The Wire is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by American 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 sixty episodes over five seasons. The idea for the show started out as a police drama loosely based on the experiences of Simon's writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective and public school teacher.[4]

The Wire

Genre
Crime drama
Police procedural
Serial drama
Political drama
Tragedy[1][2][3]
Created by
David Simon
Starring
Dominic West
John Doman
Idris Elba
Frankie Faison
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Wood Harris
Deirdre Lovejoy
Wendell Pierce
Lance Reddick
Andre Royo
Sonja Sohn
Chris Bauer
Paul Ben-Victor
Clarke Peters
Amy Ryan
Aidan Gillen
Jim True-Frost
Robert Wisdom
Seth Gilliam
Domenick Lombardozzi
J. D. Williams
Michael K. Williams
Corey Parker Robinson
Reg E. Cathey
Chad L. Coleman
Jamie Hector
Glynn Turman
Clark Johnson
Tom McCarthy
Gbenga Akinnagbe
Neal Huff
Jermaine Crawford
Tristan Wilds
Michael Kostroff
Michelle Paress
Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Theme music composer
Tom Waits
Opening theme
"Way Down in the Hole" by The Blind Boys of Alabama (season 1)
Tom Waits (season 2)
The Neville Brothers (season 3)
DoMaJe (season 4)
Steve Earle (season 5)
Ending theme
"The Fall" by Blake Leyh
Country of origin
United States
Original language
English
No. of seasons
5
No. of episodes
60 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
David Simon
Robert F. Colesberry
Nina Kostroff Noble
Producers
Karen L. Thorson
Ed Burns
Joe Chappelle
George Pelecanos
Eric Overmyer
Production location
Baltimore, Maryland
Running time
55–60 minutes
93 minutes (series finale)
Production companies
Blown Deadline Productions
HBO Entertainment
Original release
Network
HBO
Release
June 2, 2002 –
March 9, 2008
Set and produced in Baltimore, Maryland, The Wire introduces a different institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement in each season while retaining characters and advancing storylines from previous seasons. The five subjects are, in chronological order; the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and the print news medium. Simon chose to set the show in Baltimore because of his familiarity with the city.[4]

When the series first aired, the large cast consisted mainly of actors who were unknown to television audiences, as well as numerous real-life Baltimore and Maryland figures in guest and recurring roles. Simon has said that despite its framing as a crime drama, the show is "really about the American city, and about how we live together. It's about how institutions have an effect on individuals. Whether one is a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge or a lawyer, all are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution to which they are committed."[5]

The Wire is lauded for its literary themes, its uncommonly accurate exploration of society and politics, and its realistic portrayal of urban life. During its original run, the series received only average ratings and never won any major television awards, but it is now often cited as one of the greatest shows in the history of television.[6 Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.