yeah, he talked about how different it was working on that show, how everything just felt special when they did it. he watched all the episodes of the later seasons and is a big fan.
when the lawyer asked him if he would ever return to the show, he said:
"no, my character is in jail for life" with a hint of sadness
and i stopped myself from correcting him that his character Ziggy actually would be serving a moderated sentence because of the plea bargaining by Nick and Frank, haha
edit: TO ZULU: nothing more to say about naomi watts, he just mentioned her really briefly... it doesn't surprise me that much because i just assumed most big name actresses were giant bitches. the reason she came up in conversation was because one of the lawyers i work for is australian so they were talking about australian actors. nicole kidman is apparently talented but boring and humorless (again not unexpected).
both "The Shield" and "The Wire" strive for "moral complexity," attempting to break the mold of the white knight all great cop/bad guy dynamic that just destroys the network cop shows. however, only one really achieves it.
my thoughts on "The Shield" is that its a show about a cop with unconventional and brutal methods, who bends the law but gets results and is ultimately vindicated. the straight laced cop looks stupid, and the badass guy is rewarded. every. week. it gets somewhat formulaic and never really achieves the true moral complexity that "The Wire" does.
generally speaking, "The Shield" is easier to watch. you basically have to pay a lot of attention to "The Wire" because it challenges its viewer quite a bit. you cannot simply have it in the background, because you'll get lost.
edit: also, a lot of people wonder why "The Wire" has ratings that aren't that great. in my opinion, there are two main reasons... one is that the very thing that makes it great--treating the audience lots of respect and challenging them--makes it difficult for the general tv population to watch. they can't just tune in to episode 6 and be happily entertained, they have to pay attention and follow it very religiously over the entire season (each season is one big case).
also, there's a racial factor. a large portion of the show is seen through perspectives of the drug and crime and corruption in baltimore, which is predominantly black (the population is mostly black too). there are a ton of black people on the show. the second season, which had a few more white people, had slightly better ratings. the creators and a ton of critics believe this may be a reason, whether white people subconsciously can't relate or don't want to and thus are disinterested.
Hellll yess. I got turned on to The Wire whilst reading a Bill Simmons article on ESPN.com. I've sinced watched the first three seasons, and it's a highly, highly entertaining show. I think seasons 1 and 3 were better than season 2 (I guess the ghetto element is more appealing to me than a corrupt dock).
And Omar - who knew a gay dude could be such a badass
Shows that require some sort of intellectual investment never seem to do that well. Look at how "Arrested Development", the most interesting comedy in years, got cancelled and sustained poorer than poor ratings. People couldn't just watch one episode and benefit from all the show offered, rather, to enjoy episode 23 it was important that the viewer had seen the majority of episodes 1-22 and was therefore tuned into both the inside jokes and the show's odd sense of humor.
Pretty much the opposite of a sitcom like Friends.
Do you watch "Rescue Me" at all? I love Dennis Leary, so it's a no-brainer for me - but it's probably my favorite show that I currently watch.
Sorry for the bump, but I just finished Season 4 a week ago, ending my month-long binge, starting with Season 1.
I heard of the show, spent 5 days dloading it all, and watched everything within like three weeks. My friend was coming back to Seoul for Christmas and I asked him to buy me the DVDs but they were all sold out!
I just had to post here because The Wire is a show that after you watch it, you have to really digest it. Watching it again, discussing it with other people, thinking about it in the shower, etc. I'm still bummed about + Show Spoiler +
Bodie dying.
Fucking awesome show, and I love your story with Ziggy Sobotka
PS: This show changed the way I talk, for about week or so. I found myself talking like Avon and grunting like Marlo.
yeah its just so real in the way it shapes its characters, and especially with the no mood music
big props to HBO, they always have their shows go out on top (unlike network television that lets its shows slowly rot away), i loved season 4 the most out of all of the seasons, and i have big expectations for season 5
On January 10 2007 22:14 Hot_Bid wrote: yeah its just so real in the way it shapes its characters, and especially with the no mood music
big props to HBO, they always have their shows go out on top (unlike network television that lets its shows slowly rot away), i loved season 4 the most out of all of the seasons, and i have big expectations for season 5
Especially as they'll address the media - which is something I feel is personally very fucking fucked up in America at the moment.
And who better than an ex-reporter? I'm just bummed for having to wait so long for it.
Man, I should have known there was a topic for The Wire somewhere on TL.
I honestly think it's the best show on tv, with only a few shows coming even close to it. I can't wait for season 5 to start airing in January, though it's going to suck having to watch it episode by episode (I came into the show late, and was able to watch 1-4 at my own pace.).
Two examples I can think of are: How orange soda is the drink of choice. The kid who lost the eye (when he was at the station), but they were out, so the dude brought him a Sunkist. Avon's lackey ordering 4 orange sodas when they were waiting for Marlo to show.
And even better, Rawles in the gay bar when the Brother's man is trying to scope out Omar.
I've been watching since day 1. Best show on TV, better than Sopranos. Season 5's gonna be the most interesting for me personally cus it's centered around the press.
Like The Wire? You should also watch the HBO mini series The Corner, also from the same creator David Simon. You'll spot many familiar faces.
EPT
