Unpopular opinion: The Wire is overhyped and I'll die on that hill

I picked The Wire over The Sopranos for a 3-month binge last spring. Everyone swears by season 4 of The Wire being the best TV ever, but I dragged through 22 episodes waiting for it to click. The Sopranos grabbed me by episode 6 of season 1. Who else thinks the slow-burn street politics thing gets too much credit?

2 comments

2 Comments

angelac638d ago

I get where you're coming from but The Wire is one of those shows that rewards patience in a way most TV doesn't. Season 4 isn't just good because of the street politics, it's the way it builds up every single character from the kids to the teachers to the cops into this huge web where every choice matters. The Sopranos hits you with big drama and character moments early on, but The Wire is more like a novel where each episode layers on top of the last until you see the whole broken system. I dragged through season 1 myself but by season 3 I couldn't stop thinking about it. The slow burn isn't for everyone, but calling it overhyped misses how it changed what TV could be about.

wren_carr8d ago

Oh man, I had the exact same reaction as you did. I forced myself through the first two seasons of The Wire because everyone said it was genius, and I was sitting there thinking "when does this get good?" I even watched the first four episodes of season 4 twice because I thought I was missing something. People love to act like appreciating it makes you smarter or something, but honestly, a show that takes that long to hook you might just not be for you. @angelac63 I get the novel comparison but sometimes I just want to be entertained, not assigned homework. The Sopranos had me invested from the jump and that's worth something.