Everyone who watches The Wire loves The Wire. I think. Proof occurred this weekend when lovely wife went away with some of her friends, leaving me to look after my mother-in-law, who in a tasteful move decided she should watch The Wire. So much did she like it, she stayed up to midnight on Saturday watching the first 10 episodes, then watched the remaining two episodes before lunch the next morning. Then she chose to watch the first seven episodes of the second season after lunch.
Guess what's happening when she comes over for dinner tonight while lovely wife's out with some of her friends. I've had to order season three on DVD in case we get to the end of season two soon…
Anyway, one of the great things about The Wire is its dialogue. Above is a choice selection of the 100 greatest quotes from The Wire (there be obvious spoilers ahoy if you haven't seen The Wire). After the jump; the 100 other greatest The Wire quotes.
Incidentally, re-watching the second season of The Wire was interesting, since I was now mostly able to follow the Greeks when they were talking thanks to some evening classes I've been going to. Some interesting and amusing stuff going on there.
Ironically, despite the fact we had the subtitles on the whole time so mother-in-law could follow the dialogue, there are no subtitles on the DVDs for the Greeks, and none of the Greek words they pepper their English conversations with get translated. I wonder why…
OMG! Actual bits of The Wire I haven't seen! These are all prequels that I think HBO put on its web site before the fifth season or stuck on a DVD or something, so some of you might have seen them already. But it's actual The Wire footage I haven't seen. I'd forgotten how joyous that felt.
Before the jump, when McNulty met Bunk for the first time. After the jump, it's Young Omar and Prop Joe.
Just in case you never watched The Wire, first can I ask what's wrong with you and tell you that you really need to get to Amazon to order the DVD box sets of all five seasons right now.
But second, have this little taster. It's a famous scene from The Wire in which the po-lice do proper po-lice work using only one word. It'll only give you a hint as to why The Wire is so good, but it's fun, it's clever, and it'll give you at least some idea of why the show is so loved.
I've not seen it, but for lovers of The Wire, there's an attempt to do a real-life documentary series equivalent over on the US's Sundance Channel. Called Brick City, it follows Newark, New Jersey's mayor Cory A Booker, various citizens on the front lines, developers, gang members and youth mentors.
In case you don't know Newark ain't Baltimore, but it's not Manhattan either. I've no idea if this is going to be a puff piece or not, but I thought I'd mention it out of interest.
In the UK: Sundays, BBC4, 10pm. Available on the iPlayer
Imagine if Katie Price's next book turned out to be Hamlet. It would be incredible, wouldn't it? Unbelievable, in fact.
But we're talking that level of surprise that French TV could come up with Engrenages (aka Spiral).
For the most part, French TV is dubbed American imports, films, game shows and sitcoms that make ITV's best efforts look like Curb Your Enthusiasm. Yet, a few years ago, bewilderingly Canal+, France's answer to HBO, came up with Spiral, a French cop show almost as good as The Wire - and every bit as gritty, socially conscious, well written, well acted and authentic, albeit with some very pretty French people indeed.
The first season was a no-holds barred look at the French justice system, and was unafraid to show judges as corrupt, cops as racist, brutal and criminal, and lawyers as amoral and willing to screw over anyone for their own advancement.
Now, a year after it aired in France, BBC4 has finally gotten around to showing the second season. Could it possibly be as good as the first season?
Miracles do happen. It is.
Here's a trailer for season two - it's in French mind and contains a few spoilers for the next episode.
In the US: Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC In Canada: Wednesdays, 10/9c, Global TV
Ooh, Africa. It's a bit tricky, isn't it? What with all the shit happening, and stuff and ooh, it just makes you want to throw your hands in the air and do nothing.
If only there were like some really cool, really rich, billionaire Western guy who could go in and like sort things out, by you know, "hands-on philanthropy", which would be like riding motorbikes without shoes on to get medicine to villagers before he gets on his Lear Jet. Because that would, like, really sort it all out.
Okay, it's quite easy to sneer at The Philanthropist. Look, I just did it.
But:
It is actually based on a real person - Bobby Sager - although only very loosely on him
It stars British actor James Purefoy and that Neve Campbell woman
Despite its silliness, its artificiality and its shallow attempts to depict an incredibly complicated situation in a 40-minute action-adventure format, The Philanthropist has its heart in the right place and isn't so stupid that you can hear the pebbles rattling around inside its skull.
It's got Omar from The Wire in it.
Here on some YouTube promos; more about the show after the jump:
About the blog
This is a UK media blog with daily news, views, exclusive reviews and good conversation. There's a bit of a bias towards the latest and greatest US TV, but we also cover British TV ranging from new Doctor Who to old Z Cars, Property Ladder to Big Brother, and BBC4 to S4C – yes, this blog is firmly part of the conspiracy to promote all things Welsh where possible, particularly Caerdydd.
Add in film, theatre, art, books, events and media journalism and you've (hopefully) got one of the best places on the web for media lovers. Oh yes, and there's The Carusometer, the ultimate guide to quality TV.
About me
I'm Rob Buckley, a freelance journalist who writes for UK media magazines that most people have never heard of. I've edited Dreamwatch, Sprocket and Cambridge Film Festival Daily; been technical editor for trade magazine Televisual; reviewed films for the short-lived newspaper Cambridge Insider; written features for the even shorter-lived newspaper Soho Independent; and contributed sarcastic articles about television to the blink-and-you-missed-it "web site for urban hedonists" The Tribe. I'm freelance now and have contributed to the likes of Broadcast, Total Content + Media, Action TV, Off The Telly and TV Scoop. Have pity on me.
Read more on Friday's Sitting Tennant (week 11, 2010)