For this fifth and final season, Simon shifts the series’ focus to the place where he began his career: inside the newsroom of the Baltimore Sun. Both the paper and the police force are weathering major budget cuts, morale is low and people are desperate. But the drama doesn’t stay inside the newsroom or the precinct—it extends onto Baltimore’s bleak streets where the characters we’ve grown to know (and yes, even love) sleep around, dig their way out of a life on drugs and face death every day.
Who’s that?: Determined, heavy-drinking detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and his brusque partner William “Bunk” Moreland (Wendell Pierce) return, as do criminal Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector) and his whole crew. New developments include: Tommy Carcietti (Aiden Gillen) stepping into the role of the embattled mayor; a cameo from Baltimore’s former real-life mayor Kurt Schmoke (he plays a city health commissioner); and Clark Johnson—the director of the original “Wire” pilot who returns to direct the final episode—playing the role of skeptical newspaper editor Gus Haynes.
Buzzed about: In this final season, all of the many, many plot lines explored over the past four seasons will see their rightful ends…just don’t expect any pretty little bows.
The “ooh” factor: A quote from Bunk opens the first episode back—“The bigger the lie, the more they believe.”—and it sets the scene for everything that unfolds throughout the season. Expect corruption on all sides, from government officials and cops, right on down to the reporters.
The “eh” factor: It may be one of the best shows on television, but it’s almost impossible to jump into it for the first time this late in the game. Hook up your DV-R and busy yourself with the first four seasons (no whining—they’re only 12 to 13 hours a piece) before leaping in. Otherwise you risk being entertained but, ultimately, totally lost.
The verdict: This season we’ll witness the death of some major characters, but it’s the loss of the show itself that’s going to hurt us the most. Don’t miss your last chance to tune in.
The fifth and final season of “The Wire” premieres Sunday, Jan. 6 at 9 p.m./8c on HBO.
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