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Everything you need to know about the hard-hitting American crime drama

The Wire is a critically-acclaimed, hard-hitting American crime drama detailing a police department's efforts to investigate and take down a drug kingpin and his empire.

Over the course of five seasons, the show aimed to shine a light on real-life corruption and systemic issues embedded into public institutions - from city government to media – and how it affects a collective of characters in the city of Baltimore, Maryland.

Showrunner David Simon based the series loosely on his own personal accounts as a former police reporter, and the experiences of his writing partner, former homicide detective Ed Burns.

When the show was first released by HBO in June 2002, the cast was full of names that have since become household stars. They include: Dominic West (The Crown, The Affair) as tough nut Detective Jimmy McNulty; Wendell Pierce (Selma, Suits) as Detective Bunk Moreland; Lance Reddick (John Wick, Bosch) as Lieutenant Cedric Daniels; Seth Gilliam (The Walking Dead, Teen Wolf) as Lieutenant Ellis Carver; Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders) as Maryland governor Tommy Carcetti; and Michael K Williams (12 Years a Slave, Boardwalk Empire) as professional armed robber Omar Little.

Each character has to deal with their own ethics and the boundaries they are forced to see being crossed on a near constant basis in the institutions they’re a part of.

Every season folds a new institution into the narratives of the already established characters.

Season one focuses on the underworld of illegal drugs, season two the port system, season three brought in the inner workings of the city government, season four the public school system, and season five ended with print news and media.

By the end of the show’s run in March 2008, it was established by many as one of the greatest crime dramas of all time.

How successful was The Wire and what awards did it win?

While The Wire is now often regarded as one of the defining series of the crime genre, it took a while to gain widespread recognition.

In an interview with GQ, showrunner David Simon explained: “We were effectively cancelled after season three, talked our way back in, cancelled after season four, talked our way back in. I mean, God bless HBO because it wasn't like a lot of people were watching.”

However, by the end of the show’s run, viewers had started to flood in, and the show ended with 16 awards and 54 nominations – including two Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Writing.

The series sits at a 94 per cent critics rating and 96 per cent average audience score on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, with seasons three and four both earning the rare and sought-after 100 per cent rating.

What is the age rating of The Wire?

The official rating of The Wire by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is 18 due to its adult themes – though some episodes are marked 15.

Themes include sex and nudity, severe presence of violence (including against children), depiction of drug and alcohol abuse (including use of snorting cocaine and injecting heroin), and frequent use of profane language.

How many episodes of The Wire are there?

The Wire ran for five seasons, totalling 60 episodes in total.

Season one ran for 13 episodes, seasons two and three ran for 12 episodes each, and season four also ran for 13.

Season five brought the show to its finale with a shortened run of ten episodes.

Will The Wire ever return for season 6 or a reboot?

Unfortunately, no. There are currently no plans for new episodes, or a reboot, of The Wire. In fact, at certain points The Wire wasn’t intended to last as long as it did, and after season three was under threat of cancellation by HBO.

However, creator David Simon fought for the show to continue through to its ‘natural’ season five conclusion. Simon later went on to release the limited series, We Own This City, in 2022. Many consider We Own This City as a sister series or quasi-sequel due to its familiar topics and plot lines. It is also available to watch on Sky and NOW.

Much like its predecessor, it focused on the Baltimore drug scene and stories of those dealing with law enforcement. It’s based on the non-fiction book of the same name written by Justin Fenton, an investigative reporter for the Baltimore Sun.

We Own This City was heavily influenced by a 2017 racketeering indictment of the Baltimore Police Department – where eight members of the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) were convicted and sent to prison for federal racketeering.

The plainclothes officers were accused of abusing their power to extort money from citizens, planting evidence including guns and drugs on innocent people, and falsifying court paperwork among other claims.

Where can I watch The Wire?

Both The Wire and We Own This City are available to stream exclusively on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

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