Stephen King Claims There’s ‘Nothing Better’ Than This Crime Drama Masterpiece with 96% Tomatometer

HBO pioneered many of the genres and formats that have become standards in the modern TV industry. Its shows have become synonymous with entire eras: the pop culture of the early 2000s is impossible to imagine without Sex and the City, the 2010s without Game of Thrones, the 2020s without Euphoria.

The success of The Sopranos and Sex and the City, which ensured HBO's special status in the media culture of the 2000s, somewhat overshadowed the third truly revolutionary series of the decade, which largely determined the style of the network's future projects: The Wire.

The Wire Was a Revolutionary TV Project

Created by David Simon, a former Baltimore Sun reporter, the show pioneered the challenging experimental solutions that would later be associated with Game of Thrones. First, The Wire revived the clichéd genre of the police procedural, just as Game of Thrones has rehabilitated the geek fantasy.

Second, Simon's ambitions were not limited to creating a genre work: The Wire became a true political television novel, describing the intricacies of criminal, business, and government structures.

Third, it was not just a series, but a "visual novel," as critics called it. Writers George Pelecanos, Richard Price and Dennis Lehane, who had no experience in television production, were involved in creating the script for the show.

Stephen King Has Nothing But Praise for The Wire

But The Wire was not only created by writers, it received the highest praise from them. Once, Stephen King wrote on his X account:

“The Wire, man. Nothing better.”

And this short comment is a perfect expression of the greatness of this series.

What is The Wire About?

The plot of The Wire seems to be simple. Baltimore, early 2000s. The work in the police department dealing with the fight against drugs does not stop. Usually it is possible to catch some small-time criminals, but it is much more difficult to get in touch with the bosses of an illegal business. Jimmy McNulty together with his partner Bunk Moreland, they travel through dangerous areas, looking for dealers and trying to find a connection between them.

The criminal group is headed by Avon Barksdale, but there is no direct evidence against him. The department assembles a team that uses wiretaps and video cameras to monitor Barksdale and his associates. The police expect to put the drug lord behind bars for a couple of decades.

The Wire's Action Gets More Dynamic With Each Episode

If the viewer does not abandon The Wire after the first three or four not the most dynamic episodes, but is gradually drawn into a cruel world, then five seasons will fly by in an instant. Only at the end of the series does the scope of the creators' idea become clear: several dozen characters, overlapping storylines, different aspects of Baltimore life – all the threads come together in the finale. You can't help but be impressed by how well The Wire is organized and how perfectly the structure of the series is thought out.

Where to Stream The Wire?

All five seasons of The Wire are available on Apple TV, Prime Video and Max.

Source: Stephen King on X