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Television: It's come down to 'The Wire' on HBO's top-notch drama All television critics have a show they're embarrassed to admit they haven't watched as much as they wanted to or should have. For me, it's HBO's "The Wire." And for my sin, I should be exiled to the city council beat. I watched most of the first season and part of the second. After that, it lost its grip due to other series I had to tend to in my job as a critic. I know, that's a sorry excuse. While I sat back and wallowed in countless hack series for review (um, " 'Til Death," "Cavemen"), I should have taken extra time to follow the exploits of the Baltimore police department in what surely will be remembered as one of HBO's finest dramas. At the least, it's an achievement that might rank with the likes of "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under." Yet I fear I'm not alone in letting this one slip. While it ran through four seasons, I never heard much talk around the office cooler about "The Wire" similar to the Monday conversations spurred by "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City." Perhaps it's because "The Wire" is too gritty or complicated. Maybe the realistic examination of street drugs and homicide is unseemly. It sometimes required effort and thought to get through an episode. But after burning through (in a single weekend) the first seven episodes in the show's upcoming fifth and final season, I'm hooked for its last hurrah. The season premiere Advertisement airs Sunday at 11 p.m. on HBO. This year - in much the same way past seasons looked at public schools, unions and dock workers - revolves around a central theme, the relationship between the police and the news media. At the start of the season, brash Det. McNulty (Dominic West) is sent back to the homicide squad after budget cuts shut down his special investigation into related drug murders. Meanwhile, another investigation continues into a state senator who allegedly funneled charity money into his own pockets. The city newspaper, the real Baltimore Sun, is dealing with its own budgetary problems, letting go veteran reporters for low-paid novices who have no experience covering the investigations. Ultimately, their stories will have a devastating impact on the city and the investigations. Creator David Simon, once a Sun police reporter, knows the inner workings of a newspaper through and through. It's apparent when you see reporters using the right lingo and complaining about the same issues as real newspaper people. Though he has since become a television producer and author, Simon obviously still has connections with the daily and knows the current financial crisis in journalism. As the publisher cuts valuable reporting resources, he says it's about "doing more with less," a chillingly accurate motto for today's papers. But the accomplishment of this season's "The Wire" is the sum of its parts, not just individual storylines. It's a bold, epic look at crime in a broken-down city, from the streets to the power players in the ivory offices. It's proof that some of the best TV can slip through anyone's cracks. At least we can all go back and catch up on DVD. --- * VINCE HORIUCHI'S column appears Mondays and Fridays. He can be reached at vince@sltrib.com or 801-257-8607. For more television insights, visit Horiuchi's blog, "The Village Vidiot," at blogs. sltrib.com/tv/. Send comments about this column to livingeditor@sltrib.com. |
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