The Wire: Season 3

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Universal acclaim based on 11 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 430 Ratings

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9.1

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9.1	User Score Universal acclaim based on 430 Ratings

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The Wire: Season 2

Now Playing: The Wire: Season 2

Season Details & Credits

HBO | Season Premiere Date: September 19, 2004

Starring: J.D. Williams, Lance Reddick, Seth Gilliam

Summary: In chronicling a multi-generational family business dealing illegal drugs and the efforts of the Baltimore police to curb their trade, this series draws parallels between these organizations and the men and women on either side of the battle.The words of Gary W. Potter, Professor of Criminal Justice and Police Studies at Eastern KentuckyIn chronicling a multi-generational family business dealing illegal drugs and the efforts of the Baltimore police to curb their trade, this series draws parallels between these organizations and the men and women on either side of the battle.The words of Gary W. Potter, Professor of Criminal Justice and Police Studies at Eastern Kentucky University, in writing about the savings and loan scandals of the 1980s, can also be used to illuminate some of the central premises of the show:"There is precious little difference between those people who society designates as respectable and law abiding and those people society castigates as hoodlums and thugs. The world of corporate finance and corporate capital is as criminogenic and probably more criminogenic than any poverty-wracked slum neighborhood. The distinctions drawn between business, politics, and organized crime are at best artificial and in reality irrelevant. Rather than being dysfunctions, corporate crime, white-collar crime, organized crime, and political corruption are mainstays of American political-economic life."Tim Goodman, the television critic for The San Francisco Chronicle, summed the show up perfectly when he wrote: "This show is precisely the reason you pay for HBO."In New York's Newsday, Diane Werts says: "Most TV crime series aspire to John Grisham's level. 'The Wire' aspires to Dostoevsky's."Season ThemesSeason One centers around a family of drug dealers and the innerworkings of their empire. It also follows the detectives who are trying to catch the high members of the empire. Season Two steps away from the drug trade (while still mentioning characters from the previous season) to a case of dead prostitutes which turns into a look at the corruption surrounding the Port. Season Three investigates politics and finishes the main stories that were left open in season one. Season Four focuses on four middle school students and their journeys through the public school system and continues to address the politics of an inner-city and the issues of an election. Season Five is rumored to be about the media's role in Baltimore. Season Five will be the show's final season.Theme MusicIn the Season One opening credits, the Blind Boys of Alabama did Tom Waits's "Way Down in the Hole". The Season Two opening credits feature Waits's version of the song. According to creator David Simon, "It was our way of saying: This is the same show (song) but this year, the tale itself (singer, tonality) will be different." The Neville Brothers's version of the song opens Season Three. The theme which plays over the end credits was composed by the show's music supervisor, Blake Leyh.

International AiringsAustralia -- Monday at 12:00 p.m. on Ch.9. Currently airing Season 3.
New Zealand -- Wednesday at 11:40 p.m. on TV2, beginning December 15, 2004.… Expand

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

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Season 3 Episodes

tbd
S3:E12. Mission Accomplished
Air Date: December 19, 2004
tbd
S3:E11. Middle Ground
Air Date: December 12, 2004
tbd
S3:E10. Reformation
Air Date: November 28, 2004

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Tim Goodman

Jul 18, 2013

This is a series that goes beyond critical darling. "The Wire" is better than its own hype. If you don't watch the show, it's your fault, your loss. Read full review

100

Brian Lowry

Jul 18, 2013

Those along for the ride since the beginning have rightly come to savor this as one of TV's premier hours --- a meticulously written, superbly acted program that demands undivided attention. [16 Sep 2004]

100

David Zurawik

Jul 18, 2013

It's better than ever. [David] Simon has always been good, but he seems to have truly matured this year as both a writer ... and executive producer. No one is making richer television drama than he is right now. [18 Sep 2004]

100

Tony Norman

Jul 18, 2013

There hasn't been a television drama as good as "The Wire" since the equally ignored "Homicide: Life on the Street" held down the bottom rungs of the Nielsen ratings a decade ago. [17 Sep 2004]

100

Mike Duffy

Jul 18, 2013

If you do that rare TV thing of actually paying close attention, HBO's complex, richly detailed crime drama will sweep you away like a fine novel. [17 Sep 2004]

100

Sid Smith

Jul 18, 2013

Dense, richly layered, packed with dozens of colorful characters (enough for four series), "The Wire" unfolds as a sophisticated, sometimes impenetrable and always ultra-gritty documentary. But it pays off after meticulous, devoted viewing, delivering rewards not unlike those won by readers who conquer Joyce, Faulkner or Henry James. [18 Sep 2004]

Terry Kelleher

Jun 28, 2013

Gritty and engrossing as ever. Read full review

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User Score

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9.1

User Reviews

TheVegan

May 13, 2014

The Wire is simply the best show ever created. Once you get into the show you will not want to stop watching it. It is totally engrossing and it is almost impossible not to love this work of perfection!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MetallicBlack

Dec 21, 2013

I can honestly say that the wire is undoubtedly the best drama series ever produced in my opinion. The levels it goes to is absolutely phenomenal and i would recommend this masterpiece to anyone with an ounce of common sense.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

brjorge2002

Aug 20, 2010

In Season 3, the action returns to the streets of Baltimore. The most interesting dynamic of this season is the relationship between Avon Barksdale (recently released from prison) & Stringer Bell, his 2nd in command. Avon is still a street thug & wants to battle Marlo Stanfield for theIn Season 3, the action returns to the streets of Baltimore. The most interesting dynamic of this season is the relationship between Avon Barksdale (recently released from prison) & Stringer Bell, his 2nd in command. Avon is still a street thug & wants to battle Marlo Stanfield for the street corners Avon's operation lost when he was in prison. Stinger, however, would rather go legit as both Avon & himself have enough money that they'd never have to go back to the street.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

neitzy

May 28, 2015

The Wire is the best series I've come across. Breaking Bad gets close, but The Wire still wins out.
I can not believe how underrated it was back when it first came out!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Treehearne

Mar 3, 2012

I've watched many, many television shows, and I can confidently affirm that The Wire is by far the greatest achievement in the history of TV. I won't bother typing up a long and well thought-out review because I'm sure the previous users have done a fair enough job of describing this show,I've watched many, many television shows, and I can confidently affirm that The Wire is by far the greatest achievement in the history of TV. I won't bother typing up a long and well thought-out review because I'm sure the previous users have done a fair enough job of describing this show, but I will say this: no other television series compares to The Wire, and it will be a long time before another one does.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JDWhitman

Sep 27, 2013

The Wire is often categorized as a "cop show", yet this simply isn't accurate for two reasons one, because it turns TV police cliches on their head at every turn, mainly because of the real-life experience of its two head writers (David Simon was a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun andThe Wire is often categorized as a "cop show", yet this simply isn't accurate for two reasons one, because it turns TV police cliches on their head at every turn, mainly because of the real-life experience of its two head writers (David Simon was a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun and Ed Burns was both a homicide detective and a schoolteacher); and two, it portrays not only cops, but multiple worlds of the city the streets, docks, halls of government, schools, media and others to create a vast tapestry of storylines packed with rich social commentary, something far more ambitious than any other crime drama in television history.

The series is a study of institutions and how they affect and often compromise individuals, with the destruction of the drug war taking center stage. It's a masterclass on crime and sociology (mostly subtle, yet often not-so-subtle), displaying how power and money route themselves through Baltimore's urban decay, while representing its hundreds of characters with honesty and moral ambiguity.

Each season starts out slowly and carefully, but patient viewers who pay close attention to details both big and small will be rewarded in spades when things come to a head (and trust me, they always do even if it takes a few seasons). Unlike other prominent HBO dramas, there is no fat in this show, no filler every scene is there for a reason, either to make an important point or to build up to some fantastic drama, usually both.

Season 3 is, in my opinion, The Wire at its most compelling it has near-perfect pacing and too many awe-inspiring moments to count. It's conclusion is epic, and acts as a satisfying end to the stories built up to that point. Thankfully The Wire was renewed twice more, and while its final two seasons aren't quite as well-crafted as the first three in a dramatic sense, they're every bit as powerful and potent in their commentary.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

thedaarkbatty

Dec 27, 2019

all the characters in this show are horribly written and acted. it's so boring and nothing ever happens, this show is boring and overrated

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

SEE ALL 22 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

91

Series Overview
Season 5

89
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: January 6, 2008
Season 4

98
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: September 10, 2006
Season 3

98
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: September 19, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E12. Mission Accomplished
  Air Date: December 19, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E11. Middle Ground
  Air Date: December 12, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E10. Reformation
  Air Date: November 28, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E9. Slapstick
  Air Date: November 21, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E8. Moral Midgetry
  Air Date: November 14, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E7. Back Burners
  Air Date: November 7, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E6. Homecoming
  Air Date: October 31, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E5. Straight and True
  Air Date: October 17, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E4. Hamsterdam
  Air Date: October 10, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E3. Dead Soldiers
  Air Date: October 3, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E2. All Due Respect
  Air Date: September 26, 2004
- tbd
  S3:E1. Time After Time
  Air Date: September 19, 2004
Season 2

95
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: June 1, 2003
Season 1

79
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: June 2, 2002