HBO’s ‘The Wire” is a gritty criminal drama that follows both the Baltimore police department and inner city drug scene. The show was created by former police reporter (and certified genius) David Simon and is preserved as one of the greatest televisions shows ever. Mr. Simon quotes “Our model when we started doing The Wire wasn’t other television shows. The standard we were looking at was Balzac’s Paris or Dickens’s London, or Tolstoy’s Moscow.” The series revolutionized television; introducing techniques used religiously in modern dramas
The show has no central character but follows Baltimore city and demonstrates the conflicts that arise between the drug scene and local police department. From the perspective of the drug kingpins, the show
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The series introduced techniques adopted by much of the modern industry. The Wire was not the first show to present villains as multifaceted, relatable individuals, yet furthered the idea that we could favor the antihero. In contrast, however, with the city as the central character, nobody was off limits and director David Simon was not afraid to kill off beloved characters if necessary. Previously viewers could kick back and watch their favorite characters fade in and out of trouble. The show debuted the idea that television would no longer feel safe and reliable. Industry Leaders such as Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones have clearly taken inspiration from these performances. The show features no clear protagonist or antagonist. Characters such as Jimmy McNulty (a pragmatic detective with unwavering disrespect for authority) illustrate that the line between who is good and who is bad is often blurred; a technique showcased in many modern dramas. Furthermore, the show weaves cases and stories through the season. Prior to The Wire, shows would often adopt a general story arc yet define a clear subplot each