Ten Years On, 'The Wire' Still Stands As The TV Series of All Time — A Classic

In the rapidly growing world of TV series, there is only one that stands out, indispensable and unforgettable — immortal. It was exactly ten years ago we started watching The Wire, launched by HBO, and our lives changed. For me, so much so that I have watched it five times, each time discovering a layer or two that leaves me stunned about the depths of 'the human condition'.

A decade on, this undefinable piece based on a shattering story, excellent acting, Baltimore as a metaphor for a world set to rot by dirty politics, and a flawless narrative with a message to tell, has placed itself in a league of its own. It sits high above any other series — including The Sopranos or Breaking Bad — having set standards almost impossible to match.

The story of The Wire began with its creator, David Simon, then working as a journalist for the Baltimore Sun, and a senior detective, Ed Burns, chasing a local drug lord in the city. Both men were fiercely intelligent, blunt and angry about the way the local politics were run. They quit their jobs in disgust and started collaborating on books, which led to the production of the series.

Simon would later describe The Wire in different ways: as “Greek tragedy for the new millennium”, with sclerotic institutions playing the role of callous, indifferent gods; as a story about “the triumph of capitalism over human value”; and as a chronicle of “the decline of the American empire”. The Wire avoided victories, preferring to show corruption, failure and decay. In this show, reformers would be thwarted, crooks rewarded and ordinary people ground down by the system. The Wire was as much journalism as entertainment — a form of protest television.

It was the series that featured an almost all-black cast, and made Idris Elba, Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, and Michael B Jordan who they are today.

Today, it is still a powerful story, whose only main character is Baltimore. 

And, it is still as exciting as watching it for the first time, rest assured.