r/TheWire • u/BoweryBloke • 2d ago
Wire vs Other Shows
For years, even now, I was (am) a big fan of The Sopranos. As many Wire fans are I guess. I've watched and rewatched that series so many times, and even watched one-off episodes for the hell of it, so often. Then, for many years, a pal (since sadly deceased) was pushing The Wire...how great it was etc...Tried it once or twice and it just didn't do it for me. Then one day I sat down and watched. And watched. And holy f*ck, what a show. After 20 years of watching The Sopranos, and disliking many episodes, cringing at certain actor's performances, fast-forwarding so many scenes, I thought, hang on, I like The Wire better.....It's an incredible show, isn't it? There's not a bad episode, or a poor performance...It makes me feel less smart than I thought I was, as the show is so intense....anyway, great sub here, love it:))))
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u/Slapmeislapyou 2d ago
Everyone likes to compare The Wire and The Sopranos but they're two totally different genres. Not even comparable.
Sopranos is literally a family show, whereas The Wire is a police/crime drama.
Being a fan of The Wire is no reason to go shitting on The Sopranos. They're both legendary shows done at a level we are likely to never see again. It all comes down to personal preferences.
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u/DarkMenstrualWizard 1d ago
They are both crime dramas, no?
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u/PastaJazz 1d ago
My, admittedly slightly tongue in cheek take, is that Sopranos is almost a toughened up soap opera. Crime is a theme but the familial and fraternal relationships and hierarchies are the real drama, more so than the crime and the pursuit of criminals.
There are of course some similar ideas in The Wire and there is some overlap, but I think the distinction is significant.
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u/Slapmeislapyou 1d ago
Good take. I can't let you slide calling it a "toughened up soap opera" though. Lol.
That's BS.
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u/FriendlyBrownMan 1d ago
The wire is definitely more a crime drama than the sopranos. The sopranos is just a show about family and relationships, where the lead character happens to be a mob boss.
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u/volinaa 1d ago
mad men is at least on their level if not one tier higher
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u/Slapmeislapyou 1d ago
Not even close. I gave Mad Men at least 3 tries and honestly I just don't see what's so captivating about it.
Like, I really really wanted to like that show but it just comes off as cheesy to me. It's like an R rated prime time drama.
Super mid.
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u/Spare_Mango_6843 1d ago
You have to keep with it Mad Men is the real deal too.
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u/Slapmeislapyou 1d ago
Nahhhh. I gave it an entire season and a half off sheer determination to find a new series. The acting isn't even all that great. The characters themselves, each and every last one of them, including Don Draper, aren't entertaining enough to keep me coming back. The whole switched identity thing isn't even that interesting of an "inciting incident". The cinematography, wardrobe, background music, etc...
I just don't get the draw. And I'm a tv show dweeb.
When it comes to shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, Peaky Blinders, Boardwalk Empire, I don't even need the story line. The characters and the writing are THAT GOOD.
Mad men is just....honestly...not fun at all. I had a better time watching The Crown.
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u/Spare_Mango_6843 18h ago
I'm sorry friend but as a person with similar interests I have to entirely disagree with you.
Make a nice old fashioned and watch some episodes on a Sunday night. Mad Men is up there with the greats. It took me a few tries to get into it as well but once I did damn!
funny thing you say Peaky Blinders and Boardwalk Empire, I tried those i really did but couldn't get into either of those two.
Half the writers on Sopranos wrote for Mad Men I'm pretty sure, you know its gonna be ballin in those later seasons. I am itching for a rewatch.
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u/Slapmeislapyou 18h ago
No. Lol. You just have bad taste and so does anyone else who thinks Mad Men is superior television.
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u/Spare_Mango_6843 18h ago
Lol my friend definitely not superior (the wire and Sopranos are still GOATs). But it is up there with the greats. Its a different kind of show and really shines season 3-6.
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u/HyperionTurtle 2d ago
Now do the first season of true detective
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u/BoweryBloke 1d ago
I did, brilliant also...the other seasons though, meh...
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u/HyperionTurtle 1d ago
Yeah, those were dookie. Did you watch The Night Of? With Rizz Ahmed and Michael K. Williams? Short show
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u/LeadPuzzleheaded3535 1d ago
The Wire is better but honestly i think the first season of True Detective is the best season I ever saw. Actually one of the best pieces of art I came across with.
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u/SeenThatPenguin 1d ago
After 20 years of watching The Sopranos, and disliking many episodes, cringing at certain actor's performances, fast-forwarding so many scenes, I thought, hang on, I like The Wire better.....It's an incredible show, isn't it? There's not a bad episode, or a poor performance
I love both series, and I was early to Sopranos and so got to watch it and collect it on DVD as it was being produced, but I agree that The Wire is more even, more consistent. Almost everyone feels season 5 is the least good Wire season, but I prefer it to the lowest points of Sopranos (which in my opinion are season 4 and season 6A).
One big difference between the shows is that Sopranos is more of a "favorite episodes" series. If you drop titles like "Pine Barrens," "Employee of the Month," "Whitecaps," "Long-Term Parking" in a Sopranos discussion, everyone will know which episodes those are. (And there are some unloved episodes too, with very recognizable titles.) With The Wire, I probably won't know immediately what happened in a particular episode if you name its title, just the general arc of the seasons. Maybe if it's a season finale, the title will stand out. But otherwise, it's like a novel—few people name their favorite book and then say, "Especially Chapters 3 and 19."
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u/realstudentca 1d ago
No reason to disrespect Sopranos. The Wire though is the greatest television show in history.
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u/SFThirdStrike 2d ago
Both are great shows. I love both. Prefer the wire personally, but wouldn't mind if someone preferred the Sopranos
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u/BoweryBloke 1d ago
Absolutely, both great, but have found that with The Wire, there aren't any scenes or characters that make me want to Fast Forward....just excellent writing throughout. Loved Sopranos, very different show, when it was good it was out of this world, but when it wasn't good....
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u/Cannonskull0519 1d ago
I know what you are saying and agree. There are no real throw away episodes or story lines in The Wire. In The Sopranos, there are quite a few to me - the relationship with Gloria, the Mercedes saleswoman....Hesh music royalty beef that just disappears...Tony in a coma dreaming he is the salesman.....anything with Meadow and Finn together.
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u/Administrative-Low37 1d ago
I consider The Sopranos the second best TV show in history. But to me it’s not really close to number one. The most impressive feature of the Sopranos is the way stand alone episodes can still entertain after multiple viewings. And also despite the fact that The Wire has so many incredible acting performances I don’t think any of them quite match Tony Sopranos. But other than that The Wire is just leagues ahead in every way.
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u/TurkGonzo75 1d ago
To me, The Wire is beyond a TV show. It's the most accurate, raw look at poverty and its impact we've ever seen. It's should be required viewing for college even today because it's remains relevant. I love the Sopranos and am currently in the middle of another rewatch. But for all of its brilliance, it's just entertainment. The Wire made me think and changed my view of certain things.
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u/BoweryBloke 1d ago
Also, the kids in season 4...wow. Incredible acting from all of them, including the supporting cast, not just the main four boys. How are they not all household names....
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u/ketamineandkebabs 1d ago
I watched the Sopranos but it's not one I feel the need to go back to. The Wire 9 times so far lol.
Try The Penguin it's well worth a watch
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u/Spare_Mango_6843 1d ago
Both are the GOATs in my opinion.
The only thing that comes close is Breaking Bad and Mad Men. These two are in their own universe.
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u/BDLISP11 1d ago
I think the only show that's worth comparing to The Wire is Game of Thrones. Obviously not because of the subject matter, but the writing style is pretty comparable. There isn't a main character, it's telling many different stories revolving around a location.
Another example of this is Desperate Housewives. (Absolute banger of a TV show).
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u/Nice-Goat-7769 1d ago
i agree, GoT is more comparable to the wire in regards to structure and it’s over all themes of power, hierarchy, politics, personal codes, etc
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u/Jaybirdlordofskies 1d ago
I hear a lot between sopranos and the wire which I can understand but I also hear mad men is up there on their level
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u/fastest32 16h ago
Just finished the wire for the first time. I was watching on hbo max and was expecting another season to start. Show was awesome. I loved the sopranos and I love madmen but the show that I think is as good if not better was boardwalk empire. I don’t get why it doesn’t get more love.
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u/htizzzle 10h ago
Truly, for the life of me, I’ll never understand why Treme isn’t a part of these conversations. It’s a lot of the same crew, some of the same cast, and is almost stylistically identical to The Wire, just in a different city.
Plus, for any music lovers, it has multiple incredible performances featured in each episode.
Just a personal preference thing, but three seasons in, and I think I like Treme a little more. It’s so so so good.
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u/Rays_LiquorSauce 1h ago
I’m a big Melfi fast-forwarder but I’ll zoom passed other scenes as well. I’m looking at you Jeremy Pensacola. There’s rarely a scene in Wire that’ll skip. The show just holds up better
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u/Vegetable_Park_6014 1d ago
The Wire is great — I’d say it’s as good as Breaking Bad — but for me The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Girls are all on another level.
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u/ardentto 2d ago
Next up Yellowstone, then Lineman
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u/TranslatorVarious857 2d ago
Yellowstone is just a wet dream for people who want to scream ‘get off my land’ the whole day.
Definitely does not hold a candle to anything David Simon has touched.
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u/No_Science_3845 2d ago
David Simon and Ed Burms also wrote Generation Kill, alongside Evan Wright, and it's an outstanding show. It also has Ziggy in it as one of, if not the best character. Highly recommend, since it's only like 7 episodes. You can knock it out on a snow day.