The Wire

I was going to post a note mentioning how thrilled I am to see the return of The For Real Best Show In the History of Television (Yes, Even Better Than Lost), The Wire, but why bother when, once again, one of the young writers at The American Prospect has gone ahead and done it already. I knew those crazy liberal kids were good for something. Matt Yglesias says:

DVDs of Season Three of The Wire will be shipping tomorrow and Season Four should premiere on September 10. If you haven't seen the show, you should. And I would seriously suggest that you start at the beginning and watch Season One on DVD rather than just trying to plunge in, though personally I started by watching Season Three on air and then backtracked. It is, simply put, the best show in the history of television.

[Snip]

At its core the show is about police and drug dealers battling for control over the streets of Baltimore, though it also expands to cover elements of the local political scene, union corruption, the FBI's shifting post-9/11 priorities, and a variety of other things. It's an extremely demanding show offering no flashbacks and very little exposition despite a sprawling cast of characters and very complicated, years-long plot arcs but the rewards to people who watch closely and pay attention are incredibly large. I don't know anybody who's sat down to watch it and not been incredibly impressed.

Someday I’ll attempt to write a non-gushing, non-hyperbolic, measured article about this show, but I’ll probably fail. Till then, just watch it.