The Wire

2002

David Simon's series ran five seasons from 2002 to 2008, and each one turns to a different Baltimore institution: the drug trade, the docks, city hall, the schools, and finally the newsroom. It refuses to sort anyone into heroes and villains, and the cops are often no better at their jobs than the dealers are. Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael K. Williams, Lance Reddick, Wendell Pierce, and Sonja Sohn lead a cast that turns over heavily by design. Simon was a police reporter and Ed Burns was a detective and a teacher, and it shows in nearly every scene.