Is The Wire Too Cynical?

The wire, the television drama about Baltimore that ended its fifth and final season this spring, was a huge hit with critics who applauded its gritty depiction of urban life. From the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal, from the liberal American Prospect to the libertarian Reason magazine, plaudits were unanimous for the HBO show, whose large, primarily African American, ensemble cast portrayed cops, teachers, reporters, drug dealers, dockworkers, politicians, and other characters in the real dramas of a major American city.