cold-blooded killer and loyal soldier is that "The Wire" exhibits the starkest realism ever seen on TV, and perhaps any forum of entertainment. In real life, practically everyone besides Jesus Christ himself falls into a gray area. Not even the most generous, caring person can wholeheartedly be labeled as good, just as the most sadistic pedophile can't be labeled as completely evil. Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do and being who they are.

There's really nothing anyone can do about it - even well-meaning police officers. If one drug kingpin goes down, another will step in his place. If one corrupt mayor leaves office, another will eventually step in, and so on.

I'm not asking you to immediately heed my advice and drop more than $200 on "The Wire" box set (although it is a reasonable price at $40 a season). But I promise you, if you put in the time and energy that the show demands to watch it and understand, you will be handsomely rewarded.