Steve Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I know some say The Sopranos was the best show and I certainly loved it. However, I always thought The Wire was better than it. Its the final season and I got a hold of a bootleg of the rest of the season. For those who don't know, its based on a drug gang in Baltimore. Its one of the rare shows I know that has made a political statement and still be entertaining. Usually when shows degenerate into politicizing it gets worse. This one didn't. They tackled unions, education, the war on drugs, the police/law enforcement and now the press in the final season. The show is loosely based on a former heroin kingpin of Baltimore named Melvin Williams. The guy had a IQ around 160, lived by the old code of never snitching and despite spells in jail, he never snitched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Munchmaster Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 Better than The Sopranos.......impossible!! Actually I've got Season 1 of The Wire but have never watched it. Perhaps time to give it a spin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Encore Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 Steve, I agree, it is brilliant. Which is the last year, nr 4 or 5. I have a poor copy of 4, bad soundtrack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 The Wire is excellent but is not better or even as good as the Sopranos in my opinion. I am in the middle of season 4 at the moment. Each new season starts off very slow and it takes to about episode 4 before you start getting into it. There is also a spin off series called 'The Corner', which focus's more on the effects of drugs on the addicts. Very depressing but very well made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted February 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 Season 5 is the current and last season. I think The Sopranos started off better and declined. It went off the boil a few times and the ending was one of the worst. David Chase, the creator of The Sopranos, kept being dragged back to do another season (contractual obligations I think) and it was starting to show that he wasn't as interested in it any longer. The Wire stayed consistent, multiple story lines and they developed characters a bit better than The Sopranos in my opinion. The Sopranos is an icon and the The Wire never got its just due in my opinion. The critics as well as the award shows never gave it the respect it deserves. I loved The Sopranos and was just as addicted but I left being a bit more disappointed in some episodes. Matter of opinion I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damen Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I loved the wire up until this season. :thumbup: Seems like they are Jumping the Shark with the homeless serial killer storyline though. :thumbdown: It's so fucking improbable and far fetched that it has me wondering if its based on something that actually occurred. Even if it is based on an actual event, it's playing out like Luke & Laura and the Ice Princess from General Hospital Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dddave Posted February 19, 2008 Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 What was the series HBO had seven or eight years ago based on life in a prison; modeled, I think on Pelican Bay? That was one of the best and most uncompromising series I had ever seen on TV, sometimes very hard to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted February 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 Oz may be the show you are referring to. Even they jumped the shark a little. All successful shows (and even the not-so-good ones) jump the shark at some point I suppose. As for The Wire, there are actual reports of police manufacturing crime scenes. Still hard to believe that McNulty (Dominic West) is from Sheffield, England. I heard one scene where he lost his american accent and spoke in his native, northern england accent. The guy who played Stringer Bell is also english. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dddave Posted February 19, 2008 Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 "Jump the Shark" :question: Someone;...anybody??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted February 19, 2008 Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 This explains it :thumbup: Jumping the Shark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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