A classical masterpiece: Laura Miller argues for “The Wire”
In a way, it doesn’t make sense to talk of “The Wire” as the best American television show because it’s not very American. The characters in American popular culture are rarely shown to be subject to forces completely beyond their control. American culture is fundamentally Romantic, individualistic and Christian; when it’s not exhorting you to “follow your dream” it’s reassuring us that in the eleventh hour, we will be saved. American culture is a perpetual pep talk, trafficking in tales of personal redemption and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. We don’t do doom. “The Wire” is not Romantic but classical; what matters most in its universe is fulfilling your duty and facing the inexorable with dignity.
I love the bit from David Simon’s DVD commentary for s01e01 where he says The Wire is
really about the American city, and about how we live together. It’s about how institutions have an effect on individuals, and how… whether you’re a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge [or] lawyer, you are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution you’ve committed to.
