2008 Winter TV Preview: The Wire

The Wire - Season 5

Premieres: Sunday, January 6th at 9:00 p.m. EST
Network: HBO
Creator(s): David Simon
Starring:: Dominic West, John Doman, Frankie Faison, Aidan Gillen, Deirdre Lovejoy, Clarke Peters, Wendell Pierce, Lance Reddick , Andre Royo, Sonja Sohn
Website: hbo.com

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The Wire is an HBO drama series that takes place in Baltimore, Maryland and centers on the struggles of the city. The first four seasons covered issues like drugs, politics, the working class as well as public schools. The story is told from various perspectives, which is probably why the cast is so huge. The series is said to be fairly realistic in its portrayal of the issues and often uses people who aren’t professional actors to play small roles and help give the show a more natural look.

The fifth and final season of the series will explore the role the media plays in everything.


Everything I’ve ever heard or read about The Wire has been good. People who like this show rave about it incessantly. I’m sure it deserves at least some of the hype it’s gotten but for whatever reason, I just haven’t gotten around to watching it. I am kind of curious to see if the show really is as good as people say it is.

My question to fans of The Wire is this: Is The Wire the kind of series I can start watching this season or do I need to go back and watch the first four seasons in order to understand and enjoy the fifth season when it premieres?




Here are two clips from the premiere episode of The Wire:





For the full 2008 Winter TV Premiere Schedule: CLICK HERE