The Wire - The Complete Series

People are still buzzing about the end of AMC's period drama "Mad Men," and the sobriquet "Greatest Television Show Ever" is being lobbed around an awful lot. Not that "Mad Men" wasn't a brilliant show -- and probably it is one of the best shows ever to air -- but I have a different nominee for the title of Greatest Television Show Ever. Fortunately, that show is now out in a high-def transfer to Blu-ray.

"The Wire: The Complete Series" blows just about everything else out of the water. Written like a novel that you watch rather than read, "The Wire" tells us the story of America in decline, focusing on the city of Baltimore as a portrait, in miniature, of the things that ail our democracy: A lack of opportunity for the poor and disenfranchised, corruption among our politicians, the ways in which our police either don't live up to their responsibilities or don't have the resources they need, the breakdown of unions, the decay of our schools, and the death spiral not just of newspapers, but ethics and integrity of the media in general.

At the same time, "The Wire" is a testament to human resilience, full of humor and fully fleshed out characters -- some straight, some gay, some black, some white, and everyone, on both sides of the law, leading complex, complicated lives.

This is the series that brought Idris Elba and Dominic West to international attention (they play McNulty and Stringer Bell, two enormously compelling characters, one a police officer and the other a drug pusher with dreams of capitalistic empire). It also brought "Games of Thrones" star Aidan Gillen to these shores, and gave a major boost to the careers of Seth Gilliam's ("The Walking Dead") and Michael Kenneth Williams (who seems to be everywhere these days, from "Boardwalk Empire" and "Robocop" to "Twelve Years A Slave" and "Inherent Vice"). The show's creators are David Simon and Ed Burns, the former the creative force behind "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Treme," and the latter Burns' co-creator on "Generation Kill," the miniseries about the Iraq War.

If you've seen "The Wire," there's a good chance it was only after the show completed its five-season run on HBO. That's when, over time and thanks of word of mouth and on demand video, the series gained cachet and widespread popularity. If you haven't seen it yet... what on Earth could you be waiting for? These 60 episodes are television gems that have been given the careful remastering that they deserve. Forego a few lesser titles and give this set a place of pride on your shelf.

The extras haven't fared quite as well as the lovingly treated episodes. Not everything that was on the DVD box set of the complete series has made the transition to the Blu-ray compendium. But what remains is essential:

"The Last Word" - This featurette focuses on the decline of Journalism in American life, and print news as a business model. It's a documentary-quality production that demands your attention (and makes you wonder why people don't pay more attention to what is obviously a crisis).

"The Wire Odyssey" - This featurette is an show's overview of the five season run, including cast picks for fave scenes and a recap of show's major themes.

A two-part Behind-the-Scenes Documentary (Part One: "It's All Connected," and Part Two: "The Game is Real") offers a deeper examination of the show and the real-life people who inspired some of the characters.

Three short "prequels" show several characters in their younger days, as well as depicting the first meeting of two of the show's leads.

One featurette is brand new: "The Wire Reunion" brings a number of cast members together again at the Paley Center for Media for a discussion and a Q and A. The reunion took place in October, 2014, and includes pre-recorded greetings from Dominic West and Idris Elba, who could not attend in person.

"The Wire: The Complete Series"
Blu-ray
$199.99
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