The Wire: The Complete Seasons 1 - 5 Box Set (HBO) (24 Discs)

No amount of praise can do this programme justice.
The Wire may start off a little slow for some people, but after a few episodes you will start to get hooked. The characters are excellent, and once you get to the 3rd season you'll realise just how deep they are. Many of the more "hood" characters are so far from what you may initially see as stereotypical shells, it really makes you think.
All 5 seasons are interwoven in multiple ways, and characters persist throughout, new ones working their way in, old faces taking varying routes 'out', but all with the same brilliant acting and believable story.
It is different from a lot of shows in that is gives you all sides of the stories, literally in some cases, and is pretty much the best show I have ever watched, recieves a tonne of praise, yet is still underrrated. Give it a deserving viewing and you will not regret it.

When I first heard about the wire a friend said to me, "make sure you watch the first 3 episodes, then you will be hooked". This is exactly what happened.
The series starts off a bit slow, after all it is based on reality, but after the first 3 episodes you understand the language, believe in the characters and need to know what happens. It is easy to watch 3 or 4 hours at a time.
It is all based in Baltimore, looking at the drugs trade from street hopper all the way to the top, and the police from the street to the politicians. It is amazing to see the interactions and how good and bad becomes mixed up.
Each series is very different and looks at the groups from different points of view. This keeps it fresh and brings in different characters and areas. By the end, it feels like you understand the complete cycle of life in this part of the city. When it ends you are left wanting more
There are only two types of people, those who haven't watched the wire, and those that can't believe everyone hasn't seen the wire.

Like many other people The Wire was recommended by a friend from a friend and I didn't even know this show existed. When I started off I was a bit sceptical, this changed within 4 episodes as the storyline unravelled and the characters became more familiar. The script was sensational and the acting is exceptional in all of the 4 series I have seen to date. I won't dive into the storyline too much but it's all about the drug trade from the kingpins at city hall, the kids on the street corners, the dockers shipping the goods to the media. Slap bang in the middle are the police desperately trying in vain to stop the drug trade as the bodies start piling up.

The characters are brilliant and to name a few of a huge list are Snoop a real life corner kid convicted of murder when she was 14, Bunk a cigar smoking detective, McNaulty a drunk detective, Bubbles a homeless addict, Bodie who you see flourish over the series and Cedrick Daniels possibly the best actor in the series.

After each series the outcome is brilliantly portrayed in a 3-4 minute montage, your favourite characters will become despised and your despised characters will become your most loved. I'm just disappointed I've only got series 5 left to watch.

I urge everyone to at least give it a try it doesn't disappoint.

Not only is the wire the greatest tv show ever made, it is a wonderful study of the times we live in and a piece of art that will stand the test of time. It will be remembered and cherished for generations to come in the same we celebrate shakespeare today. It is that good! The writing, characterisation, plotting, casting and acting is just flawless. It is tv perfection and it improves with repeat viewing. It'll make you laugh and it'll make you cry but most of all it'll make you think about urban life and decay and wonder how we reached this point in our development. Genius of the highest order....

It is so amazing you will probably never watch TV again.