The Wire - The Complete First Season
starring: Dominic West, Sonja Sohn, Jr. Larry Gilliard, Wendell Pierce, Idris Elba
directed by: Clark Johnson
directed by: Clark Johnson
List Price: $59.98
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Product Description:
Unlike most television crime dramas, which neatly introduce and then solve a case all in the space of one hour, HBO's THE WIRE follows one single drug and homicide investigation throughout the length of an entire season. Centered on the drug culture of inner-city Baltimore, the series' storyline unfolds from the points of view of both the criminals lording the streets and the police officers determined to bring them down. This first season introduces detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and his supervisor, Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick), as they begin to pursue evidence against drug kingpin Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris). Meanwhile, Barksdale and his henchmen Stringer (Idris Elba) and Wee-Bey (Hassan Johnson) concern themselves with a rival drug dealer (Michael K. Williams) who's been cutting into their profits. Created by writer David Simon (THE CORNER, HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET), THE WIRE's multifaceted approach offers a nuanced overview of every aspect of the drug trade and the complex morality of its participants.
Amazon.com:
After one episode of The Wire you'll be hooked. After three, you'll be astonished by the precision of its storytelling. After viewing all 13 episodes of the HBO series' remarkable first season, you'll be cheering a bona-fide American masterpiece. Series creator David Simon was a veteran crime reporter from The Baltimore Sun who cowrote the book that inspired TV's Homicide, and cowriter Ed Burns was a Baltimore cop, lending impeccable street-cred to an inner-city Baltimore saga (and companion piece to The Corner) that Simon aptly describes as "a visual novel" and "a treatise on institutions and individuals" as opposed to a conventional good-vs.-evil police procedural. Owing a creative debt to the novels of Richard Price (especially Clockers), the series opens as maverick Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West, in a star-making role) is tapping into a vast network of drugs and death around southwest Baltimore's deteriorating housing projects. With a mandate to get results ASAP, a haphazard team is assembled to join McNulty's increasingly complex investigation, built upon countless hours of electronic surveillance.
The show's split-perspective plotting is so richly layered, so breathtakingly authentic and based on finely drawn characters brought to life by a perfect ensemble cast, that it defies concise description. Simon, Burns, and their cowriters control every intricate aspect of the unfolding epic; directors are top-drawer (including Clark Johnson, helmer of The Shield's finest episodes), but they are servants to the story, resulting in a TV series like no other: unpredictable, complicated, and demanding the viewer's rapt attention, The Wire is "an angry show" (in Simon's words) that refuses to comfort with easy answers to deep-rooted societal problems. Moral gray zones proliferate in a universe where ruthless killers have a logical code, and where the cops are just as ambiguous as their targets. That ambiguity extends to the ending as well; season 1 leaves several issues unresolved, leaving you begging for the even more impressive developments that await in season 2. --Jeff Shannon
Unlike most television crime dramas, which neatly introduce and then solve a case all in the space of one hour, HBO's THE WIRE follows one single drug and homicide investigation throughout the length of an entire season. Centered on the drug culture of inner-city Baltimore, the series' storyline unfolds from the points of view of both the criminals lording the streets and the police officers determined to bring them down. This first season introduces detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and his supervisor, Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick), as they begin to pursue evidence against drug kingpin Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris). Meanwhile, Barksdale and his henchmen Stringer (Idris Elba) and Wee-Bey (Hassan Johnson) concern themselves with a rival drug dealer (Michael K. Williams) who's been cutting into their profits. Created by writer David Simon (THE CORNER, HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET), THE WIRE's multifaceted approach offers a nuanced overview of every aspect of the drug trade and the complex morality of its participants.
Amazon.com:
After one episode of The Wire you'll be hooked. After three, you'll be astonished by the precision of its storytelling. After viewing all 13 episodes of the HBO series' remarkable first season, you'll be cheering a bona-fide American masterpiece. Series creator David Simon was a veteran crime reporter from The Baltimore Sun who cowrote the book that inspired TV's Homicide, and cowriter Ed Burns was a Baltimore cop, lending impeccable street-cred to an inner-city Baltimore saga (and companion piece to The Corner) that Simon aptly describes as "a visual novel" and "a treatise on institutions and individuals" as opposed to a conventional good-vs.-evil police procedural. Owing a creative debt to the novels of Richard Price (especially Clockers), the series opens as maverick Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West, in a star-making role) is tapping into a vast network of drugs and death around southwest Baltimore's deteriorating housing projects. With a mandate to get results ASAP, a haphazard team is assembled to join McNulty's increasingly complex investigation, built upon countless hours of electronic surveillance.
The show's split-perspective plotting is so richly layered, so breathtakingly authentic and based on finely drawn characters brought to life by a perfect ensemble cast, that it defies concise description. Simon, Burns, and their cowriters control every intricate aspect of the unfolding epic; directors are top-drawer (including Clark Johnson, helmer of The Shield's finest episodes), but they are servants to the story, resulting in a TV series like no other: unpredictable, complicated, and demanding the viewer's rapt attention, The Wire is "an angry show" (in Simon's words) that refuses to comfort with easy answers to deep-rooted societal problems. Moral gray zones proliferate in a universe where ruthless killers have a logical code, and where the cops are just as ambiguous as their targets. That ambiguity extends to the ending as well; season 1 leaves several issues unresolved, leaving you begging for the even more impressive developments that await in season 2. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- The Best thing to happen to Baltimore since Ripken
TV does not get any better than "The Wire".There are only a handful of shows that I've seen that even come close this exceptional series (most of them also from HBO)."The Wire" excels in every aspect that makes for great TV -- first rate story-telling, superb acting, deep, complex and multi-dimensional character development, frighteningly realistic sense of place and masterful dialogue.
This is not a show for the weak of heart.There are neat bow ties to tightly wrap up things. ... Read More
Rating: - You're Missing a Phenomenon!
If you haven't seen an episode of The Wire, you really are missing something special. If you can't afford the DVDs, go to your local library; our library has all 5 seasons for check-out! Truly a phenomenal show!
Rating: - One of the best and brightest.....
I rank it up there as one of the best series ever - really no weak points to be seen anywhere on this show. The attention to detail is what has really impressed me during the first season - it's amazing how they have captured the overall atmosphere of Baltimore, Maryland, and the D.C. area from every perspective. This is a truly special show it should not be missed - especially season one.
Rating: - The Wire - Season one
This one took a little longer than I expected, but it came, and it was in great condition. like it came straight from the store!!!
Rating: 
- Is this it? What is all the hype about?
I got the Wire because I thought I was missing the boat on 'the best show on TV'. Well...I must be missing something because after watching 5 episodes I don't get it. I kept thinking it was going to get better..not that it was bad...it just wasn't that interesting. The only reason I kept watching was to see Idris Elba who plays Stringer Bell cause he is a cutie! Other than that, I have no reason or intention of watching any more episodes of the Wire.
- The Best thing to happen to Baltimore since RipkenTV does not get any better than "The Wire".There are only a handful of shows that I've seen that even come close this exceptional series (most of them also from HBO)."The Wire" excels in every aspect that makes for great TV -- first rate story-telling, superb acting, deep, complex and multi-dimensional character development, frighteningly realistic sense of place and masterful dialogue.
This is not a show for the weak of heart.There are neat bow ties to tightly wrap up things. ... Read More
- You're Missing a Phenomenon!If you haven't seen an episode of The Wire, you really are missing something special. If you can't afford the DVDs, go to your local library; our library has all 5 seasons for check-out! Truly a phenomenal show!
- One of the best and brightest.....I rank it up there as one of the best series ever - really no weak points to be seen anywhere on this show. The attention to detail is what has really impressed me during the first season - it's amazing how they have captured the overall atmosphere of Baltimore, Maryland, and the D.C. area from every perspective. This is a truly special show it should not be missed - especially season one.
- The Wire - Season oneThis one took a little longer than I expected, but it came, and it was in great condition. like it came straight from the store!!!
- Is this it? What is all the hype about?I got the Wire because I thought I was missing the boat on 'the best show on TV'. Well...I must be missing something because after watching 5 episodes I don't get it. I kept thinking it was going to get better..not that it was bad...it just wasn't that interesting. The only reason I kept watching was to see Idris Elba who plays Stringer Bell cause he is a cutie! Other than that, I have no reason or intention of watching any more episodes of the Wire.
