The Wire: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
Searing drama revealing the dark side of urban US life
Year: 2002-2008
Certificate: 15
David Simon's multi-layered US crime drama amounts to a long-form portrait of the drugs war in Baltimore, but is far from the humourless prospect that description might suggest. In fact, so revered is this series that it is often included in the debate as to the best show ever, alongside such greats as The Sopranos and Breaking Bad.
Each of the five series introduces a different institution of the city, beginning with the illegal drug trade, followed by the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and the print media, specifically the Baltimore Sun newspaper, where Simon worked for 12 years. The cast of then mainly unknowns have gone on to huge success, including two British actors: a young Dominic West stars as homicide detective Jimmy McNulty, while Luther star Idris Elba got his big break playing drug baron Russell 'Stringer' Bell. It's a gritty, grim, no-holds-barred series that shines a light into some of America's darkest corners. It can be bleak at times, but as a whole The Wire is a brilliant achievement - demanding to watch, but well worth it. (Five series)
