I love The Wire, HBO’s show about the drug scene in Baltimore. I refrain from calling it a tv show, because it’s nothing like television. It has nothing in common with television except that it’s shown there first. What it really is, is a televised novel written for the screen with unimaginable depth. It’s hard to explain, but the depth of the show is so staggering that one can scarcely understand it on first pass. Maybe the best way to look at it is that each season is like a well produced 12 hour long movie from a creator who truly loves his subject matter.

That subject matter is the streets of Baltimore, and the cops, dealers, citizens, politicians, and drug users who impact and are impacted upon by the streets. The main focus is with the police but it’s so unlike any filmed cop show I’ve seen that I can’t really compare it to any movie or tv depictions. Eventually you realize that the theme of the show is systemic organizational failure in various organizations — within the hierarchy of drug gangs, within the police stations, within the political structure, within the educational system.

The characters in this show, from the dealers to the cops, are so well written and acted that they seem beyond realistic. They seem real. When I watch this show too much, I feel like these are real people and I care about them way too much, as if what happens to them is happening to my friends and family. I start to think in their lingo, mentally replacing the n-word with “dude” (that works surprisingly well).

The fifth and final season is now airing on HBO… I’m still working my way through the fourth season (for the first time). If you are looking for a show, not just to watch, but to fall in love with… I can’t recommend The Wire in strong enough terms. Rent the first DVD, and watch it twice.