<p>yes, I know it’s no longer on HBO, but my H and I missed this series when it was on, and we’re now watching it on DVD. I LOVE it!! The writing is amazing (it should be, with all the famous writers working on it), but it’s the characters that are so captivating. I can’t believe this program never won an Emmy.</p>
<p>We’ve just started watching season 5, and I’m sad already that there will soon be no more Omar! Any other fans out there on CC?</p>
<p>Me! I LOVED The Wire! I don’t get HBO and a few years ago my brother-in-law gave me the DVDs of seasons 1 through 3. He raved about it and said it was the best TV series ever, but I read the blurbs on the covers and figured I’d hate it since it was about gritty Baltimore and street dealers, etc. The DVDs sat on my shelf for a couple of years until last Christmas when I got a laptop computer. I needed something to watch to try out the DVD software so I grabbed Disk 1 of Season 1. It took me about 2 episodes before I could even understand the dialog and figure out who was who. But once I settled in, I was hooked! I holed up every night after work for about 3 hours and watched episode after episode till I got through all 3 disks. My husband thought I was nuts.</p>
<p>My B-I-L gave me Season 4 last Christmas and I watched it while Season 5 was airing. I couldn’t wait for the DVD to come out so I read all the episode recaps of Season 5 on televisionwithoutpity.com. I’m hoping he gives me the DVDs for Christmas again :)</p>
<p>Omar was terrific. I can’t believe they killed him off. It’s sinful that the series never won an Emmy – it’s the most well-written TV show I’ve ever watched. I’m surprised that no one on CC ever talked about it in all of the “favorite TV show” threads that have come and gone. I’m happy to find another fan!</p>
<p>We loved “The Wire”–also got started watching it late, so we watched the earlier seasons on DVD. If you love the writing, you’d like books by crime writers George Pelecanos, Richard Price, and Dennis Lehane, who all wrote for the show (toward the end, Pelecanos was a producer). When you’re finished with the series, you can get your Wire fix by reading any of them. The depressing thing about the show is how close to reality it is.</p>
<p>Geezermom (love that name) - actually, I read all the Lehane and Pellecanos novels before I watched “The Wire”; their writing was what led me to “The Wire” to begin with! I AM sad that Lehane has said he won’t be writing any more of his serial mysteries (it’s stand-alone novels for him from now on. Boo.)</p>
<p>I can’t believe how much I care about these crazy characters, even the criminals (especially the criminals.) There isn’t a poorly-drawn character in the bunch. I thought Season 4 was my favorite, but I’m really enjoying Season 5, too (makes we wish I’d been a newspaper reporter.)</p>
<p>I only started watching it about a month ago. I’m now starting Season 5. It’s an addicting show.</p>
<p>I just wonder how authentic the show is.</p>
<p>This is why Netflix is so awesome.</p>
<p>scout59, you’re making me want to watch it again. My H is in the middle of the latest Lehane book. We heard them all give a reading last year. I kept wanting them to talk about The Wire, but (funny thing) they wanted to talk about their novels.</p>
<p>Mr Payne, I don’t know how authentic the show really is (it sure SOUNDS authentic.) However, I do know that Ed Burns, one of the writers and producers, was a Baltimore policeman for about 20 years and was also a teacher in the Baltimore school system.</p>
<p>
That is saying enough. It seems far more realistic than many other shows.</p>
<p>I think this will prove my bona fides as a fan. A month ago I was lucky enough to see the play August: Osage County on Broadway. Jim True Frost, who played Pryzbylewski on The Wire, had a smallish role. And like some goony teenage fangirl, I waited at the stage door for him and yelled out “Hey Prez!” when he exited. He smiled, came over to chat about the show and Baltimore for a bit (I explained that my son went to college there and had introduced me to The Wire), and signed my program. I left grinning like a fool.</p>
<p>I miss the show like I’d miss an old friend who passed on. 99% of television pales by comparison.</p>
<p>I don’t have cable, so I watched The Wire on DVD from our library. It was awesome!</p>
<p>They had a habit of killing off my favorite characters…and I sometimes forgot which ones I’d seen and missed some stuff, since I was competing with other library patrons for the DVDs. I know, for example, that I need to go back and watch the last episode of the 4th season, at least. Actually, I’m tempted to start over from the beginning and watch it all the way through. </p>
<p>Amazing writing. Amazing acting. Which singer of the theme song did you prefer?</p>
<p>Homicide: Life on the Street was about the homicide department in Baltimore and was based on the non-fiction book written by David Simon. That was a GREAT show also. Great shows, great characters, quirky, intense…</p>
<p>I have Season 1 of the Wire to watch yet. I’m in the process of finishing The Avengers (John Steed and Emma Peel).</p>
<p>“Homicide” was a great show, too (loved Andre Braugher’s character!) The actor who played Meldrick in “Homicide” is one of the directors of “The Wire” and he also plays one of the primary characters in Season 5.</p>
<p>I envy you, ellemenope - you have ALL of “The Wire” to look forward to. I’m just savoring these last few episodes of Season 5.</p>
<p>MommaJ: I really liked the character of Prez in Season 4. I kept worrying that his character was going to get killed off in some schoolyard fight…</p>
<p>Wire creator David Simon worked (not happily, in the end) for the Baltimore Sun. There was a long article about Simon and the series in The New Yorker last year–it’s worth reading.</p>
<p>Consolation, I liked the Steve Earle version of “Down in the Hole.” At least I think he sang it one season. He also played one of my favorite characters: Waylon, Bubbles’ sponsor and 12-step group leader. He’s a singer, not an actor, but he brought a lot of his own life experience to the role (as did other actors).</p>
<p>I’ve had the good fortune to run into three actors from the show on different ocassions. Detective Bump, Detective Lester, and the female Detective. I complimented each and they all were very polite. I saw Bump at an arts festival and told him that the producers should create a new show just for the Bump character.</p>
<p>I didn’t realize that Steve Earle is Bubbles’ sponsor! How cool is that?</p>
<p>I have never heard a person that has seen The Wire say anything other that it is the best TV show they have ever seen. I agree</p>
<p>My son got me hooked into the series during winter break last year. Thanks to Netflix I went through the first four seasons in a short period of time then waited with great anticipation for the release of Season 5. More than once I called home to ask if the red enveloped had arrived and multiple times I changed my plans to get be there early.</p>
<p>I read somewhere, and I agree, that seeing the series on DVD helps the audience appreciate it better. Besides, it would have driven me crazy having to wait a week in between episodes.</p>
<p>I finally convinced my wife to start watching season 3 with me. It took a bit of explaining for her to understand the background but we saw seasons 3-5 together. We just started watching season 1 and 2 and will probably watch the rest of the series again. According to my wife the show changed the way I say “alright”.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago we were watching a movie with some neighbors (I believe it was Run Baby Run). At one point three of us said simultaneous “Omar is back” as Michael K. Williams appeared for the first time in a small role he had in the movie. At the end of the movie we explained the reference to our friends and raved about the show. At least two of them have joined the “cult”.</p>
<p>The question is: what are you watching now?</p>
<p>I have been watching Deadwood. In a different league and a little bit of an acquired taste but not bad.</p>
<p>TV content on DVDs really expands the universe of what to watch! I usually miss the first season of a show…especially now that a lot of good shows come out on cable, the shows don’t get the advertising that would build the audiences right out of the chute. (I have been doing better at keeping an eye out for promising new shows on cable channels.)</p>
<p>Looking forward to starting The Wire.</p>
<p>The Wire is amazing. No question about it. Just don’t think that the Baltimore it shows it the ONLY Baltimore there is. 
We Baltimoreans (also known as “Baltimorons”) get a little sensitive about that.</p>
<p><<consolation, i=“” liked=“” the=“” steve=“” earle=“” version=“” of=“” “down=”" in=“” hole.“=”" at=“” least=“” think=“” he=“” sang=“” it=“” one=“” season.=“” also=“” played=“” my=“” favorite=“” characters:=“” waylon,=“” bubbles’=“” sponsor=“” and=“” 12-step=“” group=“” leader.=“” he’s=“” a=“” singer,=“” not=“” an=“” actor,=“” but=“” brought=“” lot=“” his=“” own=“” life=“” experience=“” to=“” role=“” (as=“” did=“” other=“” actors).=“”>></consolation,></p>
<p>Wow, I didn’t realize that was who he was! He was excellent. I loved Bunk, too. (I think it was Bunk, not Bump.) I liked the elder Sabotka a lot, and I was bummed when he died. The version of “Down in the Hole” I preferred was sung during that season, although they were all good.</p>
<p>I’m going to have to visit the website and study up! :)</p>