15 Comments

The show's superpower is the way it ignores the usual lines between good & evil. But even the vilains have some shred of humanity. Taking place in Baltimore is also a draw-- had this taken place in NY or LA, I don't think it would've been as appealing. We've been there, done that.

Also: Can we talk about what a criminally underrated actor Dominc West is?

Expand full comment
author

I'm belatedly buying all the Dominic West stock I can lay hands to.

Expand full comment

Awesome first podcast, Eric!!! I was going to wander over to rewatch Deadwood (because it's a day that ends in "day," right?), but I might have to at least gobble up season one of The Wire. "Omar is the Boba Fett of drug dealers." I want this on a sticker please and thank you. What I love about David Simon's work, and why I think everything he does is compelling, is because he really is trying to get at the humanity that is at the core of all these worlds, lives, characters. The scenes you noted as your favorite--the desk, the basketball game..--it's the stuff of life, right? And that feels very real. There's a lyric from a song by Patty Griffin that I think perfectly captures Simon's approach to everything he does: "It's a hell of a life, but it's somebody's life.." If you watch any of his other shows (TREME next PLEASE!), it's this thru-line we see...people are living their lives, surviving, failing, finding joy, experiencing tragedy and brutality, too. It's interesting that he characterizes The Wire as an "angry" show, which might sound negative, but I don't think it is. I think it's angry in all the right ways...at the systems and politics and people who are complicit; it's anger in feeling helpless and powerless and anger at those who have too much power. Yeah..there is just so, so much. I look forward to hearing you revisit after some more viewing! :)

Expand full comment
author

I love this comment!!! 🔥

There is definitely a reality to The Wire that I haven't seen in many shows. And I think because it's set in contemporary America, that reality is heightened and sharpened, in a way speculative fiction or even something like Deadwood can't. We are very much aware we're watching a show when Al Swearengen is onscreen, but it's a lot easier to believe The Wire is actually happening, or did. Especially since Simon based it on real stories!

Expand full comment

YES! Simon is super meticulous about involving real people living these lives. For Treme, which takes place in the days after Katrina, there is a character who moves forward to open her own restaurant. I read that Anthony Bourdain wrote for a bunch of episodes involving her story line so that there would be as much authenticity as possible. I also think this is why his characters are memorable even if they are not larger than life like Tony Soprano or Al Swearengen. Wendell Pierce is in Treme as well and you watch him like “Everyone has at least one of this guy in their friend group..” :)

Expand full comment
author

Twist my arm! Fine, I'll watch Treme too :D

Expand full comment

YAY!!!! I might fire that up myself…THEN we will chat my friend…yes, yes!

Expand full comment
author

🫡😀

Expand full comment

One of my all time favorite, exited to hear this piece!

Expand full comment
author

Hope you dig it! :D

Expand full comment
May 15Liked by Eric Pierce

Listening to it now, I'm loving it! Had no idea this was based on the same book and characters that the show Homicide: Life on the Streets from a decade prior to The Wire, that had the late great Andre Braugher. Keep up the great work Eric!

P.S. I loved the presidents' fave show bit! Spot on about Clinton. He also seems like a Love Boat type of guy. And of course The Arsenio Hall show, that was pretty groundbreaking in terms of late night talk shows.

Expand full comment
author

Love Boat is a great call! LOL

Expand full comment

I think season 2 of The Wire is its most underrated season.

Also, there's an older David Simon book/show called The Corner. No idea if it's on streaming, it was a HBO show so it might be on Max. Simon and Ed Burns, who was a BPD detective and writer on The Wire basically spent 3 years in West Baltimore, focusing on an open air drug market. The book and show largely follow one family and their struggles. You see basically how the seed was planted to make The Wire.

Expand full comment
author

I'll add that to the list!

I'm only one episode into season 2, and am still finding my bearings as they immediately introduce a bunch of new characters. Where's D'Angelo!? LOL

Expand full comment
May 15Liked by Eric Pierce

Nicely done - I must see it now!

Expand full comment