The DVD Extras are somewhat limited. There are a couple of commentaries. There is one good piece of DVD extra which covers a lot of the themes of The Wire. There is one bad piece of DVD extra which is a series of actors pontificating on the role of the media. There is one strange piece of DVD extra which is a seminar held by an excrutiatingly boring professor featuring a question and answer session with some of the cast and crew. There are several lights on the ONT, when these lights change colour or flash, it means something is happening. a b Weiser, Todd (June 17, 2002). "New HBO series The Wire taps into summer programming". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on May 26, 2008 . Retrieved September 10, 2010. The Wire is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. The Wire premiered on June 2, 2002, and ended on March 9, 2008, comprising 60 episodes over five seasons. The idea for the show started out as a police drama loosely based on the experiences of his writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective and public school teacher. [4]

Each season of The Wire consists of 10 to 13 episodes that form several multi-layered narratives. Simon chose this structure with an eye towards long story arcs that draw in viewers, resulting in a more satisfying payoff. He uses the metaphor of a visual novel in several interviews, [7] [48] describing each episode as a chapter, and has also commented that this allows a fuller exploration of the show's themes in time not spent on plot development. [5] Social commentary [ edit ] "Murderland Alley" is both realistically and bleakly portrayed. The Baltimore Sun also faces budget cuts and the newsroom struggles to adequately cover the city, omitting many important stories. Commissioner Burrell continues to falsify crime statistics and is fired by Carcetti, who positions Daniels to replace him. The New Yorker Profiles David Simon– A long profile article about David Simon with info about season five as well as his next project. Obenson, Tambay A. (December 26, 2014). "Marathon of New High-Definition Re-Mastering of 'The Wire – Shadow and Act". Indiewire. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014 . Retrieved December 29, 2014. The most heartbreaking tales are those of the young hoppers. The up and coming kids born into a lifestyle that offers little hope is a tragic theme that really takes off in season 4. The education system and its failings are shown through the lives of a group of kids who are inevitably drawn into the violent world that surrounds them. It is by far the most emotionally powerful element of The Wire in its display of kids who want a better life but find no way to achieve it.Acuna, Kirsten (October 10, 2014). "Why 'The Walking Dead' Casts So Many Actors From HBO's Hit Show 'The Wire' ". Business Insider . Retrieved October 29, 2014.

Richie Hawtin lines up Lee Gamble, Vatican Shadow, Demdike Stare, Andy Stott and Emptyset for Ibiza summer season The Wire also offers a seemingly authentic range of dialogue. Characters use profanity all the time. While the particularly brilliant catchphrase of Clay Davis probably isn't heard that much, the use of strong language is entirely consistent with the way real people speak. Normal people swear, all the time. The roundedness of the bad guys is a crucial part of what makes The Wire so great. These are not simple characters. Perhaps the best written character arc of any is Ellis Carver. In season 1 Carver is a thug. He and partner in thuggery Herc police the streets in a way not too dissimilar from the way the gangsters carry themselves. Carver is somewhat rash and makes mistakes. By the end of his story arc, Carver is arguably the best officer on display. He learns over the seasons especially from his interactions with Bunny Colvin and that makes his journey the most interesting.a b Heffernan, Virginia (September 9, 2006). "Higher Learning in the Drug Trade for Four Baltimore Students". The New York Times . Retrieved April 9, 2010. Sheffield, Rob (September 21, 2016). "100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022 . Retrieved September 22, 2016.

Walker, Childs (November 26, 2010). "Hopkins students discover Baltimore through 'The Wire' ". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved November 26, 2010.The music of The Wire is most memorable for the introduction credits song Way Down In The Hole. The best version is definitely the season 1 version by The Blind Boys of Alabama. Their version of the song is incredible. The season 4 version is also pretty good. The others are ok. The Wire: The Complete First Season". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Reason Magazine Interview with Ed Burns– The Wire co-creator talks about how Baltimore inspires and informs The Wire, and opinions on the "War on Drugs" from his and other co-creators' experiences.