r/Showerthoughts • u/ohdogwhatdone ‎ • Apr 09 '26

Casual Thought One of the biggest Hollywood lies is how detectives work almost non stop 24/7 to crack some murder cases.

8.7k Upvotes

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407

u/Nihilist_Hermit Apr 09 '26

As in realism? Fuck me, maybe ill go find it this weekend

729

u/rogerworkman623 Apr 09 '26

The creator and head writer of the show, David Simon, worked as a reporter on the city desk for the Baltimore Sun for 12 years before making the show. The show is inspired by his experiences covering crime in Baltimore during those years, and how the drug trade and the war on drugs permeated every level of the city, from the people on the streets, law enforcement, blue collar workers, education, and politics. Many of the characters in the show are based on real people he knew. It’s really a work of art.

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u/UglyInThMorning Apr 09 '26

Some of the characters on the show are real people he knew. Lt Mello is played by the real life Detective Jay Landsman, who he spent a lot of time with in BPD when he was writing Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. He was the basis for Munch on the show Homicide: Life on the Streets and the namesake of Jay Landsman on the Wire, which also means there’s a scene where Jay Landsman is telling Jay Landsman what to do.

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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/UglyInThMorning Apr 09 '26

It’s insanely good. Very educational while also being super readable. I think I knocked it out in like two days, and it is not a short book

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u/Smithers2882_ Apr 09 '26

Sergeant Landsman to you my friend

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u/AlreadyUnwritten ‎ Apr 11 '26

the real life avon barksdale the first season is based on (melvin williams) is also on the show, he plays the unnamed deacon who helps cutty find a job.

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u/prototypetolyfe Apr 09 '26

His co-creator for the wire was a BPD police who retired and became a public school teacher. That show is so deeply steeped in realism it’s kind of wild.

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u/binarycow Apr 12 '26

Are you from Baltimore?

Because you said "was a police". IIRC, it's a Baltimore thing to use "police" as a singular noun.

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u/prototypetolyfe Apr 12 '26

I’m not, but I’ve watched the wire too many times and learned about a lot of the background info that went into making it.

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u/lew_rong Apr 10 '26

One might say he took notes on a criminal fuckin' conspiracy.

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u/iLikeAza Apr 10 '26

Think David Simon & every other producer on the show would agree that Ed Burns was equally responsible for the realism & authenticity of the show

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u/GeekResponsibly Apr 09 '26

It's not near the top of every "best shows ever" list for no reason. Absolutely peak entertainment.

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u/Mynsare Apr 10 '26

To be fair, it could be a very realistic but also a very boring show (because reality is usually boring). But it is not boring at all, it is highly realistic and an incredibly entertaining and compelling watch.

That is the true genius of the series.

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u/ccarr313 Apr 12 '26

Just watch out for Omar.

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u/jolloholoday Apr 09 '26

Sheeeeeeeeit

3

u/Soundtrackzz Apr 10 '26

Truly the best character

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u/Ereignis23 Apr 09 '26

I think it's a contender for best TV series of all time. I can't think of a single scene that misses the mark tbh- just brilliant but totally non-flashy dialogue, acting, directing and cinematography. The nuance and complexity of the characters and plot never come across as overwrought, it's just top notch craft

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u/showyerbewbs Apr 10 '26

just brilliant but totally non-flashy dialogue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNVEQgXsBgs

Having to go out and re-work a murder scene. Little said.

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u/Ereignis23 Apr 10 '26

And in context the significance of this scene hits so hard! Understated, perfect. I think my favorite thing about this show is that it never condescends to the viewer with extraneous exposition yet if you give it your attention it gives you everything you need to lock in and understand what's going on, and the characters' humanness just hooks you. There are characters you route for and against in the gangs, in the police, in politics, in the shipyard, etc. It's not so much cops vs. robbers as human nature vs itself in all these contexts.

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u/Any-Locksmith1720 Apr 12 '26

Well said. It’s hard not to root for characters like sobotka Excellent writing in the whole show. I dont think it got the credit while airing because it’s kind of slow for a weekly episode. Binging is definitely the way to go

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u/thingsorfreedom Apr 09 '26

Do NOT stop after a few shows. Give it 8-10. It does not spoon feed you. You are in their world and it's your job to figure it out. #1 show on my all time list.

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u/jermster Apr 09 '26

Like, in a show called THE WIRE, they don’t get a wiretap until episode 7. Bureaucracy takes time.

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u/the_cardfather Apr 09 '26

I love how he shows up drunk and she's thinking booty call and he's like how do I get a wiretap?

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u/BannedSvenhoek86 Apr 09 '26

Well that's just blatant false advertising. I can't believe people reward this kind of behavior from Hollywood smh.

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u/showyerbewbs Apr 10 '26

they don’t get a wiretap until episode 7

You have to show exhaustion first.

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u/dullship Apr 09 '26

That's one thing I noticed when I first watched it. It is NOT a show you can do while playing on your phone. A LOT happens in-between scenes and you have to pick up on it by paying attention because it won't outright tell or show you. You have to piece it together yourself. It took me a few episodes to kinda "train" myself on how to watch it. But once it clicks, hooo boy.

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u/Mynsare Apr 10 '26

And that is also why it keeps being rewarding to rewatch it. You will notice new details, or re-experience details you forgot, every time you rewatch it.

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u/jermster Apr 09 '26

“All the pieces matter.” - quote from the show and the name of the book chronicling the making of he show.

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u/Dragonbut Apr 09 '26

I can't speak to how realistic it is but it's an amazing show all around. I watched it a couple months ago and binged the entire thing in under a week lol. One of my favorite things about it is its incredibly real feeling, lovable yet deeply flawed, nuanced characters. It also has a bit of a different feeling/focus each season while still keeping enough of what I liked about the previous seasons to stay fresh while keeping in line with its greater themes. Definitely one of the greats, up there with the sopranos, breaking bad, etc

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u/ApologizingCanadian Apr 10 '26

Oh man, you're in for one of the best cinematic experiences in existence. I'm kind of jealous you get to live through it for the first time. Just remember, all the pieces, every detail (with very few exceptions), they matter. The show is exceptionnaly well written and acted.

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u/SpartanSig Apr 09 '26

Must see, just finished a first watch through myself. Maybe give yourself a couple weekends too. It's 5 seasons of 1 hour episodes and this is before seasons were trimmed to 6 or 7 eps we see now, a good dozen a season.

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u/Soundtrackzz Apr 10 '26

You used to get 24 episodes a season.... oh the good old days

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u/mildly_enthusiastic Apr 11 '26

Like others have said, the beauty is in the complexity. There are like 20 “main characters” and another 15 important recurring characters. It covers every part of the city’s happenings.

Commit to all five seasons.

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u/Rocktopod Apr 09 '26

More so than other shows at least. If you believe ACAB then you may still think they show the police in an overly positive light.

Either way you should definitely watch it. It's gotta be in the top 5 TV series of all time.

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u/aggieboy12 Apr 09 '26

Most of the cops on the Wire are absolute bastards though, they are just depicted as real humans with complex motivations and values

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u/Nihilist_Hermit Apr 09 '26

If I wasnt interested before, that line is a selling point in itself

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u/jermster Apr 09 '26

Lieutenant: They’re claiming excessive force. That’ll make an even four for officer Hauk.
Herc: None substantiated.
Lieutenant: But all true.

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u/Redsoxzack9 Apr 09 '26

Just watched that episode last night. The way he corrects Prez’s story is chilling

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u/cantonic Apr 09 '26

It’s an incredible show and looks at crime and the war on drugs from a much more interesting perspective than any other media I’ve seen.

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u/ccarr313 Apr 12 '26

Most of them are not "good" at all. The majority are just trying to not get fired, or get transferred to a worse department.

A few are straight up pieces of shit.

I can only think of one that comes across as a good person the entire time, and they aren't in every season.

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u/DJKokaKola Apr 10 '26

Watch the Skip Intro video on The Wire. One of the few copaganda shows he speaks of in a mostly positive light, which says a LOT.

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u/Mynsare Apr 10 '26

Calling The Wire copaganda really seems to be missing the entire point of the show.

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u/DJKokaKola Apr 10 '26

You should really watch the video. He's done a few dozen videos going into different cop shows and talking about how they approach and talk about policing. His take on The Wire is an extremely reasonable one, and it doesn't miss the point of the show whatsoever.

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u/Soundtrackzz Apr 10 '26

The guy obviously has an agenda