The Wire

I have much more to say about it (when I have plenty of "hangover" time to write this weekend (Bachelor Party and Wire hangover combined)), but for now, all I can say is that "The Wire" is far and away the greatest television series I've ever seen. I saw Joe Klein claim that it, "deserves the Nobel Prize for Literature" and I think he's on the right track. (side note: Jacob Weisburg actually said, "It’s like them never giving a Nobel Prize to Tolstoy. It doesn’t make Tolstoy look bad, it makes the Nobel Prize look bad.")

Yes, it was a TV show. But in reality, the narrative, the craftsmanship, the depth of character and stories are deserving of some higher recognition. Is David Simon on par with Wislawa Szymborska? I don't know, I haven't read her work. But the show never won an Emmy and was only nominated twice (for the writing) in 2005 and 2008. I know HBO always focused on "The Sopranos" and "Deadwood," which were outstanding shows, but much more entertainment than social commentary. You could watch any individual episode of "The Sopranos" and laugh, cringe, etc., because you knew Tony was just a gangster with an anxiety problem. You could watch any episode of "Deadwood" just for the profanity. I think it would be impossible to understand (and therefore truly enjoy) "The Wire" without starting at Season 1, Episode 1. Hell, I think you might have to watch the first 3 episodes of Season 1 twice before you can really move forward.

Ok, I've already rambled on this more than I have time for right now. What do you think? I sincerely want to know.