STUDIO: HBO Home Video
RELEASE DATE: August 12, 2008
STARRING: Clark Johnson, Sonja Sohn, Deirdre Lovejoy, Dominic West, John Doman, Seth Gilliam, Andre Royo, Aidan Gillen, Wendell Pierce, Lance Reddick, Tom McCarthy, Clarke Peters, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Domenick Lombardozzi
CREATED BY: David Simon
FEATURES: "The Wire: The Last Word" a documentary exploring the role of the media
"The Wire Odyssey" a retrospective of the first four seasons
Six audio commentaries with creator David Simon, cast and crew

The Wire is one of the most incredibly acclaimed shows in the history of the medium and yet it was never really a water-cooler hit. There's a theory that TV viewers don't like to be "told" what to watch by critics and that raves for shows like Arrested Development and, in the latest example, Mad Men actually lead to lower ratings, not higher. It's an interesting concept - that viewers like to find things for themselves. Why did most of them not find The Wire? Well, it's too late now. The amazing creation of David Simon has left the air for good and even the Emmys, who had one last chance to give those show the nominations that it deserved, failed to award the final season a single nod. The funny thing is that even if TV critics couldn't make The Wire a hit, DVD will. Arrested and Firefly became much bigger hits on DVD and the fact is that something this good always finds its way to the top. Through word-of-mouth, reviews, and continuous acclaim, people will discover The Wire. And with the release of the fifth season this week, they can discover the whole amazing thing.

A phrase from the fourth season of The Wire (still my favorite) perfectly sums up a common theme of the entire show - "No one wins. One side just loses more slowly." Creator David Simon has painted a portrait of a modern, average city (Baltimore) in rapid decline. Any glimpse of recovery or growth is matched or surpassed by one of failure and setback. And everyone is to blame - cops, politicians, parents, kids, teachers, reporters - we all deserve our share. The fifth season of The Wire showed everyone falling back into their own ways as the cops tried to bring in one last case against a violent crew of narcotics traffickers. Each season of The Wire has focused on a different part of the infrastructure of Baltimore with the final one tying it all back to journalists or the people who have a moral obligation to tell stories like the one in The Wire. We've gone from the drug dealers on the streets to the port to the schools and to the halls of government and the fifth season turns the show's significant aim on the media and the responsibility they must bear for the failure of our modern cities. The back of the fifth season DVD for The Wire ends with a series of daring questions that apply on so many levels to both the themes of the show and the underwatched series itself - "If anything in The Wire's depiction of urban America was genuine or important, then what is it, exactly, that occupies our attentions? What are the stories we embrace? And what are the stories we ignore? And why?"

The Wire never turned into a water cooler hit for HBO despite near-begging from most TV critics. It's partially due to the fact that the show is just too complicated for most viewers. This is not the kind of series to play your DS or chat on the phone while you watch it. You need to concentrate. Even then it's easy to miss the subtle twists and turns of a show that features literally dozens of speaking roles every single episode. It might help to take notes. When was the last time you saw a show that demanded something of you? What about a show that forced you to not only pay attention to what was happening in front of you, but how it would affect other characters and how it worked within the tapestry of the entire series? The Wire isn't easy. Most great things aren't.

The fifth season of The Wire isn't available in Blu-Ray but it does get a typically strong treatment from HBO Home Video with the ten episodes spread over four discs. The few episodes per disc lead to a very high quality video presentation, although I'll always wonder why The Wire wasn't shot in widescreen. It's so rare to see full frame shows any more that you have to wonder if that didn't hold the show back from a wider audience. The special features on the fifth season of The Wire are the best yet in all five volumes. One featurette explores this season specifically and the other looks at the previous four chapters in this televised novel. Most incredibly, HBO Home Video is not known for their extensive audio commentaries, but more than half of the final season of The Wire has cast, crew, and creator tracks. Specifically, episode 5.1 ("More With Less") includes director/co-executive producer Joe Chappelle and the great Wendell Pierce, episode 5.2 ("Unconfirmed Reports") includes writer/cast member William F. Zora and director/cast member Clark Johnson, episode 5.4 ("Transitions") includes writer/co-executive producer Ed Burns and producer Karen Thorson, episode 5.6 ("The Dickensian Aspect") includes producer George Pelecanos and director Seith Mann, episode 5.7 ("Took") includes director/cast member Dominic West and editor Kate Sanford, and episode 5.10 ("-30-"), the finale, includes creator David Simon and executive producer Nina K. Noble. It's one of the most impressive and appropriate collections of commentaries so far this year and a fitting end to a brilliant show.