"The Sopranos" changed television forever. For the better.
But the greatest TV show ever remains "The Wire," a tour de force of next-level directing, writing and acting.
Set in Baltimore, "The Wire" shines a spotlight on the battle between police and criminals in the hardscrabble city. Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? The lines are often blurred. This week marks the 20th anniversary of the first episode aired on HBO.
I didn't get in on the ground floor of "The Wire." Few did. The show was largely ignored by the public. Strangely, it was also largely ignored by award shows.
Regardless, I was hooked within minutes of the opening episode when Jimmy McNulty, a good police officer but a very flawed man, arrives at the scene of a murder. Fast forward to the end of the fifth and final season. When the final scene ended, I was gutted. I knew what I had watched was special. Realizing there were no more episodes left me feeling like I had suffered an enormous loss.
The characters became like family to me: McNulty, Bunk, Omar (the greatest character in TV history), Bubbles, Bodie, Avon Barksdale, D'Angelo, Rawls, Stringer Bell, Wee-Bey, Prop Joe, Ziggy, Sgt. Jay Landsman, Lester and Wallace, to name just a few.
Five seasons. Five different story arcs. An absolute masterpiece.
Loved "The Sopranos," my second favorite show. But while the highs of "The Sopranos" were otherworldly, the show had a couple of hiccups. Not "The Wire." Other shows have captured my imagination, including "Game of Thrones" and "Breaking Bad."
But "The Wire" remains the gold standard. I recently watched the first and second seasons again and, not surprisingly, was blown away by the greatness of the cast, many of whom were unknowns or virtual unknowns.
Happy 20th anniversary to the greatest TV show ever produced.
