The Wire TV Show - The Wire Television Show - Yahoo! TV

After watching this you will not be able to sit down and watch an epiosode of Law and Order or C.S.I., because you will be watching it with the knowledge that there is a far superior show you could be watching.

This series is amazing!!! One of my favorites, you can watch over and over and never get tired of the story lines. I'm just sad it had to end. I like how every year they change the song up by having different artist sign the main song. I was sad when lil' [profane] got shot...it made me cry. I will always love this show!!

David Simon sure has a thing for creating TV shows. First came "Homicide: Life on the Street," which ran for seven seasons on NBC and dealt with a squad of homicide detectives in Baltimore. Later, Simon returned to the city where he worked as a reporter, creating "The Wire," considered the spiritual successor to "Homicide."

The shows don't seem to share a common timeline, but Simon's influence on both was unmistakable. Before "Homicide" was created, Simon wrote "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets," an Edgar Award-winner which yielded many of the plot lines used in "Homicide," as well as some of the dialogue. And "Wire" also has some of that. Some "Homicide" regulars also have parts in the show.

The differences between the shows are striking, however. While "Homicide" focused entirely on murders, "Wire" deals with pretty much anything - murder, yes, but also drugs, docks, journalism, whatever. As the name indicates, a lot of the show deals with wiretapping, and the detectives who try and fight back against the violence consuming Baltimore.

"Wire" is a great show, one that deserves a lot more respect than it seems to be getting. But it's not as good as "Homicide." "Wire" feels more real - it's more violent and there's a lot of cursing - and that might be its downfall. It's just too much at times. Perfect example: one scene in the first season where two detectives examine a crime scene, and their only dialogue is variations on one expletive. Yes, it's funny, but it wears out after a while. It's just too much - "Homicide," despite dealing with murder, felt more hospitable. Which is not to say "Wire" isn't good, because it is, and in some ways, it might be better than "Homicide." It's just not quite as good overall.

There is no doubt in my mind that this was the best show to ever be put on television. I have watched it on HBO from the very first episode. The writing is brilliant and many of the writers are very accomplished fictional crime writers, the acting is authentic and the portrayal of a major metropolitan area and the systematic corruption, greed and violence is sadly very accurate. I read in the local papers about the exact same things happening in the San Francisco Bay Area and it reminds me of how unflinchingly real this show was from start to finish. Every episode, every season left me wanting more and was disappointed when it had run its course. I thank HBO for allowing David Simon for finishing his vision even though the ratings were not there. It could only have succeeded on cable because a major network would never have had the patience. Which may be why I almost never watch any shows on the major networks. Just go to your library and reserve the season 1 of The Wire and if you are not convinced that this is a great show I would be very shocked.