Nelson George

The Wire - Post Soul Series
By Nelson | march 9, 2008 | Post a comment

I know it wasn’t a “black” show. Most of the writers were white men. Only a few of the directors were of color, though more were the last two seasons. And black women weren’t as prominent or deeply explored as the brothers. Yet The Wire, which ended tonight after five mostly brilliant seasons, presented the most complicated, nuanced and sometimes frightening vision of black manhood you’ve ever seen on television and, quite likely, ever will. The fact that it never generated huge ratings or won Emmys and Golden Globes was likely a result of the fact it was so good at its job. From Prop Joe to Stringer Bell to Bunk to Michael to Clay Davis to Bunny, the range of personalities and character traits was unprecedented. The sad thing about The Wire’s end is not that its over, but that’s hard for to imagine such a gifted group of black actors being collected and given such wonderful people to play. (I used Wendell Pierce aka Bunk in my film Life Support and wish I could used more of them.) Only a box set of August Wilson could touch The Wire in this regard, but Wilson’s best work was about the pre-civil rights world. The Wire was post-soul in that it was based in the harsh realities of the African-American world that came into existence when drugs, and its profits, altered the values in our community. You could cite many other factors in that change, but the drug culture The Wire so carefully explored, is an addiction for our addicts and for those addicted to the working class salaries it generates. It is a subject that is explored on the American Gangster series I do for BET, but The Wire turns those facts into a kind of ugly poetry. I can’t wait til the time when I can sit down and watch all five years over the course of a couple of months, and just get lost in the series. If this last season was the weakest of the bunch, it still delivered some amazing moments. For the record, season three (Stringer, Omar, Barksdale) with its high drug fueled drama and four (the kids) with its heartbreaking depiction of education’s follies, are the high points if you wanna just jump in. RIP to all the good and bad folks of The Wire’s Baltimore. peace

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2 comments for 'The Wire - Post Soul Series'

Renee on january 12, 2009 at 07:19:28 PM says:

From the very first episode I was hooked. I did'nt know what was fact and what was fiction, because growing up in the south(Montgomery), I wasn't exposed to such harsh living conditions with the drugs and other criminal elements so blatantly displayed in everyday life. I'm glad I wasn't but really enjoyed the Wire and especially miss all the wonderful actors.

Vanessa Webster on march 11, 2008 at 08:06:00 AM says:

Definitely agree with you about the Wire. I know that you talk a lot about the people who made up the show, the writers, directors and cast. It seems like in the last two seasons, the fans have tripled, maybe it’s thanks to obama for saying it’s one of his favorite shows? Personally, I got hooked during the stringer bell/avon barksdale seasons. Do you think the last two seasons focusing on education and media, were used to get a broader audience?

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