The Wire

I have all five seasons of The Wire on DVD and am having a rewatch. It is a fanatstic show. Intelligent. Uncompromising. Dynamic. I like that elements put in place in one episode will become relevant somewhere in the future. I like the fact that the characters are three dimensional and are not cliches. There are good elements to the portrayal of the criminals and flaws in the characters who are good. The acting is always excellent. The visuals are always cinematic.

Which leads me to debate the premise that has been posited about this show. Is it the greatest TV show ever? It is undoubtedly up there. I would have The West Wing up there as one of the best shows ever. The original series of Star Trek. Not that every episode was brilliant, but because it paved the way for so many barriers being broken and serious issues being explored. The new iteration of Battlestar Galactica is great.

The one thing The Wire perhaps has over and above other shows is that it is consistently good from episode to episode.

Why am I writing this post about The Wire? Well I saw Idris Elba interviewed on a chat show today. And it was strange to hear him speaking in an English accent. I knew that he is English, but hearing him speak in a Cockney accent makes you realise how well he portrayed the character of Stringer Bell. And of course Dominic West is also English. Isn't it curious that two major characters in one of the best ever US shows are both from this Isle? Isn't it also pretty damn good!