If you haven’t seen HBO’s The Wire yet then you need to. It’s arguably the best television program ever. And while it is no longer airing, I know a lot of people have yet to see it and if you are among those who have not yet seen this brilliant series then it’s new to you!

What makes the show so great? In a word: Realism. It’s so much more real than just about anything else I’ve seen. It’s certainly far more real than all of those so called “reality” shows (which are all a waste of time in my not so humble opinion.)

This is not just another “cop show.” It’s not another idiotic “good vs. evil” show either. It’s far more nuanced than that. It’s not about the black and the white, it’s about all of the shades of grey in between that make up the real world that we all live in.

The characters will become a part of your consciousness due to how real they seem. This show has many of the most interesting characters I’ve ever “met.” The realism of the characters is partly explained because many of them were based on real people in Baltimore (that’s where the show is based.)

You do need to have some patience with this show. At first you may not get what the big deal is. That’s because it builds up slowly. It’s not a show where each show is it’s own formulaic self contained episode. The show only makes sense if you watch the whole thing beginning to end (I highly recommend diving in and buying the complete series on DVD right now.) It’s almost as if each season is one long novel and each of the episodes is a chapter in that novel.

And likewise the seasons are parts of one long series where all of the parts fit together. Often there are story lines that are first introduced in the first season that are finally paid off in season 5. If you don’t have that kind of patience or attention span then it may not be for you.

Simply put, this is not a show for stupid people. If you’re dumb, I’d look elsewhere. Maybe you should stick to Law & Order or CSI (offense meant.)

Buy The Complete Series On Amazon