The Wire

It's been a while since I've written about The Wire, mainly because I've watched all the seasons now. And then, it moved from being an underground fav to a more mainstream level of popularity. So, it feels like everybody know knows about and loves The Wire.

There is an entire page of resources (articles, interviews, profiles, etc) about The Wire on the U.K Guardian website. It's a great catalogue for any fan of the show as well as newcomers.

It also includes a recent interview with actor Idris Elba, who has seen his star rise in the wake of the popularity brought him by the show. The latest is for the film Obsessed, which has been both a box office hit and critical disaster.

David Simon Profile

My brother pointed me to this profile in The New Yorker magazine of David Simon, the creator of The Wire. It's a long juicy read and I have only finished the first page. I thought before I defer reading it to a more suitable time and eventually forget about it, where better to 'bookmark' it than my very own blog?

What do I watch next?

Frivolous post ahoy! I haven't written about my favourite shows in a while, possibly because I didn't have anything new to watch.

Last year, I bought seasons 1 and 2 of Homicide: Life on the Street, which was one of my favourite shows back in the day. I only got around to watching the DVDs this year. On my recent vacation, I bought season 3, which to my intense pleasure was 6 DVDs long. It was to my utter amazement this afternoon to realise that I was on the last disc. How did I get through the entire season so quickly? The addictive plots and wonderful writing undoubtedly have a big role to play in that.

Already in mourning and wondering what I would do after I completed the season, I went online to check on the other seasons. Not only did I see that all season 1 through to 7 are available, I discovered on Amazon.com that the 4th season of my fav, fav, fav show, The Wire will be released on DVD on December 4. Fans of this blog (cough, cough ....), okay regular readers will already know about my love for The Wire and all crime shows. To say that I was ecstatic is a monumental understatement. Now, I know what I want for Christmas and my birthday.

How Could I Miss This?

Frances Uku attended a networking session with the cast of The Wire and posted pics. She also included a shout-out to me. Thanks, dear! And thanks for bringing it to my notice. I might have missed this.

Articles on The Wire

• Getting Wired, The Guardian (Sat. Feb 10, 2007)


• Ties to 'Wire' cut -- but new work calls, San Fransisco Chronicle (Sun. Feb 11, 2007)

Wire Lovefest

I finally finished watching the 3rd season of The Wire. I don't have the time right now to write a full review.

Awards season has started in the States and it looks like it's going to be the same story in 2007 where The Wire and award nominations are concerned. The Golden Globe noms were announced some weeks ago and The Wire was absent again! Well, who cares about awards anyway (asks a thoroughly disgruntled fan)? We know that awards do not a great show make. And there has to be a solid reason why, despite low-ish viewership numbers, the show has four seasons under its belt with plans for a 5th season.

The Dec. 25 issue of Time gave props to the show in its annual Teddy Awards for "people who performed honourably as winners and losers in the public arena." Among the winners was David Simon, creator of The Wire, a show the articles's writer describes as "the finest piece of popular entertainment I've seen this century." High praise indeed. He goes on "Watching the show takes some effort; it's complicated, but every detail is delicious. It is, quite simply, the smartest show I've seen about the drama of public life, the corrosive cynicism of bureaucracies, the creativity and futility of the inner-city poor."

I think part of the appeal of the show is that you can take the plot out of Baltimore and transpose it to a host of other cities. The names would change but many of the issues remain the same: drugs; hopelessness; poverty; desperation; a corrupt and self-serving political class; weary and ill-equipped police; and citizens who think they have no power in fighting any societal ills and no choice than to look the other way.