Now that Entertainment Weekly have picked The Wire as their number one television show of all time (along with dozens of other lists by critics and fans), we're going to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the best characters from the greatest show of modern times. HBO's The Wire ran for five seasons over seven years. While it didn't win any major awards it is revered as not only for being one of the greatest TV shows, but one of the greatest pieces of writing in recent years. The show examined the United States law enforcement, legal system, political system, education system, print media, unions, and most importantly, the poor. Using Baltimore as their backdrop, David Simon (former Baltimore journalist) and Ed Burns (former Baltimore cop and teacher) it told a Dickensian tale reflecting on the great social problems of our era all in 60 episodes. Universities will (Harvard, Duke, and others already do) structure sociology and literature classes around this show, and these characters will be topics of literary and academic essays. Let's meet our crew!
Honorable Mention - Clay Davis
I may have limited myself by only doing 8 great characters (I even grouped some together!) I couldn't not mention the infamous Clay Davis, the dirty state senator whose tainted money is discovered in season 1 and gets followed until the very end. Davis is an instrumental tool for Simon's Baltimore epic when we are examining the governmental aspect of US life. We watch Davis pocket campaign contributions, take pay-offs, do business and subsequently rip-off drug lords, and of course..."Sheeeeeeeeeeeeit."