treme is much harder to get into - a smaller cast, less overall connection and some characters that are flat out duds. it's still filmed in the style of the wire (if that makes sense) and with the cast crossover it's a nice companion piece. season one ended on a great note and really looking forward to season two. shout outs to clockers, homicide life on the street and the corner of course.

I heard good things about this show. So I pick up Season 1.... I watched the first episode and couldn't take it. The pacing is so slow and I nearly fell asleep.... Please tell me it gets better

yeah, couldn't get into 'Treme myself.

I think it is, without doubt. And Treme by the same authors is pretty amazing too.

Bummer about Treme.
Hadn't seen it, and was hoping it was worth watching.
Might still give it a try...

Can't agree more, The Wire is an amazing show. There are some downpoints (noticeably season two I would say) but it is still up there with top shows of all time. I would also recommend Deadwood and Rome to anyone, it's just unfortunate that these didn't last as long. On a somewhat related note, I consider Curb the funniest show of all time. Haven't yet caught Treme or Boardwalk Empire, but I'm expecting good things from Game of Thrones. Let's hope HBO outdoes themselves yet again!

1st off, "Two and 1/2 Men" is the BEST teevee series of all time because it stars a Warlock.

@Resinate and everyone else. Watching "Chicago Code" yet? First episode was amazing. Downhill since then but it is pretty darn good for prime time not on FX.

"Terriers" well worth it. can i get an "amen".

The pacing? Not really. Everything in this show is incremental, each piece building toward the last act. If you're not attentive, you'll miss character names (and lots of other details) because the show doesn't spell things out with narration, backstory titles or anything besides dialogue. I'd say stick with it til episode 4, if that doesn't do it for you it's probably not your type of tv.

@rockert Heard good word, i'll be checking in on it once there have been a few more episodes. That's basically what I did with terriers, and terriers for life

Is it just me or has HBO sucked since this ended? The only thing I've really enjoyed in the past 3 years has been curb.

I agree, can't think of anything coming from HBO as good as The Wire, Treme or Curb.
I liked the first two seasons of True Blood but felt it had lost it's drive with Season 3.
Treme is back on the 24th of April though...

I recently downloaded the whole series and just got through season 1. Can't believe I never watched before, it's so good. Unsure bout season two so far but I'm only 3 episodes in.

Season 2 was probably the weakest IMO but still good. Really takes off in season 3 & 4.

"You know what the trouble is, Brucey? We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy's pocket."

- Frank Sobotka

On his arrival in Baltimore, a taxi driver apologised to him for the state of the city. "I said, 'Are you kidding? I'm from Sheffield! This looks beautiful!'"
Dominic West (McNulty)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/nov ... -sheffield

Don't know if you fellow wire fans saw this, but an article re-imagining the wire as dickens-era literature made the rounds on the internet a few weeks ago. fantastic read, very funny.

some stills:



(season 1 spoilers slash profanity)

^ looks like Linklater's Baltimore

With The Wire I think it's more about the whole series, there are some seasons like 2 that are a bit slower but they're essential to set the foundations for the following seasons and as a whole The Wire remains IMHO the most impressive series I've ever seen. My favourite seasons are 1 and 4.
I think everything by David Simon is great, starting from The Corner and Generation Kill. The Wire is certainly the best but I still have high hopes for the upcoming Treme season.

True. Characters come and go and return again across the entire series.

Simon is an interesting guy, disillusioned newspaper reporter who used his crime background to write a book and then took a buyout and crossed over into tv with Homicide. Strong opinions on the drug war, class warfare, cities and more.

I hate Shakespeare with a vengeance but Ill be going to see this!!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/ma ... -sheffield

Just started watching The Wire last night. Season 1 episode 1. I have to say intrigued. It's been mentioned here a million times and my friends keep asking if I watched it yet? Finally broke down and found the first episode online somewhere. Wondering if I should just buy the whole complete series on ebay or something and get it over with. I'd be upset if I got into it and then could not find the next episode somewhere.

i found the entire series on amazon for less than $100 a while ago. it's seriously one of the best shows ever. if you want to borrow it i'm sure we can make it work.

It's great Chris.The whole series is great but Season 1 and 4 are my absolute favorites. Well worth the investment. This was the first series I purchased on itunes.

Love The Wire, I think I've watched it thru 3 or 4 times all the way. Never watched Treme' which is strange considering I basically live in New Orleans.
thb I kinda hate seeing the south portrayed in film/tv etc. always a horribly gross exaggeration & really insulting accents that don't exist. don't get me started on the vampire crap they've been filming here.

I misunderstood Treme for the longest time, expecting it to be the NOLA Wire or something. It ain't. It's a lot more leisurely when it comes to the plot - all the pieces don't matter because they're building to a final act montage. Instead the pieces work together to form a picture of the community, and that means that a lot of the scenes don't carry great weight. One of its strongest aspects is portraying musicians at various stages and the creative struggle of the artist. Freamon and Bunk and Steve Earle appear as different characters, but the real star of the show has been the ladies. Two seasons in, I don't love it week in week out like I did the wire; would still say it's well worth a watch compared to most premium cable shows.

Ehhhh just bought a complete set on ebay for $49 total shipped expedited. Probably a bootleg but as long as I can watch all full episodes with at least tv quality picture/sound I'll be ok. Been trying to watch it on Project Free TV and the episodes are cut to 30-38 minutes from season 1. It's annoying and I'm tired of hearing "Congratulations YOU Won!" every 14 minutes, followed but everyone moving in slow motion as it buffers. Can't wait, finally something besides a toy to look forward to in the mail.

as long as they're not jazz musicians I'll give it a go