The Wire

[poliphilo]

I've been reading that The Wire is the greatest TV show ever and I got a chance to watch the first episode last night so I did. 

OK-  it's gritty, OK-  it treats the crims with sympathy (which may be new to TV but isn't new to literature or cinema) but otherwise we get the usual testosterone-heavy shit with a pretty-looking white guy (in a sea of black faces) playing the maverick cop we're supposed to identify with and no women in starring roles except for the token lesbian cop who is so tough she's effectively a man.  (Phew, that was a long sentence!). So- and nobody I've read has noticed this which makes it even sadder-  it comes with racism and misogyny built in. Maybe if I stick with it I'll change my mind, but right now I'm thinking same old, same old.

Comments

[sommeilbienivre.livejournal.com]

Have you watched any Homicide: Life on the Street? It is by far the better Baltimore-based crime shows. The characters are much more human, and the women characters are appealing, and struggle with the idea of strength rather than just masculinity.

As a side note, I had the opportunity to talk to Dominic West on set one time. Really nice guy who loves Shakespeare.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen Homicide. On the whole I avoid cop shows. I find them a bit samey. I only made an exception for The Wire because people were saying, "Oh wow, this is as good as Dickens or Tolstoy!"