The Wire: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

The first season of The Wire (2002) concentrated on the often-futile efforts of police to infiltrate a West Baltimore drug ring headed by Avon Barksdale and his lieutenant, Stringer Bell. In Seasons Two and Three, as the Barksdale investigation escalated, new storylines involving pressures on the working class and the city's political leadership were introduced. Season Four focused on the stories of several young boys in the public school system, struggling with problems at home and the lure of the corner - set against the rise of a new drug empire in West Baltimore and a new Mayor in City Hall. The fifth and final season of The Wire centers on the media's role in addressing - or failing to address - the fundamental political, economic and social realities depicted over the course of the series, while also resolving storylines of the numerous characters woven throughout the narrative arc of the show.

Series details

• Title: The Wire
• Format: Scripted
• Language: English
• Genres: Drama, Crime
• Premiere date: 2002-06-02
• Final broadcast date listed: 2008-03-09
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: HBO
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 60 minutes
• TVmaze community rating: 8.9/10
• TVMaze ID: 179

Cast and credited roles

• Lance Reddick — Lt. Cedric Daniels
• Sonja Sohn — Det. Shakima "Kima" Greggs
• Dominic West — Off. James "Jimmy" McNulty
• Clarke Peters — Det. Lester Freamon
• Domenick Lombardozzi — Det. Thomas "Herc" Hauk
• Wendell Pierce — Det. William "Bunk" Moreland
• Seth Gilliam — Det. Ellis Carver
• Jim True-Frost — Det. Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski
• John Doman — Dep. Comm. William A. Rawls
• Deirdre Lovejoy — Assistant State's Attorney Rhonda Pearlman
• Michael K. Williams — Omar Little
• Andre Royo — Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2002-06-02; final listed air date 2002-09-08; episode order: 13.
• Season 2: premiered 2003-06-01; final listed air date 2003-08-24; episode order: 12.
• Season 3: premiered 2004-09-19; final listed air date 2004-12-19; episode order: 12.
• Season 4: premiered 2006-09-10; final listed air date 2006-12-10; episode order: 13.
• Season 5: premiered 2008-01-06; final listed air date 2008-03-09; episode order: 10.

Source and licence

Adapted from The Wire on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.