The Wire, a television drama series created by David Simon, premiered on June 2, 2002 on HBO in the United States and ended on March 9, 2008. 60 episodes aired over the show's five seasons, plus three additional prequel shorts. Each episode has a running time of 55–60 minutes.
The Wire is set in Baltimore, Maryland; each season of the series expands its focus on a different part of the city. The show features a large ensemble cast; many characters are only featured prominently in a single season. A group of characters, mainly in the Baltimore Police Department, appear in every season.
The show is available on DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4.
Series overview
Episodes
Season 1 (2002)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "The Target" | Clark Johnson | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | June 2, 2002 | 3.70[1] |
2 | 2 | "The Detail" | Clark Johnson | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | June 9, 2002 | 2.80[2] |
3 | 3 | "The Buys" | Peter Medak | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | June 16, 2002 | N/A |
4 | 4 | "Old Cases" | Clement Virgo | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | June 23, 2002 | 2.91[3] |
5 | 5 | "The Pager" | Clark Johnson | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Ed Burns | June 30, 2002 | 2.97[4] |
6 | 6 | "The Wire" | Ed Bianchi | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | July 7, 2002 | 2.98[5] |
7 | 7 | "One Arrest" | Joe Chappelle | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Rafael Alvarez | July 21, 2002 | 4.12[6] |
8 | 8 | "Lessons" | Gloria Muzio | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | July 28, 2002 | 3.31[7] |
9 | 9 | "Game Day" | Milčo Mančevski | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David H. Melnick & Shamit Choksey | August 4, 2002 | 3.42[8] |
10 | 10 | "The Cost" | Brad Anderson | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | August 11, 2002 | 4.15[9] |
11 | 11 | "The Hunt" | Steve Shill | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Joy Lusco | August 18, 2002 | 3.43[10] |
12 | 12 | "Cleaning Up" | Clement Virgo | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : George Pelecanos | September 1, 2002 | 3.66[11] |
13 | 13 | "Sentencing" | Tim Van Patten | David Simon & Ed Burns | September 8, 2002 | 3.77[12] |
Season 2 (2003)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | 1 | "Ebb Tide" | Ed Bianchi | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | June 1, 2003 | 4.43[13] |
15 | 2 | "Collateral Damage" | Ed Bianchi | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | June 8, 2003 | 3.50[14] |
16 | 3 | "Hot Shots" | Elodie Keene | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | June 15, 2003 | 2.64[15] |
17 | 4 | "Hard Cases" | Elodie Keene | Story by : David Simon & Joy Lusco Teleplay by : Joy Lusco | June 22, 2003 | 4.33[16] |
18 | 5 | "Undertow" | Steve Shill | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Ed Burns | June 29, 2003 | 3.62[17] |
19 | 6 | "All Prologue" | Steve Shill | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | July 6, 2003 | 4.11[18] |
20 | 7 | "Backwash" | Thomas J. Wright | Story by : David Simon & Rafael Alvarez Teleplay by : Rafael Alvarez | July 13, 2003 | N/A |
21 | 8 | "Duck and Cover" | Dan Attias | Story by : David Simon & George Pelecanos Teleplay by : George Pelecanos | July 27, 2003 | 3.64[19] |
22 | 9 | "Stray Rounds" | Tim Van Patten | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | August 3, 2003 | 3.04[20] |
23 | 10 | "Storm Warnings" | Rob Bailey | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Ed Burns | August 10, 2003 | 3.51[21] |
24 | 11 | "Bad Dreams" | Ernest Dickerson | Story by : David Simon & George Pelecanos Teleplay by : George Pelecanos | August 17, 2003 | 3.70[22] |
25 | 12 | "Port in a Storm" | Robert F. Colesberry | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | August 24, 2003 | 4.48[23] |
Season 3 (2004)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 | 1 | "Time After Time" | Ed Bianchi | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | September 19, 2004 | 1.83[24] |
27 | 2 | "All Due Respect" | Steve Shill | Story by : David Simon & Richard Price Teleplay by : Richard Price | September 26, 2004 | N/A |
28 | 3 | "Dead Soldiers" | Rob Bailey | Story by : David Simon & Dennis Lehane Teleplay by : Dennis Lehane | October 3, 2004 | 1.54[25] |
29 | 4 | "Hamsterdam" | Ernest Dickerson | Story by : David Simon & George Pelecanos Teleplay by : George Pelecanos | October 10, 2004 | 1.45[26] |
30 | 5 | "Straight and True" | Dan Attias | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Ed Burns | October 17, 2004 | 1.34[27] |
31 | 6 | "Homecoming" | Leslie Libman | Story by : David Simon & Rafael Alvarez Teleplay by : Rafael Alvarez | October 31, 2004 | 1.42[28] |
32 | 7 | "Back Burners" | Tim Van Patten | Story by : David Simon & Joy Lusco Teleplay by : Joy Lusco | November 7, 2004 | N/A |
33 | 8 | "Moral Midgetry" | Agnieszka Holland | Story by : David Simon & Richard Price Teleplay by : Richard Price | November 14, 2004 | 1.47[29] |
34 | 9 | "Slapstick" | Alex Zakrzewski | Story by : David Simon & George Pelecanos Teleplay by : David Simon | November 21, 2004 | N/A |
35 | 10 | "Reformation" | Christine Moore | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Ed Burns | November 28, 2004 | 1.67[30] |
36 | 11 | "Middle Ground" | Joe Chappelle | Story by : David Simon & George Pelecanos Teleplay by : George Pelecanos | December 12, 2004 | 2.04[31] |
37 | 12 | "Mission Accomplished" | Ernest Dickerson | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | December 19, 2004 | 2.04[32] |
Season 4 (2006)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
38 | 1 | "Boys of Summer" | Joe Chappelle | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | September 10, 2006 |
39 | 2 | "Soft Eyes" | Christine Moore | Story by : Ed Burns & David Mills Teleplay by : David Mills | September 17, 2006 |
40 | 3 | "Home Rooms" | Seith Mann | Story by : Ed Burns & Richard Price Teleplay by : Richard Price | September 24, 2006 |
41 | 4 | "Refugees" | Jim McKay | Story by : Ed Burns & Dennis Lehane Teleplay by : Dennis Lehane | October 1, 2006 |
42 | 5 | "Alliances" | David Platt | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Ed Burns | October 8, 2006 |
43 | 6 | "Margin of Error" | Dan Attias | Story by : Ed Burns & Eric Overmyer Teleplay by : Eric Overmyer | October 15, 2006 |
44 | 7 | "Unto Others" | Anthony Hemingway | Story by : Ed Burns & William F. Zorzi Teleplay by : William F. Zorzi | October 29, 2006 |
45 | 8 | "Corner Boys" | Agnieszka Holland | Story by : Ed Burns & Richard Price Teleplay by : Richard Price | November 5, 2006 |
46 | 9 | "Know Your Place" | Alex Zakrzewski | Story by : Ed Burns & Kia Corthron Teleplay by : Kia Corthron | November 12, 2006 |
47 | 10 | "Misgivings" | Ernest Dickerson | Story by : Ed Burns & Eric Overmyer Teleplay by : Eric Overmyer | November 19, 2006 |
48 | 11 | "A New Day" | Brad Anderson | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Ed Burns | November 26, 2006 |
49 | 12 | "That's Got His Own" | Joe Chappelle | Story by : Ed Burns & George Pelecanos Teleplay by : George Pelecanos | December 3, 2006 |
50 | 13 | "Final Grades" | Ernest Dickerson | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | December 10, 2006 |
Season 5 (2008)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
51 | 1 | "More with Less" | Joe Chappelle | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | January 6, 2008 | 1.23[33] |
52 | 2 | "Unconfirmed Reports" | Ernest Dickerson | Story by : David Simon & William F. Zorzi Teleplay by : William F. Zorzi | January 13, 2008 | 1.19[34] |
53 | 3 | "Not for Attribution" | Scott Kecken & Joy Kecken | Story by : David Simon & Chris Collins Teleplay by : Chris Collins | January 20, 2008 | 0.85[35] |
54 | 4 | "Transitions" | Dan Attias | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Ed Burns | January 27, 2008 | 1.28[36] |
55 | 5 | "React Quotes" | Agnieszka Holland | Story by : David Simon & David Mills Teleplay by : David Mills | February 3, 2008 | 0.53[37] |
56 | 6 | "The Dickensian Aspect" | Seith Mann | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : Ed Burns | February 10, 2008 | 0.74[38] |
57 | 7 | "Took" | Dominic West | Story by : David Simon & Richard Price Teleplay by : Richard Price | February 17, 2008 | 0.57[39] |
58 | 8 | "Clarifications" | Anthony Hemingway | Story by : David Simon & Dennis Lehane Teleplay by : Dennis Lehane | February 24, 2008 | N/A |
59 | 9 | "Late Editions" | Joe Chappelle | Story by : David Simon & George Pelecanos Teleplay by : George Pelecanos | March 2, 2008 | 0.71[40] |
60 | 10 | "-30-" | Clark Johnson | Story by : David Simon & Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon | March 9, 2008 | 1.10[41] |
Prequel shorts
Three short film vignettes set prior to the series events were filmed during the fifth season's production. They were made available via HBO On Demand during broadcast of the final season, and included as extras on the complete series DVD box set.
- "When Bunk Met McNulty"
- "Young Omar"
- "Young Prop Joe"
References
- ↑ "HBO's 'Six Feet Under' Finishes, 'The Wire' Starts Strong". The Futon Critic. June 4, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (June 19, 2002). "Boost for Fox from 'American Idol'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on April 7, 2004. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ "World Cup Leads Cable Ratings". Zap2it. June 27, 2002. Archived from the original on April 5, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (July 10, 2002). "NASCAR zooms Fox to a first in 18-49s". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on April 28, 2004. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (July 17, 2002). "Fox streak broken by All-Star slump". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on April 28, 2004. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (July 31, 2002). "Big duke-out for top network". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on December 5, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (August 7, 2002). "Bum primetime summer for ABC". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on October 20, 2002. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (August 14, 2002). "July sweeps belong under the rug". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on October 20, 2002. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (August 21, 2002). "TV summer really belongs to cops". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on September 6, 2002. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (August 28, 2002). "Some late summer trophies for 'Idol'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on October 20, 2002. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (September 12, 2002). "With fall, Fox trots again". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on September 16, 2002. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (September 18, 2002). "Early premieres boost ABC and WB". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on December 6, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Fitzgerald, Toni (June 11, 2003). "Tonys: not hardly a disaster". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on May 3, 2004. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Levin, Gary (June 10, 2003). "Hillary and Miss Universe are ratings winners". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Fitzgerald, Toni (June 25, 2003). "Stinko ratings for summer scripted shows". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on May 3, 2004. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Fitzgerald, Toni (July 2, 2003). "And the winner is . . .'Top Model'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on August 18, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Downey, Kevin (July 9, 2003). "A flusher summer for broadcast networks". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on July 24, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Fitzgerald, Toni (July 16, 2003). "Fox's dashed hopes for 'Banzai'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on July 18, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Fitzgerald, Toni (August 6, 2003). "'Restaurant' warms with the main course". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on October 3, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Fitzgerald, Toni (August 13, 2003). "For 'The O.C.,' a time to find its legs". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on August 24, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Fitzgerald, Toni (August 20, 2003). "The blackout ate my ratings, it did'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on December 7, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Fitzgerald, Toni (August 27, 2003). "Bang-up finish for dogging 'Amazing Race'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on August 29, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Fitzgerald, Toni (September 4, 2003). "Schedule switches to keep an eye on". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on September 6, 2003. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Vasquez, Diego (September 22, 2004). "For NBC, pressure's on 'Will & Grace'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on May 21, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ↑ "Fox News Leaves Cable Competition Debating Second". Zap2it. October 7, 2004. Archived from the original on November 18, 2004. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
- ↑ Vasquez, Diego (October 13, 2004). "This season, it's win some, lose more". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on March 7, 2005. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ↑ Vasquez, Diego (October 20, 2004). "A win for the Red Sox, a big win for Fox". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ↑ Zap2it (November 4, 2004). "Bears game creates cable bull market for ESPN". Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. ProQuest 457099933. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2020 – via ProQuest.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)(subscription required) - ↑ Zap2it (November 18, 2004). "Election over, ESPN returns to cable lead". Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. ProQuest 456593286. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2020 – via ProQuest.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)(subscription required) - ↑ Nathan, Laura (December 2, 2004). "Is this the season UPN beats the WB?". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on November 11, 2005. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ↑ Tallerico, Brian (December 16, 2004). "'The O.C.' finds a warm Thursday berth". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on November 4, 2005. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ↑ Zap2it (December 23, 2004). "ESPN can thank Peyton Manning for cable win". Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. ProQuest 456585824. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2020 – via ProQuest.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)(subscription required) - ↑ Yanan, Travis (January 8, 2008). "Last Night's Results: Sunday 1/06/08". Programming Insider Feedback. Archived from the original on March 13, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ↑ Yanan, Travis (January 15, 2008). "Last Night's Results: Sunday 1/13/08". Programming Insider Feedback. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ↑ Zurawik, David (January 24, 2008). "Viewership for HBO's 'The Wire' declines". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ↑ Yanan, Travis (January 29, 2008). "Last Night's Results: Sunday 1/27/08". Programming Insider Feedback. Archived from the original on February 1, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ↑ Zurawik, David (February 21, 2008). "HBO's "The Wire" -- where did the audience go?". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ↑ "TOP SÉRIES DU LUNDI 4 AU DIMANCHE 10 FÉVRIER 2008". AlloCine Blogs. February 15, 2008. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ Yanan, Travis (February 20, 2008). "Last Night's Results: Sunday 2/17/08". Programming Insider Feedback. Archived from the original on February 27, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ↑ "TOP SÉRIES DU LUNDI 25 FÉVRIER AU DIMANCHE 2 MARS 2008". AlloCine Blogs. March 7, 2008. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ Levin, Gary (March 11, 2008). "Nielsens: 'Runway' finale rules on cable". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.