The streets of Baltimore as a microcosm of the US's war on drugs, and of US urban decay in general. Seen not only through the eyes of a few policemen and drug gang members but also the people who influence and inhabit their world - politicians, the media, drug addicts and everyday citizens.
Where to Watch The Wire
The Wire Ratings & Reviews
- Corbin BishopFebruary 2, 2026I'm going to miss this show so much. I looked forward to my episode every night. Great story telling and character developments. Thought they ended it really well in a satisfying way. Glad I purchased the whole series. Deserves it.
- Julie JonesJanuary 12, 2026I have seen many brilliant shows, and The Wire is one of them. Even the word brilliant isn't enough to put into words how good this series is. The Wire is incredibly well made, with moody lighting, striking location work that also brings atmosphere and great photography, while the music is very haunting. You should followed by watching breaking bad and sopranos
- flavo43November 23, 2025The Wire is one of the rare television series that feels as though it was written from the inside out. Its creators knew Baltimore intimately—its institutions, its politics, its street culture—and that familiarity gives the show an authenticity, grit, and honesty few dramas ever achieve. It also proves that compelling urban stories don’t have to come from Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago; cities like Baltimore have their own urgent, human narratives worth telling. One of the show’s most unique strengths is its accurate portrayal of surveillance—wiretaps, pen registers, burner phones, investigative patience, and the bureaucratic battles behind every warrant. It demystifies surveillance work instead of glamorizing it, showing how tedious, technical, and legally fragile it really is. Each season’s focus on a different layer of crime and corruption—police, drug crews, unions, city hall, schools, journalism—keeps momentum and depth, with new characters introduced naturally. Having lived near Baltimore and heard similar stories, The Wire felt startlingly, sometimes uncomfortably, real.
- RyNovember 4, 2025My favorite show of all time despite the last season being a bit weaker than the rest(still good though.) The main character is truly the city of Baltimore, and there are few purely good or bad guys, just a bunch of people caught up in the endless war on drugs and the societal cycle that it creates. It's probably the most realistic fictional police media ever produced.
- PI_3XAugust 30, 2025This is special. In a sense it is just another crime tv show, but it is incredibly well done. Easily top 5 best tv shows I have seen
- Ben CormierJuly 22, 2025A deep dive into a city in decay, each season focusing on a separate facet of society, The Wire is the greatest show ever made, it challenged my beliefs, it opened my mind, it changed my perspective. I laughed, I cried, I've watched it 10 times and it only gets better each time. It starts slow and it's tough to keep track of a Dickensian sized cast when they're only on screen for a blip per episode, but it's worth getting used to the pacing. By the end of season one, you'll get it. At the start of season 2 you'll feel out of sync again, but eventually it all clicks and you'll be ready for season 4, the crowning achievement of all television.
The Wire Trivia
The Wire has 5 seasons.
The Wire has 60 episodes.
The key characters in The Wire are Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick), Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn).
The Wire was directed by Ernest R. Dickerson, Joe Chappelle, Ed Bianchi, Steve Shill, Clark Johnson, Dan Attias, Tim Van Patten, Agnieszka Holland, Clement Virgo, Elodie Keene, Brad Anderson, Seith Mann, Christine Moore, Anthony Hemingway, Rob Bailey, Peter Medak, Alex Zakrzewski, Gloria Muzio, Joy Kecken, Thomas J. Wright, Rob Baieu, Scott Kecken, Leslie Libman, Milcho Manchevski, Jim McKay, Robert F. Colesberry, David Platt, Dominic West.
The Wire was produced by Eric Overmyer, George Pelecanos, Ed Burns, Joe Chappelle.
The streets of Baltimore as a microcosm of the US's war on drugs, and of US urban decay in general. Seen not only through the eyes of a few policemen and drug gang members but also the people who influence and inhabit their world - politicians, the media, drug addicts and everyday citizens.
The Wire is rated TV-MA.
The Wire is a Crime, Drama, Thriller show.
The Wire has an audience rating of 9.6 out of 10.
The Wire episodes are 60m long.
No, this show was canceled after 5 seasons.