"Wire"-ed
I take smug satisfaction that I discovered the superb HBO series "The Wire" before lots of people I know.
But I'm glad that more people are taking note of the series, which is as relentlessly real and rich and challenging as anything on the tube (including "The Sopranos."
The series is set in Baltimore and chronicles the lives of cops, criminals, politicians and, this season, journalists. It is violent and profane, but also smart and touching.Rarely have I seen so many fully drawn characters in a TV drama. You get to know the cops and the drug dealers equally well, and you find things to like and loathe about nearly all of them.
How different is this series? One of its most intriguing characters is a scarfaced anti-hero, Omar, who robs drug dealers and has a stricter code of honor than most cops in the show. Did I also mention that he happens to be gay?
"The Wire" can be hard to follow, because there are so many characters and plot threads. But stick with it. You'll catch up eventually and you'll be glad you did.
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