Mini-series to rival The Wire...

Parent Cafe
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<p>I hesitated to do this since I didn’t want to hijack the thread, but it appears to be slowing down. Anyone care to reminisce and post some favorite scenes from “The Wire”? Here’s a few: </p>

<p>1) Omar testifying.<br>
2) Snoop buying the nail gun. “He said it’s a Cadillac. He meant BMW, didn’t know any better”.<br>
3) Stringer and Avon on the penthouse balcony. Both realizing their businsess relationship is over…
4) I don’t know why, but I really love Stringer’s “40 degree day” rant at his troops.</p>

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<p>I think this may have been the second season, and I saw it a long time ago, but I really liked the scene where two young men (boys really) are playing chess in the projects and the one explains to the other about how they are really just pawns.</p>

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<p>SPOILER ALERT (if you haven’t finished watching “The Wire” yet):</p>

<p>In keeping with my love for Omar, I have to say I really liked the way that Omar’s death was handled in Season 5 (really? killed by a kid in a convenience store?)</p>

<p>Barack Obama has admitted that “The Wire” was his favorite TV show and that Omar was his favorite character in the show.</p>

<p>Goru: Snoop was the one character I could never understand!</p>

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<p>Snoop (Felicia Pearson) is a fascinating real character. She was not an actor, but was one of the real life stars of the show. </p>

<p>Anthony Bourdain did a Wire segment on his show - “No Reservations.” He met up with a couple of characters and ate his way through Baltimore. There is a segment with Snoop. Wire fans will find this interesting. You can find them on You Tube. </p>

<p>Off subject a bit, but I really enjoyed “Episodes” on Showtime - not sure it has staying power, but the first season was good. </p>

<p>Agree that nothing compares to “The Wire.”</p>

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<p>If you haven’t seen it and don’t mind an older mini-series, get House of Cards with Ian Richardson. Funny, smart, well written – “Francis Urquhart, Chief Whip, manipulates things and people to achieve his ambitions in the Houses of Parliament.”</p>

<p>Another oldie but goodie: Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren. Excellent.</p>

<p>We loved the Wire; watched Generation Kill – not as compelling.</p>

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<p>I don’t have cable, but my kids finally got me to watch The Wire. I haven’t finished yet. It’s great (in part thanks to some fabulous guest-writers in later seasons), but I don’t think it’s that head and shoulders above all other TV series.</p>

<p>Anyway, other “writerly” series I have enjoyed:</p>

<p>Friday Night Lights, absolutely.</p>

<p>My So-Called Life, which I would put up against The Wire any day.</p>

<p>Buffy, The Vampire Slayer (at least through Season 5), and Firefly</p>

<p>Freaks And Geeks (This show keeps getting better with age. All three of the regular high-school guys are now bona fide stars – James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel – not to mention show runner Judd Apatow.)</p>

<p>Veronica Mars (esp. Season 1)</p>

<p>Roswell (only Season 1)</p>

<p>and of course Hill Street Blues, which really upped the game for TV writing and made shows like The Wire imaginable.</p>

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<p>JHS- I see your Freaks and Geeks and raise you “The Wonder Years”- especially the first 3 seasons-poignant, touching, and heartfelt.
Throwing in “China Beach” for good measure.</p>

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<p>Ooops. I should have shouted out to The West Wing and Aaron Sorkin’s earlier series, Sports Night (whose three main actors now populate Parenthood, The Good Wife, and Desperate Housewives). No secrets there.</p>

<p>And someone should also mention Dennis Potter’s fabulous BBC series The Singing Detective. And David Lynch’s Twin Peaks (first season only). Both of those easily make it to the finals of Best Series Ever.</p>

<p>But for me, the Best Series Ever prize isn’t even close. It goes to Ingmar Bergman’s original six-episode Scenes From A Marriage, with Liv Uhlmann and Erland Josefsson, and practically nobody else.</p>

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<p>switters: Good call on the chess scene. Favorite line: “The King, he stay the King!” </p>

<p>scout: Yeah, Snnop was tough to follow at times. Sometimes, we’d turn on closed captioning just to figure out what she was saying. ha. </p>

<p>I saw a similar thread on a different message board asking for favorite Wire characters. My list was way too long…</p>

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<p>So I guess it’s clearer by now that The Wire is bordering on an obsession for me. ha. </p>

<p>One last reco for fans. I recently watched an episode of American Gangsters on A&E. It was a documentary about Melvin Williams. You’ll recognize him as the deacon in the later seasons. Turns out he was actually a major drug kingpin in Baltimore during the 70s & 80s. Lots of interviews in this show with David Simon and Ed Burns. Pretty interesting stuff.</p>

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<p>I second the BBC series Luther with Idris Elba, and would add Damages with Glenn Close, due to return for its 4th season in July.</p>

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<p>I have never been so entertained and intrigued by any series as I was by The Wire. My infatuation with the Omar Little character is unrivaled. :wink: However, I am currently “Netflixing” Six Feet Under and Dexter. I’m at the end of season 3 for each and have immensely enjoyed both.</p>

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<p>Bad news for Snoop - Felicia Pearson. She has been arrested in Baltimore on charges of conspiracy to sell heroin.</p>