Lauren and I last night finished watching HBO’s The Wire on DVD, which Jason LaPlant graciously lent us.  I went in a little skeptical, figuring a cop drama wasn’t really for me.  But then again I gave in and tried Dexter and became a huge fan, so I gave it a try.  After five riveting seasons, I had a tear in my eye as the final episode came to an end.  Jason, Walsh, Sarah, and President Obama were among those singing the praises of The Wire, and they were right, it was one of the very best shows I’ve ever seen.

Where does The Wire rank all-time on my favorite TV show list?  Is it better than Dexter?  Does it have as good of rewatchable value as Seinfeld?  Is it more difficult to follow than a newcomer to Arrested Development?  Are the characters more dislikable than Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm?

Great as it was, I think I have to place it third on my all-time list.  Seinfeld is still #1 because I just watched two more episodes tonight that I’ve seen at least 25 times before, and still found them extremely entertaining.  I think I’ve still gotta give Dexter the nod at #2, thanks mostly to the second season, the best single season of a TV show I’ve ever seen.  And then The Wire at #3.  Here would be my full top ten.

  1. Seinfeld
  2. Dexter
  3. The Wire
  4. Freaks and Geeks
  5. Scrubs
  6. Arrested Development
  7. The Office (BBC)
  8. Curb Your Enthusiasm
  9. The Office (NBC)
  10. Frasier

The Wire also provided some of my favorite characters.  There are way too many to name, but here are my favorites.

  1. Bunny Colvin
  2. Lester Freamon
  3. Jimmy McNulty
  4. Clay Davis, only because of his amazing signature line.
  5. Dennis “Cutty” Wise
  6. Stringer Bell
  7. Cedric Daniels
  8. Omar Little
  9. Bubbles
  10. Roland Pryzbylewski

So, to sum this wonderful series up, it was wildly violent and profane, featured corrupt characters, rarely had any uplifting stories (Cutty and Namond the exceptions), and employed virtually no known actors.  Yet, I would recommend it to all!