The Wire (1 Viewer)

[Please See Mine]

Dunno if anyone has checked out "Luther" yet, but it's really awesome. Very weird, too.

Still haven't watched the last 2 episodes of the series yet, but the villains (and their actions) of episodes 3 and 7/8 are some of the creepiest stuff I've ever seen on TV.

 

[The_Man]

I don't think anyone posted this yet:

The Wire: The Musical

this is brilliant. Can we all pool our money to get this made?

Response from David Simon on his blog:

I woke up this morning to an email from Michael K. Williams, with this video linked Hilarious. Just great.

Felicia’s turn alone is worth the time. Ya hair look good, Snoop.

Someone hand me a burner and Sondheim’s number.

 

[YSR]

Dunno if anyone has checked out "Luther" yet, but it's really awesome. Very weird, too.

I've had a thing for Idris Elba since The Wire; practically have an RSS feed on the guy. Great show. Love hearing his accent in this one.

 

[shuke]

I don't think anyone posted this yet:

The Wire: The Musical

 

[Apple Jack]

Speaking of Simon's blog, this is awesome. Extra awesome as it's where I'd have gone to school had I not transferred to private school in 9th grade. I love that he did a freaking high school commencement speech. It's like Radiohead playing the birthday party of Thom's neighbor's kid.http://davidsimon.com/graduation-remarks-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school/

I know that man’s natural state is disorder, that we go day to day, year to year, pretending to a plan, and charting our progress, but in the end, we can only control so much of our lives, much less the world around us. I know that most, but not all of us, want the same things for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, our world – and by and large those things are worth a fight. I know that luck matters and circumstance matters; hard work and endurance are required, but they guarantee absolutely nothing. I know the world isn’t close to fair enough to those who labor in it. And I know one thing above all. And it’s this: You are responsible. For everything. For yourselves, for the people you know and love – of course. That’s the easy part. But it gets harder in that you are responsible for the folks you don’t know and love, for people you have never met, for people who don’t know and don’t love you. We are all responsible. All of us. For our community. For our society. For our country. For our world. And that isn’t platitude. Because to me, that responsibility is terrifying, it’s epic, it’s almost too big for the ordinary human heart to bear.Most, but not all of you, are going to college. To learn some more, to make it more likely, perhaps, that you might negotiate this world successfully. But let’s be honest for a moment: All of you are starting on that road from a public school of notable excellence in a county known for the quality of its education system. Why are you here in the first place? Why not elsewhere? Why you and not someone else?Well, guys, what can I say? You happened to fall out of the right womb, demographically and geographically. Your parents – I see them out there, muttering, wondering if I’m ever going to say anything warm and fuzzy this morning – your parents did a helluva lot right to get you to this part of the world, to secure for you the extraordinary jump start of a superior education, of a life of relative personal safety and suburban ease. And my guess is, they’re not done yet. They’re the kind of parents that are going to be there for you, conspiring for your future, for many years to come.How do I know? Well, hey, I caught the same break. And Montgomery County thirty-five years ago was no different for me as it is for you. I tumbled through high school and into college without any sense that it could or would go differently. Certain things were assumed for my life. The guardrails were all there. The airbags all worked. I might come through with a few dents and scratches, I might screw up here and there, but by and large, the risks I was asked to take were for the most part moderate and plausible. I was going to have to work some, and get a little lucky, sure. But for real, I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I mean, damn. Nice work if you can get it.

A few members of this board could learn a thing or two from this speech.

 

[pollardsvision]

Speaking of Simon's blog, this is awesome. Extra awesome as it's where I'd have gone to school had I not transferred to private school in 9th grade. I love that he did a freaking high school commencement speech. It's like Radiohead playing the birthday party of Thom's neighbor's kid.http://davidsimon.com/graduation-remarks-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school/

I know that man’s natural state is disorder, that we go day to day, year to year, pretending to a plan, and charting our progress, but in the end, we can only control so much of our lives, much less the world around us. I know that most, but not all of us, want the same things for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, our world – and by and large those things are worth a fight. I know that luck matters and circumstance matters; hard work and endurance are required, but they guarantee absolutely nothing. I know the world isn’t close to fair enough to those who labor in it. And I know one thing above all. And it’s this: You are responsible. For everything. For yourselves, for the people you know and love – of course. That’s the easy part. But it gets harder in that you are responsible for the folks you don’t know and love, for people you have never met, for people who don’t know and don’t love you. We are all responsible. All of us. For our community. For our society. For our country. For our world. And that isn’t platitude. Because to me, that responsibility is terrifying, it’s epic, it’s almost too big for the ordinary human heart to bear.Most, but not all of you, are going to college. To learn some more, to make it more likely, perhaps, that you might negotiate this world successfully. But let’s be honest for a moment: All of you are starting on that road from a public school of notable excellence in a county known for the quality of its education system. Why are you here in the first place? Why not elsewhere? Why you and not someone else?Well, guys, what can I say? You happened to fall out of the right womb, demographically and geographically. Your parents – I see them out there, muttering, wondering if I’m ever going to say anything warm and fuzzy this morning – your parents did a helluva lot right to get you to this part of the world, to secure for you the extraordinary jump start of a superior education, of a life of relative personal safety and suburban ease. And my guess is, they’re not done yet. They’re the kind of parents that are going to be there for you, conspiring for your future, for many years to come.How do I know? Well, hey, I caught the same break. And Montgomery County thirty-five years ago was no different for me as it is for you. I tumbled through high school and into college without any sense that it could or would go differently. Certain things were assumed for my life. The guardrails were all there. The airbags all worked. I might come through with a few dents and scratches, I might screw up here and there, but by and large, the risks I was asked to take were for the most part moderate and plausible. I was going to have to work some, and get a little lucky, sure. But for real, I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I mean, damn. Nice work if you can get it.

A few members of this board could learn a thing or two from this speech.

I refuse to click on that link or read it.I haven't been following his blog since it's inception, so I'm sure I won't "get it". I probably wouldn't even if I had been following all along.

 

[Apple Jack]

Speaking of Simon's blog, this is awesome. Extra awesome as it's where I'd have gone to school had I not transferred to private school in 9th grade. I love that he did a freaking high school commencement speech. It's like Radiohead playing the birthday party of Thom's neighbor's kid.http://davidsimon.com/graduation-remarks-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school/

I know that man’s natural state is disorder, that we go day to day, year to year, pretending to a plan, and charting our progress, but in the end, we can only control so much of our lives, much less the world around us. I know that most, but not all of us, want the same things for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, our world – and by and large those things are worth a fight. I know that luck matters and circumstance matters; hard work and endurance are required, but they guarantee absolutely nothing. I know the world isn’t close to fair enough to those who labor in it. And I know one thing above all. And it’s this: You are responsible. For everything. For yourselves, for the people you know and love – of course. That’s the easy part. But it gets harder in that you are responsible for the folks you don’t know and love, for people you have never met, for people who don’t know and don’t love you. We are all responsible. All of us. For our community. For our society. For our country. For our world. And that isn’t platitude. Because to me, that responsibility is terrifying, it’s epic, it’s almost too big for the ordinary human heart to bear.Most, but not all of you, are going to college. To learn some more, to make it more likely, perhaps, that you might negotiate this world successfully. But let’s be honest for a moment: All of you are starting on that road from a public school of notable excellence in a county known for the quality of its education system. Why are you here in the first place? Why not elsewhere? Why you and not someone else?Well, guys, what can I say? You happened to fall out of the right womb, demographically and geographically. Your parents – I see them out there, muttering, wondering if I’m ever going to say anything warm and fuzzy this morning – your parents did a helluva lot right to get you to this part of the world, to secure for you the extraordinary jump start of a superior education, of a life of relative personal safety and suburban ease. And my guess is, they’re not done yet. They’re the kind of parents that are going to be there for you, conspiring for your future, for many years to come.How do I know? Well, hey, I caught the same break. And Montgomery County thirty-five years ago was no different for me as it is for you. I tumbled through high school and into college without any sense that it could or would go differently. Certain things were assumed for my life. The guardrails were all there. The airbags all worked. I might come through with a few dents and scratches, I might screw up here and there, but by and large, the risks I was asked to take were for the most part moderate and plausible. I was going to have to work some, and get a little lucky, sure. But for real, I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I mean, damn. Nice work if you can get it.

A few members of this board could learn a thing or two from this speech.

I refuse to click on that link or read it.I haven't been following his blog since it's inception, so I'm sure I won't "get it". I probably wouldn't even if I had been following all along.

Huh?

 

[pollardsvision]

Speaking of Simon's blog, this is awesome. Extra awesome as it's where I'd have gone to school had I not transferred to private school in 9th grade. I love that he did a freaking high school commencement speech. It's like Radiohead playing the birthday party of Thom's neighbor's kid.http://davidsimon.com/graduation-remarks-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school/

I know that man’s natural state is disorder, that we go day to day, year to year, pretending to a plan, and charting our progress, but in the end, we can only control so much of our lives, much less the world around us. I know that most, but not all of us, want the same things for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, our world – and by and large those things are worth a fight. I know that luck matters and circumstance matters; hard work and endurance are required, but they guarantee absolutely nothing. I know the world isn’t close to fair enough to those who labor in it. And I know one thing above all. And it’s this: You are responsible. For everything. For yourselves, for the people you know and love – of course. That’s the easy part. But it gets harder in that you are responsible for the folks you don’t know and love, for people you have never met, for people who don’t know and don’t love you. We are all responsible. All of us. For our community. For our society. For our country. For our world. And that isn’t platitude. Because to me, that responsibility is terrifying, it’s epic, it’s almost too big for the ordinary human heart to bear.Most, but not all of you, are going to college. To learn some more, to make it more likely, perhaps, that you might negotiate this world successfully. But let’s be honest for a moment: All of you are starting on that road from a public school of notable excellence in a county known for the quality of its education system. Why are you here in the first place? Why not elsewhere? Why you and not someone else?Well, guys, what can I say? You happened to fall out of the right womb, demographically and geographically. Your parents – I see them out there, muttering, wondering if I’m ever going to say anything warm and fuzzy this morning – your parents did a helluva lot right to get you to this part of the world, to secure for you the extraordinary jump start of a superior education, of a life of relative personal safety and suburban ease. And my guess is, they’re not done yet. They’re the kind of parents that are going to be there for you, conspiring for your future, for many years to come.How do I know? Well, hey, I caught the same break. And Montgomery County thirty-five years ago was no different for me as it is for you. I tumbled through high school and into college without any sense that it could or would go differently. Certain things were assumed for my life. The guardrails were all there. The airbags all worked. I might come through with a few dents and scratches, I might screw up here and there, but by and large, the risks I was asked to take were for the most part moderate and plausible. I was going to have to work some, and get a little lucky, sure. But for real, I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I mean, damn. Nice work if you can get it.

A few members of this board could learn a thing or two from this speech.

I refuse to click on that link or read it.I haven't been following his blog since it's inception, so I'm sure I won't "get it". I probably wouldn't even if I had been following all along.

Huh?

Bad joke based on Simon's contempt for fans that didn't watch his show from the beginning.

 

[Apple Jack]

Speaking of Simon's blog, this is awesome. Extra awesome as it's where I'd have gone to school had I not transferred to private school in 9th grade. I love that he did a freaking high school commencement speech. It's like Radiohead playing the birthday party of Thom's neighbor's kid.http://davidsimon.com/graduation-remarks-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school/

I know that man’s natural state is disorder, that we go day to day, year to year, pretending to a plan, and charting our progress, but in the end, we can only control so much of our lives, much less the world around us. I know that most, but not all of us, want the same things for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, our world – and by and large those things are worth a fight. I know that luck matters and circumstance matters; hard work and endurance are required, but they guarantee absolutely nothing. I know the world isn’t close to fair enough to those who labor in it. And I know one thing above all. And it’s this: You are responsible. For everything. For yourselves, for the people you know and love – of course. That’s the easy part. But it gets harder in that you are responsible for the folks you don’t know and love, for people you have never met, for people who don’t know and don’t love you. We are all responsible. All of us. For our community. For our society. For our country. For our world. And that isn’t platitude. Because to me, that responsibility is terrifying, it’s epic, it’s almost too big for the ordinary human heart to bear.Most, but not all of you, are going to college. To learn some more, to make it more likely, perhaps, that you might negotiate this world successfully. But let’s be honest for a moment: All of you are starting on that road from a public school of notable excellence in a county known for the quality of its education system. Why are you here in the first place? Why not elsewhere? Why you and not someone else?Well, guys, what can I say? You happened to fall out of the right womb, demographically and geographically. Your parents – I see them out there, muttering, wondering if I’m ever going to say anything warm and fuzzy this morning – your parents did a helluva lot right to get you to this part of the world, to secure for you the extraordinary jump start of a superior education, of a life of relative personal safety and suburban ease. And my guess is, they’re not done yet. They’re the kind of parents that are going to be there for you, conspiring for your future, for many years to come.How do I know? Well, hey, I caught the same break. And Montgomery County thirty-five years ago was no different for me as it is for you. I tumbled through high school and into college without any sense that it could or would go differently. Certain things were assumed for my life. The guardrails were all there. The airbags all worked. I might come through with a few dents and scratches, I might screw up here and there, but by and large, the risks I was asked to take were for the most part moderate and plausible. I was going to have to work some, and get a little lucky, sure. But for real, I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I mean, damn. Nice work if you can get it.

A few members of this board could learn a thing or two from this speech.

I refuse to click on that link or read it.I haven't been following his blog since it's inception, so I'm sure I won't "get it". I probably wouldn't even if I had been following all along.

Huh?

Bad joke based on Simon's contempt for fans that didn't watch his show from the beginning.

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.ETA: It's entirely possible I made pretty much this exact post somewhere a number of pages back in this thread. Forgive the repeat, if so.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

I'm a big fan of Simon the writer but he's not the type of person most people should be taking advice from.

 

[Apple Jack]

I'm a big fan of Simon the writer but he's not the type of person most people should be taking advice from.

Why is that?

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

I'm a big fan of Simon the writer but he's not the type of person most people should be taking advice from.

Why is that?

b/c he's an ####### and generally treats other people like crap.

 

[Apple Jack]

I'm a big fan of Simon the writer but he's not the type of person most people should be taking advice from.

Why is that?

b/c he's an ####### and generally treats other people like crap.

What are some examples of him treating other people like crap?

 

[pollardsvision]

Speaking of Simon's blog, this is awesome. Extra awesome as it's where I'd have gone to school had I not transferred to private school in 9th grade. I love that he did a freaking high school commencement speech. It's like Radiohead playing the birthday party of Thom's neighbor's kid.http://davidsimon.com/graduation-remarks-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school/

I know that man’s natural state is disorder, that we go day to day, year to year, pretending to a plan, and charting our progress, but in the end, we can only control so much of our lives, much less the world around us. I know that most, but not all of us, want the same things for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, our world – and by and large those things are worth a fight. I know that luck matters and circumstance matters; hard work and endurance are required, but they guarantee absolutely nothing. I know the world isn’t close to fair enough to those who labor in it. And I know one thing above all. And it’s this: You are responsible. For everything. For yourselves, for the people you know and love – of course. That’s the easy part. But it gets harder in that you are responsible for the folks you don’t know and love, for people you have never met, for people who don’t know and don’t love you. We are all responsible. All of us. For our community. For our society. For our country. For our world. And that isn’t platitude. Because to me, that responsibility is terrifying, it’s epic, it’s almost too big for the ordinary human heart to bear.Most, but not all of you, are going to college. To learn some more, to make it more likely, perhaps, that you might negotiate this world successfully. But let’s be honest for a moment: All of you are starting on that road from a public school of notable excellence in a county known for the quality of its education system. Why are you here in the first place? Why not elsewhere? Why you and not someone else?Well, guys, what can I say? You happened to fall out of the right womb, demographically and geographically. Your parents – I see them out there, muttering, wondering if I’m ever going to say anything warm and fuzzy this morning – your parents did a helluva lot right to get you to this part of the world, to secure for you the extraordinary jump start of a superior education, of a life of relative personal safety and suburban ease. And my guess is, they’re not done yet. They’re the kind of parents that are going to be there for you, conspiring for your future, for many years to come.How do I know? Well, hey, I caught the same break. And Montgomery County thirty-five years ago was no different for me as it is for you. I tumbled through high school and into college without any sense that it could or would go differently. Certain things were assumed for my life. The guardrails were all there. The airbags all worked. I might come through with a few dents and scratches, I might screw up here and there, but by and large, the risks I was asked to take were for the most part moderate and plausible. I was going to have to work some, and get a little lucky, sure. But for real, I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I mean, damn. Nice work if you can get it.

A few members of this board could learn a thing or two from this speech.

I refuse to click on that link or read it.I haven't been following his blog since it's inception, so I'm sure I won't "get it". I probably wouldn't even if I had been following all along.

Huh?

Bad joke based on Simon's contempt for fans that didn't watch his show from the beginning.

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.

Not saying he shouldn't be annoyed. That makes perfect sense. I'm sure that was/is frustrating and annoying to have to fight to keep something alive only to see it become a huge hit after the fact. Again, just a bad attempt at humor.Now, if that contempt is coming from a criticism of society and our intellectual laziness (and I'm sure you're right on that), he can bite me over that one. The best things in life are never the most popular and TV audiences take a little while to catch on for the best shows. This is just the way it is. He seems to pretend that he's just learning about this phenomenon, when should just have a little appreciation for the fact that people eventually did show up. He got to tell his story, he got paid, and he gets the benefit of being able to continue telling stories (even when they don't draw huge audiences). I don't care for the whiny artist routine when there are artists out there with legitimate reasons to whine.I came to the party late (I didn't watch TV from '97-'07). I didn't help his ratings, but the last physical media purchase I made (and will make) was The Wire box set. Full retail ($150) at an actual store (Best Buy). Love the work, but like I said, he can bite me.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

I'm a big fan of Simon the writer but he's not the type of person most people should be taking advice from.

Why is that?

b/c he's an ####### and generally treats other people like crap.

What are some examples of him treating other people like crap?

I haven't interacted with him myself. Relying on the word of a good friend who worked with him at the Sun. Sorry if that's not enough.As I said, I'm a huge fan of his work. Not a surprise that someone so successful would be a ####.

 

[Apple Jack]

Speaking of Simon's blog, this is awesome. Extra awesome as it's where I'd have gone to school had I not transferred to private school in 9th grade. I love that he did a freaking high school commencement speech. It's like Radiohead playing the birthday party of Thom's neighbor's kid.

http://davidsimon.com/graduation-remarks-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school/

I know that man’s natural state is disorder, that we go day to day, year to year, pretending to a plan, and charting our progress, but in the end, we can only control so much of our lives, much less the world around us. I know that most, but not all of us, want the same things for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, our world – and by and large those things are worth a fight. I know that luck matters and circumstance matters; hard work and endurance are required, but they guarantee absolutely nothing. I know the world isn’t close to fair enough to those who labor in it. And I know one thing above all. And it’s this: You are responsible. For everything. For yourselves, for the people you know and love – of course. That’s the easy part. But it gets harder in that you are responsible for the folks you don’t know and love, for people you have never met, for people who don’t know and don’t love you. We are all responsible. All of us. For our community. For our society. For our country. For our world. And that isn’t platitude. Because to me, that responsibility is terrifying, it’s epic, it’s almost too big for the ordinary human heart to bear.

Most, but not all of you, are going to college. To learn some more, to make it more likely, perhaps, that you might negotiate this world successfully. But let’s be honest for a moment: All of you are starting on that road from a public school of notable excellence in a county known for the quality of its education system. Why are you here in the first place? Why not elsewhere? Why you and not someone else?

Well, guys, what can I say? You happened to fall out of the right womb, demographically and geographically. Your parents – I see them out there, muttering, wondering if I’m ever going to say anything warm and fuzzy this morning – your parents did a helluva lot right to get you to this part of the world, to secure for you the extraordinary jump start of a superior education, of a life of relative personal safety and suburban ease. And my guess is, they’re not done yet. They’re the kind of parents that are going to be there for you, conspiring for your future, for many years to come.

How do I know? Well, hey, I caught the same break. And Montgomery County thirty-five years ago was no different for me as it is for you. I tumbled through high school and into college without any sense that it could or would go differently. Certain things were assumed for my life. The guardrails were all there. The airbags all worked. I might come through with a few dents and scratches, I might screw up here and there, but by and large, the risks I was asked to take were for the most part moderate and plausible. I was going to have to work some, and get a little lucky, sure. But for real, I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I mean, damn. Nice work if you can get it.

A few members of this board could learn a thing or two from this speech.

I refuse to click on that link or read it.I haven't been following his blog since it's inception, so I'm sure I won't "get it". I probably wouldn't even if I had been following all along.

Huh?

Bad joke based on Simon's contempt for fans that didn't watch his show from the beginning.

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.

Not saying he shouldn't be annoyed. That makes perfect sense. I'm sure that was/is frustrating and annoying to have to fight to keep something alive only to see it become a huge hit after the fact. Again, just a bad attempt at humor.Now, if that contempt is coming from a criticism of society and our intellectual laziness (and I'm sure you're right on that), he can bite me over that one.

The best things in life are never the most popular and TV audiences take a little while to catch on for the best shows. This is just the way it is.

He seems to pretend that he's just learning about this phenomenon, when should just have a little appreciation for the fact that people eventually did show up. He got to tell his story, he got paid, and he gets the benefit of being able to continue telling stories (even when they don't draw huge audiences).

I don't care for the whiny artist routine when there are artists out there with legitimate reasons to whine.

I came to the party late (I didn't watch TV from '97-'07). I didn't help his ratings, but the last physical media purchase I made (and will make) was The Wire box set. Full retail ($150) at an actual store (Best Buy).

Love the work, but like I said, he can bite me.

No, I just think that you probably never get used to seeing good work largely ignored. It's why a lot of great artists are bitter. The work being ignored, or even worse, misunderstood. Which I think goes back to his "doesn't get it" thing. I'm sure he's encountered a lot of people who were drawn to the show for what he sees as the wrong reasons, and who didn't take away what they should have from it. Dylan used to have the same issue and it drove him into exile for awhile. I think people who make great art often have a very contentious relationship with a segment of their audience.

 

[pollardsvision]

Speaking of Simon's blog, this is awesome. Extra awesome as it's where I'd have gone to school had I not transferred to private school in 9th grade. I love that he did a freaking high school commencement speech. It's like Radiohead playing the birthday party of Thom's neighbor's kid.

http://davidsimon.com/graduation-remarks-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school/

I know that man’s natural state is disorder, that we go day to day, year to year, pretending to a plan, and charting our progress, but in the end, we can only control so much of our lives, much less the world around us. I know that most, but not all of us, want the same things for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, our world – and by and large those things are worth a fight. I know that luck matters and circumstance matters; hard work and endurance are required, but they guarantee absolutely nothing. I know the world isn’t close to fair enough to those who labor in it. And I know one thing above all. And it’s this: You are responsible. For everything. For yourselves, for the people you know and love – of course. That’s the easy part. But it gets harder in that you are responsible for the folks you don’t know and love, for people you have never met, for people who don’t know and don’t love you. We are all responsible. All of us. For our community. For our society. For our country. For our world. And that isn’t platitude. Because to me, that responsibility is terrifying, it’s epic, it’s almost too big for the ordinary human heart to bear.

Most, but not all of you, are going to college. To learn some more, to make it more likely, perhaps, that you might negotiate this world successfully. But let’s be honest for a moment: All of you are starting on that road from a public school of notable excellence in a county known for the quality of its education system. Why are you here in the first place? Why not elsewhere? Why you and not someone else?

Well, guys, what can I say? You happened to fall out of the right womb, demographically and geographically. Your parents – I see them out there, muttering, wondering if I’m ever going to say anything warm and fuzzy this morning – your parents did a helluva lot right to get you to this part of the world, to secure for you the extraordinary jump start of a superior education, of a life of relative personal safety and suburban ease. And my guess is, they’re not done yet. They’re the kind of parents that are going to be there for you, conspiring for your future, for many years to come.

How do I know? Well, hey, I caught the same break. And Montgomery County thirty-five years ago was no different for me as it is for you. I tumbled through high school and into college without any sense that it could or would go differently. Certain things were assumed for my life. The guardrails were all there. The airbags all worked. I might come through with a few dents and scratches, I might screw up here and there, but by and large, the risks I was asked to take were for the most part moderate and plausible. I was going to have to work some, and get a little lucky, sure. But for real, I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I mean, damn. Nice work if you can get it.

A few members of this board could learn a thing or two from this speech.

I refuse to click on that link or read it.I haven't been following his blog since it's inception, so I'm sure I won't "get it". I probably wouldn't even if I had been following all along.

Huh?

Bad joke based on Simon's contempt for fans that didn't watch his show from the beginning.

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.

Not saying he shouldn't be annoyed. That makes perfect sense. I'm sure that was/is frustrating and annoying to have to fight to keep something alive only to see it become a huge hit after the fact. Again, just a bad attempt at humor.Now, if that contempt is coming from a criticism of society and our intellectual laziness (and I'm sure you're right on that), he can bite me over that one.

The best things in life are never the most popular and TV audiences take a little while to catch on for the best shows. This is just the way it is.

He seems to pretend that he's just learning about this phenomenon, when should just have a little appreciation for the fact that people eventually did show up. He got to tell his story, he got paid, and he gets the benefit of being able to continue telling stories (even when they don't draw huge audiences).

I don't care for the whiny artist routine when there are artists out there with legitimate reasons to whine.

I came to the party late (I didn't watch TV from '97-'07). I didn't help his ratings, but the last physical media purchase I made (and will make) was The Wire box set. Full retail ($150) at an actual store (Best Buy).

Love the work, but like I said, he can bite me.

No, I just think that you probably never get used to seeing good work largely ignored. It's why a lot of great artists are bitter. The work being ignored, or even worse, misunderstood. Which I think goes back to his "doesn't get it" thing. I'm sure he's encountered a lot of people who were drawn to the show for what he sees as the wrong reasons, and who didn't take away what they should have from it. Dylan used to have the same issue and it drove him into exile for awhile. I think people who make great art often have a very contentious relationship with a segment of their audience.

Very good points and I agree with all of that.Though, what I wonder is, do you (whiny artist) want your entire audience to "get it" or do you want a large audience?

Sounds like Simon #####es about wanting both things and that's impossible.

From what I gather "The Wire" fans seem to "get it" and I really don't know what these wrong reasons are. Hell, maybe I'm the sucker that doesn't know he's the sucker.

Maybe Simon would've been better off making his art for his own private viewing.

 

[Apple Jack]

Speaking of Simon's blog, this is awesome. Extra awesome as it's where I'd have gone to school had I not transferred to private school in 9th grade. I love that he did a freaking high school commencement speech. It's like Radiohead playing the birthday party of Thom's neighbor's kid.

http://davidsimon.com/graduation-remarks-bethesda-chevy-chase-high-school/

I know that man’s natural state is disorder, that we go day to day, year to year, pretending to a plan, and charting our progress, but in the end, we can only control so much of our lives, much less the world around us. I know that most, but not all of us, want the same things for ourselves, our families, our neighborhoods, our world – and by and large those things are worth a fight. I know that luck matters and circumstance matters; hard work and endurance are required, but they guarantee absolutely nothing. I know the world isn’t close to fair enough to those who labor in it. And I know one thing above all. And it’s this: You are responsible. For everything. For yourselves, for the people you know and love – of course. That’s the easy part. But it gets harder in that you are responsible for the folks you don’t know and love, for people you have never met, for people who don’t know and don’t love you. We are all responsible. All of us. For our community. For our society. For our country. For our world. And that isn’t platitude. Because to me, that responsibility is terrifying, it’s epic, it’s almost too big for the ordinary human heart to bear.

Most, but not all of you, are going to college. To learn some more, to make it more likely, perhaps, that you might negotiate this world successfully. But let’s be honest for a moment: All of you are starting on that road from a public school of notable excellence in a county known for the quality of its education system. Why are you here in the first place? Why not elsewhere? Why you and not someone else?

Well, guys, what can I say? You happened to fall out of the right womb, demographically and geographically. Your parents – I see them out there, muttering, wondering if I’m ever going to say anything warm and fuzzy this morning – your parents did a helluva lot right to get you to this part of the world, to secure for you the extraordinary jump start of a superior education, of a life of relative personal safety and suburban ease. And my guess is, they’re not done yet. They’re the kind of parents that are going to be there for you, conspiring for your future, for many years to come.

How do I know? Well, hey, I caught the same break. And Montgomery County thirty-five years ago was no different for me as it is for you. I tumbled through high school and into college without any sense that it could or would go differently. Certain things were assumed for my life. The guardrails were all there. The airbags all worked. I might come through with a few dents and scratches, I might screw up here and there, but by and large, the risks I was asked to take were for the most part moderate and plausible. I was going to have to work some, and get a little lucky, sure. But for real, I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I mean, damn. Nice work if you can get it.

A few members of this board could learn a thing or two from this speech.

I refuse to click on that link or read it.I haven't been following his blog since it's inception, so I'm sure I won't "get it". I probably wouldn't even if I had been following all along.

Huh?

Bad joke based on Simon's contempt for fans that didn't watch his show from the beginning.

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.

Not saying he shouldn't be annoyed. That makes perfect sense. I'm sure that was/is frustrating and annoying to have to fight to keep something alive only to see it become a huge hit after the fact. Again, just a bad attempt at humor.Now, if that contempt is coming from a criticism of society and our intellectual laziness (and I'm sure you're right on that), he can bite me over that one.

The best things in life are never the most popular and TV audiences take a little while to catch on for the best shows. This is just the way it is.

He seems to pretend that he's just learning about this phenomenon, when should just have a little appreciation for the fact that people eventually did show up. He got to tell his story, he got paid, and he gets the benefit of being able to continue telling stories (even when they don't draw huge audiences).

I don't care for the whiny artist routine when there are artists out there with legitimate reasons to whine.

I came to the party late (I didn't watch TV from '97-'07). I didn't help his ratings, but the last physical media purchase I made (and will make) was The Wire box set. Full retail ($150) at an actual store (Best Buy).

Love the work, but like I said, he can bite me.

No, I just think that you probably never get used to seeing good work largely ignored. It's why a lot of great artists are bitter. The work being ignored, or even worse, misunderstood. Which I think goes back to his "doesn't get it" thing. I'm sure he's encountered a lot of people who were drawn to the show for what he sees as the wrong reasons, and who didn't take away what they should have from it. Dylan used to have the same issue and it drove him into exile for awhile. I think people who make great art often have a very contentious relationship with a segment of their audience.

Very good points and I agree with all of that.Though, what I wonder is, do you (whiny artist) want your entire audience to "get it" or do you want a large audience?

Sounds like Simon #####es about wanting both things and that's impossible.

From what I gather "The Wire" fans seem to "get it" and I really don't know what these wrong reasons are. Hell, maybe I'm the sucker that doesn't know he's the sucker.

Maybe Simon would've been better off making his art for his own private viewing.

I'm just speculating. I have no idea what he thinks. Honestly, I don't even remember exactly what he said.

 

[Apple Jack]

I haven't interacted with him myself. Relying on the word of a good friend who worked with him at the Sun. Sorry if that's not enough.As I said, I'm a huge fan of his work. Not a surprise that someone so successful would be a ####.

Having an ex-gf who writes for a major newspaper, and having spent time in her newsroom, this is not at all a surprise to me. Newsrooms are not unlike kitchens at great restaurants...not for the sensitive or the meek.

 

[pollardsvision]

I ran into Simon's former neighbor at my grandmother's nursing home 6 hours away from Baltimore.

I didn't get around to asking if he was a huge #######.

We made the connection because I brought my dog with me and she asked me his name, which is "Omar".

I'm sure that would make Simon really happy.

 

[Chaka]

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.ETA: It's entirely possible I made pretty much this exact post somewhere a number of pages back in this thread. Forgive the repeat, if so.

Oh please that is not a valid criticism of society (not to say that most of society isn't intellectually lazy just that not seeing The Wire first run isn't an example of that). There are thousands upon thousands of different forms of media constantly screaming for the attention of audiences. It is not intellectually lazy if you don't hear about one until after the fact. In fact it is quite reasonable, unless you think it is intellectually laudable to spend every waking minute researching all forms of available media to find the true gems.IIRC The Wire was not well received because of the slow burn nature of its story development and the large number of characters. It is a more entertaining show after the fact when you have to the ability to watch episodes back-to-back and see the story develop and solidly frame the characters in your mind.

 

[Apple Jack]

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.ETA: It's entirely possible I made pretty much this exact post somewhere a number of pages back in this thread. Forgive the repeat, if so.

Oh please that is not a valid criticism of society (not to say that most of society isn't intellectually lazy just that not seeing The Wire first run isn't an example of that). There are thousands upon thousands of different forms of media constantly screaming for the attention of audiences. It is not intellectually lazy if you don't hear about one until after the fact. In fact it is quite reasonable, unless you think it is intellectually laudable to spend every waking minute researching all forms of available media to find the true gems.IIRC The Wire was not well received because of the slow burn nature of its story development and the large number of characters. It is a more entertaining show after the fact when you have to the ability to watch episodes back-to-back and see the story develop and solidly frame the characters in your mind.

With the audience and exposure HBO already had with Sopranos? Yes, it's a valid criticism. It was right in front of people's faces. Critics loved it from season one. And I watched it in real time and it was completely compelling from the start, even having to demonstrate the astonishing patience required to wait a week for an episode and a year or more for a new season. <gasp!>But hey, I'm still baffled that Guided by Voices haven't been playing arenas for the last 25 years, so what do I know.

 

[Charlie Frown]

OMAR COMIN'!!

 

[Chaka]

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.ETA: It's entirely possible I made pretty much this exact post somewhere a number of pages back in this thread. Forgive the repeat, if so.

Oh please that is not a valid criticism of society (not to say that most of society isn't intellectually lazy just that not seeing The Wire first run isn't an example of that). There are thousands upon thousands of different forms of media constantly screaming for the attention of audiences. It is not intellectually lazy if you don't hear about one until after the fact. In fact it is quite reasonable, unless you think it is intellectually laudable to spend every waking minute researching all forms of available media to find the true gems.IIRC The Wire was not well received because of the slow burn nature of its story development and the large number of characters. It is a more entertaining show after the fact when you have to the ability to watch episodes back-to-back and see the story develop and solidly frame the characters in your mind.

With the audience and exposure HBO already had with Sopranos? Yes, it's a valid criticism. It was right in front of people's faces. And I watched it in real time and it was completely compelling from the start.But hey, I'm still baffled that Guided by Voices haven't been playing arenas for the last 25 years, so what do I know.

Again not a valid example of intellectual laziness. And I have no idea what The Sopranos has to do with anything. Should people watch every CBS show because Big Bang Theory is, allegedly, the best network sitcom going?It's not like Sopranos was the lead in to The Wire on a weekly basis, which would lend a little credence to your point (Veep and Girls get a decent carry over audience from Game of Thrones). But that wasn't the case with Sopranos and The Wire. In 2002 The Wire (season 1) ran from June through September and The Sopranos (season 4) ran from September through December (season 3 of Sopranos ran Mar-May 2001). I can, maybe sort of, see the argument for not watching Deadwood as possibly being intellectually lazy because, at least during season 1, Sopranos and Deadwood aired on the same night but The Wire and Sopranos simply do not relate to each other.

 

[shuke]

And I watched it in real time

Yes, look at you.

 

[Apple Jack]

And I watched it in real time

Yes, look at you.

Yes, I am so cool because I watched a tv show. Clearly, that's why I said that.

 

[Brock Middlebrook]

And I watched it in real time

Yes, look at you.

Well done Apple jack!Well Done

 

[Apple Jack]

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.ETA: It's entirely possible I made pretty much this exact post somewhere a number of pages back in this thread. Forgive the repeat, if so.

Oh please that is not a valid criticism of society (not to say that most of society isn't intellectually lazy just that not seeing The Wire first run isn't an example of that). There are thousands upon thousands of different forms of media constantly screaming for the attention of audiences. It is not intellectually lazy if you don't hear about one until after the fact. In fact it is quite reasonable, unless you think it is intellectually laudable to spend every waking minute researching all forms of available media to find the true gems.IIRC The Wire was not well received because of the slow burn nature of its story development and the large number of characters. It is a more entertaining show after the fact when you have to the ability to watch episodes back-to-back and see the story develop and solidly frame the characters in your mind.

With the audience and exposure HBO already had with Sopranos? Yes, it's a valid criticism. It was right in front of people's faces. And I watched it in real time and it was completely compelling from the start.But hey, I'm still baffled that Guided by Voices haven't been playing arenas for the last 25 years, so what do I know.

Again not a valid example of intellectual laziness. And I have no idea what The Sopranos has to do with anything. Should people watch every CBS show because Big Bang Theory is, allegedly, the best network sitcom going?It's not like Sopranos was the lead in to The Wire on a weekly basis, which would lend a little credence to your point (Veep and Girls get a decent carry over audience from Game of Thrones). But that wasn't the case with Sopranos and The Wire. In 2002 The Wire (season 1) ran from June through September and The Sopranos (season 4) ran from September through December (season 3 of Sopranos ran Mar-May 2001). I can, maybe sort of, see the argument for not watching Deadwood as possibly being intellectually lazy because, at least during season 1, Sopranos and Deadwood aired on the same night but The Wire and Sopranos simply do not relate to each other.

I think this is turning into arguing for the sake of arguing, but HBO is a subscription-based channel and CBS is not. It was pretty clear to anybody watching The Sopranos (or SFU, Larry Sanders, Oz, Dream On, etc) that HBO had significantly raised the bar on what was possible with the medium. So there was a built in audience of people who were willing to give a look to anything they aired. A precedent had been set.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

not sure if this was posted, but it was Simon's response to the NY Times interview that brought on a lot of the recent discussion in this thread.http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/interview-david-simon-doesnt-want-to-tell-you-how-to-watch-the-wire

This is coming across like, "If you didn't watch from the beginning, you're not allowed to watch it." That's crazy talk. If I believe in that, then I don't have a job. Nobody's going to get to this stuff early enough. Word of mouth and time itself is the only thing that saved the Wire, and makes shows like "Tremé" plausible. It either works or it doesn't. I felt it was contradictory on its face.

 

[Chaka]

It wasn't a categorical contempt for "those that didn't watch from the beginning." It was for the subset who are intellectually lazy and aren't willing to search out value themselves, but who have to wait for society to vet things for them before they'll give it a chance. That contempt is coming from a very valid criticism of society. And it's just more annoying with these people find something long after it's run it's course and then try to wear it like an awareness of it makes them cool. That's irony. The capper is that he had to fight to get the show made each season because of low ratings. And it's probably happening all over again with Treme. These people love the Wire but half of them aren't even aware of Treme. They can't be bothered. I would find it annoying, too.ETA: It's entirely possible I made pretty much this exact post somewhere a number of pages back in this thread. Forgive the repeat, if so.

Oh please that is not a valid criticism of society (not to say that most of society isn't intellectually lazy just that not seeing The Wire first run isn't an example of that). There are thousands upon thousands of different forms of media constantly screaming for the attention of audiences. It is not intellectually lazy if you don't hear about one until after the fact. In fact it is quite reasonable, unless you think it is intellectually laudable to spend every waking minute researching all forms of available media to find the true gems.IIRC The Wire was not well received because of the slow burn nature of its story development and the large number of characters. It is a more entertaining show after the fact when you have to the ability to watch episodes back-to-back and see the story develop and solidly frame the characters in your mind.

With the audience and exposure HBO already had with Sopranos? Yes, it's a valid criticism. It was right in front of people's faces. And I watched it in real time and it was completely compelling from the start.But hey, I'm still baffled that Guided by Voices haven't been playing arenas for the last 25 years, so what do I know.

Again not a valid example of intellectual laziness. And I have no idea what The Sopranos has to do with anything. Should people watch every CBS show because Big Bang Theory is, allegedly, the best network sitcom going?It's not like Sopranos was the lead in to The Wire on a weekly basis, which would lend a little credence to your point (Veep and Girls get a decent carry over audience from Game of Thrones). But that wasn't the case with Sopranos and The Wire. In 2002 The Wire (season 1) ran from June through September and The Sopranos (season 4) ran from September through December (season 3 of Sopranos ran Mar-May 2001). I can, maybe sort of, see the argument for not watching Deadwood as possibly being intellectually lazy because, at least during season 1, Sopranos and Deadwood aired on the same night but The Wire and Sopranos simply do not relate to each other.

I think this is turning into arguing for the sake of arguing, but HBO is a subscription-based channel and CBS is not. It was pretty clear to anybody watching The Sopranos (or SFU, Larry Sanders, Oz, Dream On, etc) that HBO had significantly raised the bar on what was possible with the medium. So there was a built in audience of people who were willing to give a look to anything they aired. A precedent had been set.

Maybe but your thesis that Sopranos should have somehow turned out viewers for The Wire is thin (and Six Feet Under season two ran Mar-May 2002 so it didn't lead for The Wire either). Along with having a very slowly developing story and far more developing characters than any show prior to it's release IIRC another one of Simon's complaints was that The Wire was not extensively marketed by HBO. It was treated as the cable equivalent of a mid-season replacement. Then there is the fact that today HBO has 29 million subscribers and that number was certainly lower in 2002 so it's not like it was reaching every household to begin with. The fact that it had a large minority cast didn't help either with the largely white HBO subscription audience either. The stars were simply not aligned for The Wire to be a Sopranos like sensation. With the large cast and slow story lines it is much better viewed after market which is probably why it really took off after the DVD releases.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Again not a valid example of intellectual laziness.

I would never call somebody lazy for failing to watch enough TV.

 

[Chaka]

Again not a valid example of intellectual laziness.

I would never call somebody lazy for failing to watch enough TV.

Is that because you're too lazy?

 

[Raider Nation]

This is how I wanna go out.

8 ball, corner pocket.

 

[fsufan]

omar i robs drug dealers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYj7q_by_2E

 

[Cliff Clavin]

And I watched it in real time

Yes, look at you.

 

[Major]

Is this show any good? heard of it but never bothered. Hip hop and poor people scare me.

 

[shuke]

Is this show any good?

There's a 68 page thread here. Probably not.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Is this show any good? heard of it but never bothered. Hip hop and poor people scare me.

Then you might be scared. One cool thing about the show is that there is no soundtrack. All the music is environmental. I think the lone exception to this was the season 5 montage iirc.

 

[Apple Jack]

Is this show any good? heard of it but never bothered. Hip hop and poor people scare me.

Then you might be scared. One cool thing about the show is that there is no soundtrack. All the music is environmental. I think the lone exception to this was the season 5 montage iirc.

Pretty sure every season ended with a montage. Off the top of my head, I remember a Jesse Winchester song and then Van Morrison's Fast Train done by Solomon Burke.

 

[fsufan]

THE WIRE - 100 Greatest Quotes

 

[corpcow]

I'm midway through season 2 of Breaking Bad. It's good, for sure. But comparing it to The Wire? C'mon...

it gets better.both are great shows and probably two of the best series ever put on television.I happen to prefer The Wire for several reasons, but can see why others would vote the other way.

I'm further a long in Season 2 now and I just feel like the show is kind of predictable or cheesy or unrealistic or something. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's a combination of things. I like it, but I am not getting any greatness out of it. I mean, Dexter also has some predictability/unrealistic flaws, but when I am done with an episode of Dexter I am ready to watch the next one right away. With Breaking Bad, I do not have the urge. The Wire, on the other hand, when I re-watched the DVDs with people I could crush a season in 1-2 days.IMO The Wire is in its own league right now. Game of Thrones, while a totally different genre, is the only thing close to as compelling with characters/unpredictability and maybe Boardwalk Empire.

please don't compare the wire to games of thrones. games of thrones is ####

The Wire and Breaking Bad are both very very close for me. Breaking Bad is more intense, and certain aspects of it (particularly the cinematography) are much better IMO. The Wire's story and epic arc was better. A lot depends on how Breaking Bad wraps up... because we all know what some people thought of that last season of the Wire Game of Thrones is excellent though, not sure how you can say it's ####. I will say the books are better, but the show is well done. The first season followed almost exactly with plus/minus scenes, but even the dialogue was the same. Season 2 started to diverge a little on more major points, even if the overall arc was the same.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

 

[Raider Nation]

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

Your loss.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

Breaking Bad is on cable. If you get the DVD's, everything is uncut. Swearing, nudity, violence. Pretty much loaded with things you won't see on ABC/NBC etc.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

Your loss.

Could be. I don't watch a ton of TV and I've only heard good things about the show.

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

Breaking Bad is on cable. If you get the DVD's, everything is uncut. Swearing, nudity, violence. Pretty much loaded with things you won't see on ABC/NBC etc.

I thought AMC couldn't show nudity, swearing and certain violence? The DVD's sound like the way to go but am I wrong about the actual show?

 

[NewlyRetired]

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

Your loss.

Could be. I don't watch a ton of TV and I've only heard good things about the show.

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

Breaking Bad is on cable. If you get the DVD's, everything is uncut. Swearing, nudity, violence. Pretty much loaded with things you won't see on ABC/NBC etc.

I thought AMC couldn't show nudity, swearing and certain violence? The DVD's sound like the way to go but am I wrong about the actual show?

AMC blurs out the nudity and mutes the stronger swears. That is why I recommended the DVD's to you.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

AMC blurs out the nudity and mutes the stronger swears. That is why I recommended the DVD's to you.

I'll give them a look. I havent heard a bad thing about the show and I was really nit-picking, thanks for the recomendation

 

[corpcow]

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

Breaking Bad is on cable. If you get the DVD's, everything is uncut. Swearing, nudity, violence. Pretty much loaded with things you won't see on ABC/NBC etc.

I thought AMC couldn't show nudity, swearing and certain violence? The DVD's sound like the way to go but am I wrong about the actual show?

This is one of the sillier arguments not to watch a show. Do you watch Weeds, a show about drug dealing on cable? As much as I enjoy Weeds, it's certainly not "more realistic" just because they can show boobs and curse a little more. I mean, dude, the show is about cooking crystal meth. Deals with very dark material and regularly shows drug use, murder, and so on.To be fair, I usually don't watch network mostly because the level of quality and level of cheesiness (moreso than the editing). Yes, HBO, SHO and now even Starz have a track record of excellent production, but so does AMC which is not network. Mad Men, Hell on Wheels, and Walking Dead would all be right at home as aired on either of those previously mentioned networks with very little editing. (I.e., just not bleeping out certain curse words).

If that's the only reason you're not watching, you're missing out.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

Breaking Bad is on cable. If you get the DVD's, everything is uncut. Swearing, nudity, violence. Pretty much loaded with things you won't see on ABC/NBC etc.

I thought AMC couldn't show nudity, swearing and certain violence? The DVD's sound like the way to go but am I wrong about the actual show?

This is one of the sillier arguments not to watch a show. Do you watch Weeds, a show about drug dealing on cable? As much as I enjoy Weeds, it's certainly not "more realistic" just because they can show boobs and curse a little more. I mean, dude, the show is about cooking crystal meth. Deals with very dark material and regularly shows drug use, murder, and so on.To be fair, I usually don't watch network mostly because the level of quality and level of cheesiness (moreso than the editing). Yes, HBO, SHO and now even Starz have a track record of excellent production, but so does AMC which is not network. Mad Men, Hell on Wheels, and Walking Dead would all be right at home as aired on either of those previously mentioned networks with very little editing. (I.e., just not bleeping out certain curse words).

If that's the only reason you're not watching, you're missing out.

Admittedly it’s a very shallow reason not to watch a show. I know it’s strange but having a guy like beating someone up and saying he’ll beat the crap out of him bothers me…it’s hard to explain.

I’m going to give it a shot anyway though!

 

[shuke]

I haven't watched a minute of Breaking Bad but there's something about a non-cable show about drug dealing that I can't get on board with. It's like I need that for the reality of it.

Breaking Bad is on cable. If you get the DVD's, everything is uncut. Swearing, nudity, violence. Pretty much loaded with things you won't see on ABC/NBC etc.

Why are you referring to ABC and NBC here when the show is being made for AMC?I can't understand why I can't get a straight answer to the following question: if I watch reruns on AMC, will they be shown as they were originally aired?