The Wire

2002

4.8

4.3K reviews

TV-MA

Rating

Eligible

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The Wire, The Complete Series episodes (63)

1 Season 1, Episode 1 The Target

6/2/02

Season-only

In the pilot episode of this drama series, Baltimore homicide detective Jimmy McNulty gets into hot water and winds up assigned to a detail of narcotics outcasts charged with investigating drug lord Avon Barksdale and his powerful operation.

2 Season 1, Episode 2 The Detail

6/9/02

Season-only

McNulty feels the heat when a witness who testified against D'Angelo is found murdered. Meanwhile, Greggs is given the lay of the land regarding Avon Barksdale's key players, and Herc, Carver and Prez find big-time trouble at the towers.

3 Season 1, Episode 3 The Buys

6/16/02

Season-only

The early-morning 'field interviews' by Herc, Carver and Prez result in a minor riot, a boy losing an eye and some bad publicity. On the other side of the law, D'Angelo teaches Wallace and Bodie how to play the game (chess) and later impresses Bell.

4 Season 1, Episode 4 Old Cases

6/23/02

Season-only

Greggs and McNulty try to get Hardcase to turn informant as arraignment begins for those caught in the raid. Barksdale places a bounty on the head of rival gang leader Omar. Meanwhile, McNulty takes Bubbles on a cultural field trip.

5 Season 1, Episode 5 The Pager

6/30/02

Season-only

McNulty's detail finally gets 'clone' pagers to track Barksdale and his gang, but nobody can crack the codes used by the callers. Meanwhile, Bell instructs D'Angelo on how to school his lookouts while simultaneously flushing out a possible snitch.

6 Season 1, Episode 6 The Wire

7/7/02

Season-only

When Rawls looks to make a premature arrest for three murders that are linked to D'Angelo and Avon Barksdale, McNulty and Greggs must argue for a delay in order to preserve the valuable wiretap gains they have made.

7 Season 1, Episode 7 One Arrest

7/21/02

Season-only

Tipped off by the wire, Greggs, Herc, Carver and Freamon make a bust, but the incident makes Avon and Stringer suspicious, leading them to close shop in the Pit. Meanwhile, Bunk and McNulty look for another witness in the Gant slaying.

8 Season 1, Episode 8 Lessons

7/28/02

Season-only

An unlikely source gives McNulty the tag of a car driven by Stringer Bell. Meanwhile, Greggs and Carver bust a congressional aide carrying dirty cash, but are forced to let him go. Later, Omar earns his 'loose cannon' moniker.

9 Season 1, Episode 9 Game Day

8/4/02

Season-only

Barksdale plays an expensive game of one-upmanship with an east-side rival. Meanwhile, Herc and Carver take some cash off of Wee-Bey's hands, and Omar resurfaces with a bang.

10 Season 1, Episode 10 The Cost

8/11/02

Season-only

With Wallace in custody, McNulty and Daniels try to figure out what to do with him in the months before he testifies. Sydnor and Carver track down one of Barksdale's stash houses, and Prez shows off his 'gift for the paper trail.'

11 Season 1, Episode 11 The Hunt

8/18/02

Season-only

The police turn up the heat on tracking down Savino, Wee-Bey and Little Man. Burrell orders Daniels to hit drug dealers for results that will impress the press. Barksdale sees his ranks thinning after the hit on Orlando.

12 Season 1, Episode 12 Cleaning Up

9/1/02

Season-only

The low-rise pay phones are out of service, so McNulty and Daniels keep pace by tapping Barksdale's office. Bodie gets some new responsibilities from Stringer; Freamon gives Shardene a 'new look'; and D'Angelo goes to NYC on an errand for his uncle.

13 Season 1, Episode 13 Sentencing

9/8/02

Season-only

Season One finale. Every crew has weak links--including Avon Barksdale's. With the heat turned up in the high-rises, Daniels and McNulty turn to a higher authority in an effort to crack the case wide open.

14 Season 2, Episode 1 Ebb Tide

6/1/03

Season-only

In the Season Two premiere, Det. Jimmy McNulty--exiled to police-boat duty--finds the body of a woman floating in the Baltimore harbor. Meanwhile, Bodie drives to Philly to make a connection for the Barksdale crew.

15 Season 2, Episode 2 Collateral Damage

6/8/03

Season-only

Major Valchek gets back at Sobotka for the church gift fiasco and a feud begins; Avon Barksdale continues to run his empire from a prison cell; On the waterfront, port cop Beatrice Russell investigates the contraband found in The Greek's container.

16 Season 2, Episode 3 Hot Shots

6/15/03

Season-only

Bunk and Freamon chase their crime scene, a container ship, to Philly, where none of the crew finds it useful to speak English. Lt. Cedric Daniels--disgusted with his exile to the evidence control unit--lets it be known he's going to leave.

17 Season 2, Episode 4 Hard Cases

6/22/03

Season-only

Sobotka reprimands his nephew Nick for stealing the cameras and orders him to bring the cargo back--too late. McNulty is on a self-assigned moral mission to identify his floater, but his old partner, Bunk, says they have a more pressing matter.

18 Season 2, Episode 5 Undertow

6/29/03

Season-only

Ziggy loses his prized Camaro to drug dealers who aren't buying his alibis about not paying up. Unable to dump the homicide investigation on other police agencies, Col. Rawls measures Bunk for the blame, if the cases go unsolved.

19 Season 2, Episode 6 All Prologue

7/6/03

Season-only

Trying to let go of work and return to his marriage, McNulty gives up on identifying his Jane Doe. In their investigation of Sobotka, the detectives discover a pattern and explain the connection to Daniels, but he still won't take the murders.

20 Season 2, Episode 7 Backwash

7/13/03

Season-only

Sobotka gives his lobbyist grief over the status of port legislation. Russell tells Sobotka the investigation is over, but a port computer is cloned, and when a container goes missing, the detectives follow.

21 Season 2, Episode 8 Duck and Cover

7/27/03

Season-only

McNulty is back to his old self, on a drunken binge. Urged by fellow stevedores to fight Maui, Ziggy is again humiliated, but has a moment later at the bar. Worried about McNulty, Bunk tries to get Daniels, and Rawls, to take him on.

22 Season 2, Episode 9 Stray Rounds

8/3/03

Season-only

Bodie's effort to improve sales ends disastrously, forcing Bell to rethink his strategy. Ziggy, duck in tow, pulls Johnny Fifty into a new caper that should have the Greeks paying off big. McNulty, undercover and outnumbered, awaits 'rescue.'

23 Season 2, Episode 10 Storm Warnings

8/10/03

Season-only

The Detail uses satellite technology to its advantage. Bodie is unhappy that Proposition Joe's people are slinging on his turf, but business flows--until a new face from New York arrives. Stringer Bell looks to an unlikely solution to the problem.

24 Season 2, Episode 11 Bad Dreams

8/17/03

Season-only

With the clock ticking, the Detail makes a desperate move, and Daniels reams out Landsman for dropping the ball. Nick's deceit is in the open as Sobotka is overwhelmed by bad news.

25 Season 2, Episode 12 Port in a Storm

8/24/03

Season-only

In the Season Two finale, the Detail has a setback, and needs a new cooperator, while Russell and Bunk visit Philly, looking for evidence. Brother Mouzone talks with Stringer Bell regarding their agreement, leaving Bell to deal with Avon Barksdale.

26 Season 3, Episode 1 Time After Time

9/19/04

Season-only

In the Season Three premiere, a wave of urban reform brings down the notorious Franklin Terrace public housing towers, forcing the Barksdale drug crew to find a new home on the streets of West Baltimore.

27 Season 3, Episode 2 All Due Respect

9/26/04

Season-only

Omar continues his strikes on Barksdale stash houses; Bodie faces a critical test against Marlo. As the wire on Proposition Joe continues to yield little, a restless McNulty launches his own reinvestigation of the suicide of D'Angelo Barksdale.

28 Season 3, Episode 3 Dead Soldiers

10/3/04

Season-only

Colvin feels the sting of Burrell and Rawls during a Comstat assessment of his district's felony numbers; a blown wiretap forces Daniels' detail to turn to a new target; Proposition Joe warns Stringer Bell that the police have been tapping phones.

29 Season 3, Episode 4 Amsterdam

10/10/04

Season-only

West Baltimore residents get some straight talk at a community meeting from Major Colvin. Bubbles finds gainful employment; Stringer lunches uptown; and Bunk dangles the promise of immunity to a group of corner boys, in exchange for some help.

30 Season 3, Episode 5 Straight and True

10/17/04

Season-only

Frustrated in his reform efforts, Colvin arms himself with intelligence and delivers a message to the next level of corner management. McNulty sees Stringer Bell's legitimate business dealings as a sign that he is now unreachable as a drug target.

31 Season 3, Episode 6 Homecoming

10/31/04

Season-only

Stringer Bell gets an education in construction management; Bunk uses shoe-leather to catch up with Omar and deliver a message; Colvin unleashes the troops on the corner boys, ignoring his new edict; Avon sends Cutty and Slim Charles against Marlo.

32 Season 3, Episode 7 Back Burners

11/7/04

Season-only

Herc discovers a blast from the past. Daniels blows up over the real reason the detail was reassigned to the Western District. Stringer Bell learns from Donette that she's told Brianna about McNulty's visit and that Brianna is likely to talk to him.

33 Season 3, Episode 8 Moral Midgetry

11/14/04

Season-only

With Amsterdam running full-tilt, Carver and Truck discover there really is no honor among thieves. Prez impresses the detail with what he's found out from Bodie's cell phone, information that sends McNulty and Greggs on a road trip.

34 Season 3, Episode 9 Slapstick

11/21/04

Season-only

Responding to an officer's call for help, McNulty and Prez turn down the wrong alley, with unanticipated results. Under orders, a Barksdale crew violates the unspoken Sunday truce with gunplay, increasing discontent among the New Day Co-op members.

35 Season 3, Episode 10 Reformation

11/28/04

Season-only

Brother Mouzone returns to Baltimore on a mission of revenge and casts a wide net in his search for Omar, who has his own plan for vengeance. Colvin puts off a reporter inquiring about Amsterdam, while Burrell delivers news to City Hall.

36 Season 3, Episode 11 Middle Ground

12/12/04

Season-only

The wire begins to yield information about the Barksdale organization, though finding links to the top proves elusive. Stringer and Avon reminisce about how far they've come, with each harboring plans for the future.

37 Season 3, Episode 12 Mission Accomplished

12/19/04

Season-only

In the Season Three finale, a reticent Avon readies his troops for a seemingly endless war against Marlo. Meanwhile, as the detail works towards the top rungs of the Barksdale organization, McNulty reassesses his pursuit of Stringer Bell.

38 Season 4, Episode 1 Boys of Summer

9/4/06

Season-only

In the Season Four premiere, four boys from West Baltimore play out their summer vacation in the streets. Meanwhile, Marlo has solved the problem that baffled Stringer Bell: how to maintain discipline--read: murders--without getting police attention.

39 Season 4, Episode 2 Soft Eyes

9/11/06

Season-only

Herc's soft-duty job with the mayor takes an unexpectedly hard turn. Despite the potential damage to her career, Pearlman provides Freamon and Sydnor with subpoena ammunition for their 'grizzly bear' hunt in City Hall.

40 Season 4, Episode 3 Home Rooms

9/18/06

Season-only

With his lead dwindling, Royce resorts to extreme measures to stall Carcetti's momentum. At Bodie's corner, Michael proves adept as a runner, with Bodie and Marlo taking notice. A re-up bodega is put under surveillance by Omar and Greggs.

41 Season 4, Episode 4 Refugees

9/25/06

Season-only

With Freamon and Greggs moved to Homicide, Herc and Dozerman join Marimow in the stripped-down Major Crimes Unit. Cutty gets a 'custodial' job at Tilghman School mopping up truants, but can't make headway in his efforts to mentor Michael.

42 Season 4, Episode 5 Alliances

10/2/06

Season-only

Valchek leaks details of the Braddock case to Carcetti, who contemplates how to best leak it to the press. The ensuing negative attention turns Royce against Burrell, who takes the heat while Rawls comes to the rescue.

43 Season 4, Episode 6 Margin of Error

10/9/06

Season-only

With Election Day approaching, the three mayoral candidates make last-minute appeals. Carcetti wrangles for votes as he responds to a potentially devastating smear. Norris and Greggs get a lead on the Braddock case, but end up being detoured.

44 Season 4, Episode 7 Unto Others

10/23/06

Season-only

With a bounty on him, Omar calls in a favor to Bunk. The election over, Royce and Carcetti make peace and contemplate their futures. At school, Prez tricks his students into learning math. Finally, Greggs uses 'soft eyes' at a crime scene.

45 Season 4, Episode 8 Corner Boys

10/30/06

Season-only

To monitor the pulse on the street, Carcetti makes the rounds with members of the force. With Marimow on his case, Herc resorts to strong-arm tactics to retrieve his pinched camera, but Marlo isn't impressed.

46 Season 4, Episode 9 Know Your Place

11/6/06

Season-only

Poot returns to the corner after a stint in prison--and is welcomed back. Carcetti engages in a testy budget battle with City Council President Campbell, promotes Daniels, and hits a snag in his efforts to relieve Burrell of his duties.

47 Season 4, Episode 10 Misgivings

11/13/06

Season-only

Acting on Clay Davis' advice, Burrell seeks to burnish his reputation by ordering the department to double their street arrests. The mandate does not sit well with McNulty, who sets his sights instead on cracking a string of church robberies.

48 Season 4, Episode 11 A New Day

11/20/06

Season-only

After flexing his muscles around the city, Carcetti faces his first dilemma when a group protests Herc's mistreatment of one of their own. Later, the mayor reverses Burrell's mass-arrest mandate, but Burrell still has some cards to play.

49 Season 4, Episode 12 That's Got His Own

11/27/06

Season-only

On the trail of missing bodies, Freamon turns to a higher authority after being rebuked by Landsman. Carcetti finds his promises of prosperity undermined by the school debt, forcing him to contemplate groveling before the Governor in Annapolis.

50 Season 4, Episode 13 Final Grades

12/4/06

Season-only

In the Season Four finale, the bodies from the vacants pile up while Burrell offers his support to Daniels and admonishes Rawls for crossing him. A distraught Bubbles finds himself at his wit's end after his revenge plan backfires.

51 Season 5, Episode 1 More With Less

12/31/07

Season-only

Season Five premiere. As McNulty and the detail continue staking out Marlo's crew, recently promoted Sergeant Carver is welcomed by a cauldron of discontent from officers coping with unpaid overtime.

52 Season 5, Episode 2 Unconfirmed Reports

1/7/08

Season-only

Although he tells Sydnor the Davis investigation could be a 'career case,' Freamon keeps a wary eye out for Marlo, who takes care of some unfinished business and strikes a business deal with Barksdale.

53 Season 5, Episode 3 Not for Attribution

1/14/08

Season-only

Carcetti's master plan for the police department is leaked to the press, sending the brass into a panic. Marlo turns to Proposition Joe to help with an enviable problem. Whiting and Klebanow drop a bombshell on the newspaper staff.

54 Season 5, Episode 4 Transitions

1/21/08

Season-only

Campbell tries to smooth out the transitions in the police department. The newspaper scrambles to confirm surprising news from City Hall, but lose out to the TV media in scooping a high-profile Grand Jury appearance.

55 Season 5, Episode 5 React Quotes

1/28/08

Season-only

Marlo forges an alliance with a drug connect, who shows him a new communications trick. McNulty's case gets increased attention from the newspaper, in large part thanks to the addition of Templeton to the reporting team.

56 Season 5, Episode 6 The Dickensian Aspect

2/4/08

Season-only

Mystified by Omar's disappearance, Marlo and Chris ramp up their efforts to locate their nemesis. After a sparsely attended waterfront ceremony, Carcetti fires away at a larger press event--and recasts himself as a champion for the homeless.

57 Season 5, Episode 7 Took

2/11/08

Season-only

An unexpected call puts Templeton back in the spotlight--and gets McNulty more attention than he expected. Bunk bucks at Landsman when ordered to help with the force's most recent red ball.

58 Season 5, Episode 8 Clarifications

2/18/08

Season-only

Baltimore's renewed police commitment brings fresh recruits to Daniels and McNulty, starting with Carver. Facing a new political challenge, Carcetti is forced to make dangerous political deals.

59 Season 5, Episode 9 Late Editions

2/25/08

Season-only

With Steintorf ordering Rawls to initiate 'creative' remedies for the rising crime rate, Freamon's vigilance pays off with a promising lead, sending Sydnor and the department into overdrive.

60 Season 5, Episode 10 -30-

3/9/08

Season-only

In the series finale, Carcetti maps out a damage-control scenario with the police brass in the wake of a startling revelation from Pearlman and Daniels. Their choice: clean up the mess...or hide the dirt.

101 07: 1962: Prop Joe

12/14/07

Season-only

1962, Baltimore. Crossed in school, a student shows off the brazen business acumen that will soon earn him the moniker 'Proposition Joe.'

102 1985: Omar

12/14/07

Season-only

1985, Baltimore. An adolescent Omar upstages two older boys, and exhibits a sense of maturity beyond his years, during a robbery.

103 2000: Bunk/McNulty

12/14/07

Season-only

2000, Baltimore. Bunk's initial coolness towards his new partner--'six-year wonder' Jimmy McNulty--is thawed after they find common ground.

About this show

Follow a single sprawling drug and murder investigation in Baltimore from the perspective of cops and criminals in this classic series.

Ratings and reviews

4.8

4.3K reviews

A Google user

October 26, 2014

Far more than a cop drama, The Wire's story line encompasses the lives and machinations not only of the "public servants" who profit from Baltimore's drug trade, but of the street-level dealers, kingpins & junkies that drive the game. The writing is as uncompromising as it gets - - even for HBO. Easily among the best of its kind ever produced.

61 people found this review helpful

Dave Shoup

October 26, 2015

This is HBO at its finest. The gritty up close and personal look at BOTH sides of the law...good and bad. Coupled with the realistic portrayal of Baltimore's urban gangland, you will be absolutely immersed in the business and politics behind the Baltimore Police Department, as well as the hustlers they live to fight against...and for. This is a must see and if you love crime drama, or even if you don't, then The Wire is for you.

9 people found this review helpful

Reds Smith

May 3, 2022

I worked on the wire ,I knew most of the guys from being on the street s in Baltimore and I still am to this day. Pennsylvania Ave, Biddle street.i knew Marlo and Omar . It's been a great experience being white and hanging out on the corners..30 years and this show is the best at showing you what really happens..10 all the way REDS SMITH.

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