The Watcher | Chicago Tribune |category: The Wire
like Tim Goodman, Mo Ryan's blog posts on The Wire begin with 4th season (did tv critics only all start having blogs last year, fall 2006?) September 2006 posts: A riveting education on 'The Wire'. then, 'Battlestar' and 'The Wire': Hard to watch, in a good way. Hooked by 'The Wire': If you have only one hour a week for television, give it to “The Wire.” ah ha. not the Shield. (see below on dlww, her praise of the influence of The Shield seemed to me to beg the qstn, more than The Wire?)

Calling "The Wire" critically acclaimed is like saying the Bears are having a pretty good season -- it’s an understatement, to say the least.

The Wire” has been renewed by HBO for a fifth season.This is sensational news. “The Wire” is not just one of the best shows on television, but one of the best dramas in television history.
If you need any confirmation of that, check out the collected reviews of the show at Metacritic.com, which assembles and scores the reviews of dozens of critics from many different publications. “The Wire” got an overall score of 98 points out of 100, and the word “masterpiece” comes up a lot in reviews.
“We are delighted -- though not surprised -- at the initial critical response to the new season of ‘The Wire,’" said Carolyn Strauss, the president of HBO Entertainment, in a statement released Wednesday morning. "David Simon and his remarkable team have created a riveting and thought-provoking series that's unlike anything else on TV."