in my most humble opinion

the wire kicks the sopranos ass there and back a kazillion times
it is THE best show on television. season five starts january 6th and it will be THE LAST season. it will focus on the media (other seasons focused on drug dealers, police, the school system, longshoremen, politicians and more). i JUST found out one of the journalists in the upcoming season will be played by tom mccarthy. who's he you ax? well he is an actor of course BUT he wrote and directed one of my favorite movies of all times; the station agent
if you don't have cable, GET seasons 1-4 on dvd (not sure if it's out yet or will be coming out), if you DO have cable WATCH IT PLEASE you will NOT be sorry

Fans Await Closure of HBO's `The Wire'


By JAKE COYLEThe Associated Press
NEW YORK -- A fervent following is eagerly awaiting the final season of an HBO drama.
No, this story isn't a year old.
While the final hurrah of "The Sopranos" had the weight of a genuine cultural event, the last season of "The Wire" is a more cultish affair.
The longest-running dramatic series on HBO, "The Wire" will enter its fifth and final season on Jan. 6. In certain circles, this is already cause for nail-biting anticipation.
"Get on with it, mother- ..." wrote one fan on the HBO "Wire" message boards, quoting the abbreviated last words of one of the show's main characters.
"The Wire" has never been an easy sell. In its first four seasons, it has in gritty detail painted a novelistic picture of urban decay. Set in Baltimore, the show follows police and drug dealers, portraying the tiered bureaucracy to each side of the law.
"It's all in the game," is the show's oft-repeated mantra..........
.......At Slate.com, one of the bastions of "Wire" fandom and analysis, Jacob Weinberg wrote: "No other program has ever done anything remotely like what this one does, namely to portray the social, political and economic life an American city with scope, observational precision and moral vision of great literature.".........