The Wire The Greatest TV Series Ever

[HHR]

I really really really want to put the Sopranos as #1, but they had some undeniably weak and baffling episodes that threw off storylines...The Wire was a seamless, serialized narrative that improved on everything the Sopranos did and then some...
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It doesn't have the family dynamic that The Sopranos had. There are some familial threads woven into the story, but nothing compared to what The Sopranos did.

The one thing that The Wire doesn't have, which may set it back in some people's minds, is a dominant singular character/performance. It doesn't have a Walter White, Don Draper, Tony Soprano, etc.

 

[MartyMcFly]

It doesn't have the family dynamic that The Sopranos had. There are some familial threads woven into the story, but nothing compared to what The Sopranos did.

The one thing that The Wire doesn't have, which may set it back in some people's minds, is a dominant singular character/performance. It doesn't have a Walter White, Don Draper, Tony Soprano, etc.

I'd argue that should be in the wire's favor because it speaks to the greatness of the writing and the overall story that it didn't need one focus or singular character. It could change up its format on a dime for every season and not follow any rules and still managed to tell a compelling story with several compelling characters, not just one. And it was a reflection of society, either in Baltimore or the world at large

 

[jaguar paw]

The one thing that The Wire doesn't have, which may set it back in some people's minds, is a dominant singular character/performance. It doesn't have a Walter White, Don Draper, Tony Soprano, etc.

It didn't need it.

:mjtea:

 

[Silkk]

Friday Night Lights >
Buts its #2 tho

 

[jay211]

Maybe screen wise they weren't dominate. But guys like Stringer, Omar, Avon, McNulty, Lester, D'Angelo, Bodie, Bunk, Frank Sabotka, Michael, and Bubs are extremely strong characters. The collective storytelling of The Wire is superior to those other shows.

Compare the supporting actors in Breaking Bad and The Sopranos to The Wire -- I think The Wire wins hands down. The only show that has a collective of characters as strong as The Wire is Deadwood. And maybe Game of Thrones. Maybe.

 

[kp404]

It doesn't have the family dynamic that The Sopranos had. There are some familial threads woven into the story, but nothing compared to what The Sopranos did.

The one thing that The Wire doesn't have, which may set it back in some people's minds, is a dominant singular character/performance. It doesn't have a Walter White, Don Draper, Tony Soprano, etc.

Great point on the nuclear family dynamic, but David Simon created a world where every single entity, organization,and family were connected because of the fallacies of the American dream...you could argue that the Wire universe was a family, just not in the traditional sense like the Sopranos; As for a singular character, Simon was against that form the start. He wanted the Wire characters to have equal playing field because Simon is an extreme leftist (I wouldn't call his a Marxist but he is an extreme anti-capitalist like me); he doesn't believe one character or person in life is more important than the other; we are all equal in the decay, exploitation, and failure of the American dream because we facilitate capitalism in one way or another...

 

[KravenMorehead™]

Breaking bad is arthouse, from the dialogue to the cinematography. To me it's the TV version of the comic book "100 Bullets"

I wouldn't put it over the wire though

 

[HHR]

Great point on the nuclear family dynamic, but David Simon created a world where every single entity, organization,and family were connected because of the fallacies of the American dream...you could argue that the Wire universe was a family, just not in the traditional sense like the Sopranos; As for a singular character, Simon was against that form the start. He wanted the Wire characters to have equal playing field because Simon is an extreme leftist (I wouldn't call his a Marxist but he is an extreme anti-capitalist like me); he doesn't believe one character or person in life is more important than the other; we are all equal in the decay, exploitation, and failure of the American dream because we facilitate capitalism in one way or another...

You don't need to sell me on the greatness of The Wire. I've been all on it since first airing...I think I started watching "live" midway through S3. I remember when the final season leaked like a year before it aired .

 

[HHR]

It didn't need it.

:mjtea:

Agreed. Just arguing that it didn't improve on EVERYTHING that made The Sopranos great. ;)

 

[Kill Dat Noize]

sopranos > all

 

[HHR]

I do think it's interesting how many people like The Wire and The Sopranos for the wrong reasons. They watch them for the gangster shyt and are oblivious, and sometimes actually critical of, all of the things that make them the two best shows ever made. The layers of story, relationships and meaning are astonishing.

The people who hate season 2 of The Wire are probably the same people who didn't think Tony should've been in therapy.

 

[S.W.A.G.]

The one thing that The Wire doesn't have, which may set it back in some people's minds, is a dominant singular character/performance. It doesn't have a Walter White, Don Draper, Tony Soprano, etc.

The main character was the city of Baltimore....which is what made it so special... So many different types of people, with different challenges and conflicts - all connected through the city

 

[Kill Dat Noize]

Agreed. Just arguing that it didn't improve on EVERYTHING that made The Sopranos great. ;)

the wire even with all it's grittiness doesn't match that raw intensity of the sopranos. the way the dialogue was written, the way it was shot, the way it was acted... it all feels so authentic and so real to the touch. sometimes you watch the wire and the dialogue could be a little campy, like it was a little "too made for television".

plus the sopranos is obviously way more character driven, which i prefer. unlike with most shows we don't just follow these characters when there's something for them to do. we spend so much time with these people that we know what kind of sounds they make when they eat. the wire just had way too way too many angles to explore, so it could never hope to spend as much time with it's characters.

to me the sopranos is just the more emotionally complex of the two. the wire is great and all but on top of being a television show sometimes it feels like half it's mission statement is to also function as an educational tool. it doesn't always explore it's concepts with great dramatic effect. there are lot of scenes with a lot of people we care little about just doing a lot of talking. there's A LOT of exposition.

but the sopranos has so much depth. by the time of season 3 they had done such a phenomenal job of building that world that they didn't even have to advance the plot much to keep you hooked. the self contained character stories were enough.

i dunno i could talk about sopranos forever. it's my favorite show of all time.

 

[ECA]

Yea, there is no other choice than the Wire as best tv show ever. Its literally perfect and never had a weak episode (probably because it was serialized).
X-Files is second, but that weak ass 9th season fukked up the X-Files.

Crown the Wire as the greatest.

Season 5 was

 

[kp404]

Season 5 was

The hate for season 5 of the Wire is the most ridiculous hysteria in television history. There was not a single weak part of that season at all. The media storyline and the fake serial killer thing is something that many people think the LAPD did with the Zodiac Killer to gain publicity; so like all the other seasons, Simon was showing the lengths of corruption that law enforcement will go to save their jobs and money from a ruthless government financial mess. It was excellent.