The Wire poster
9.2/10 (7057 votes)
#1

The Cost

S1:E10

"And then he dropped the bracelets..." - Greggs. 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.' McNulty's estranged wife Elena takes desperate measures after learning that he had their kids follow Stringer Bell.

tcb86 Jan 4, 2018

The last minutes of the episode was mind blowing everything was perfect after the shots the reaction...

9.1/10 (6612 votes)
#2

Cleaning Up

S1:E12

"This is me, yo, right here." - Wallace. The low-rise pay phones are out of service, so McNulty and Daniels try to keep pace by tapping Barksdale's office. Bodie gets new responsibilities from Stringer; Freamon gives Shardene a 'new look'; and D'Angelo goes to NYC on an errand for his uncle. With the detail's future hanging in the balance, Daniels faces off against Burrell and his political allies.

EzraPace Aug 28, 2019

Woo, not him, not like this. My heart is broken.

9.0/10 (6435 votes)
#3

Sentencing

S1:E13

"all in the game..." - Traditional West Baltimore. 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. Season finale.

killip.sean Jun 19, 2024

The world turns. It's hard to square The Wire away as another copaganda show when you have a finale...

8.8/10 (6074 votes)
#4

The Hunt

S1:E11

"Dope on the damn table." - Daniels. 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. Bubbles tries to stay sober while scoping out the projects for McNulty; and Freamon determines there's a rat in the detail.

killip.sean Jun 19, 2024

I think what I love about this episode in particular is that all the chickens come home to roost. D...

8.7/10 (6123 votes)
#5

Game Day

S1:E9

"Maybe we won." - Herc. 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.

ABSTRACTlegend Sep 11, 2021

Lol at the cops taking forever to Id Avon. Dude sitting next to Stringer with a bright ass red shirt

8.5/10 (6286 votes)
#6

The Wire

S1:E6

"..and all the pieces matter." - Freamon. 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. Meanwhile, Wallace and D'Angelo struggle with their consciences after Avon pays them blood money.

Sólstafir Feb 20, 2022

I feel for Wallace. It's so heavy on your conscience.

8.5/10 (5904 votes)
#7

Lessons

S1:E8

"Come at the king, you best not miss." - Omar. 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. Omar earns his 'loose cannon' moniker.

forcefield Sep 22, 2023

“Look man, I do what I can do to help you all, but the game is out there. And its either play or ge...

8.4/10 (5918 votes)
#8

One Arrest

S1:E7

"A man must have a code." - Bunk. 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 and hunt a suspect known as 'Mr. Bird.'

killip.sean Mar 20, 2023

Bunk: "A man must have a code." Omar: "Oh, no doubt."

8.2/10 (7071 votes)
#9

The Detail

S1:E2

'You cannot lose if you do not play.' - Marla Daniels. 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.

killip.sean Jun 13, 2024

I think what I always espouse about The Wire is that within the first 2 hours of the show, you have ...

8.2/10 (6405 votes)
#10

Old Cases

S1:E4

"It's a thin line 'tween heaven and here." - Bubbles. 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, and Herc and Carver try to track down Bodie.

purpledrazi-deleted-1523337478 Jul 22, 2017

The 'fuck' scene is a brilliant piece of television. This is also the scene that Lester steps into t...

8.2/10 (6121 votes)
#11

The Pager

S1:E5

"..a little slow, a little late." - Avon Barksdale. 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. Later, Carver and Herc find Bodie, but their interrogation doesn't turn up results.

fenring Sep 4, 2022

Both the D'Angelo restaurant scene and the Bubbles visiting Johnny scene are tremendously solid scre...

8.1/10 (6618 votes)
#12

The Buys

S1:E3

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

kanootcha Feb 6, 2019

Does this get better? Cause so far I think this is probably the most overrated show I've ever had th...

7.8/10 (8769 votes)
#13

The Target

S1:E1

'... when it's not your turn.' - McNulty. 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 in Franklin Terrace. Meanwhile, Avon's nephew D'Angelo is fresh off beating a murder rap, but he finds himself demoted upon his return to the gang.

PaulVincent83 Feb 10, 2021

It wasn't boring but it doesn't grab you the way a pilot should. If I didn't see the show was rated ...

7.8/10 (8769 votes)
#1

The Target

S1:E1

'... when it's not your turn.' - McNulty. 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 in Franklin Terrace. Meanwhile, Avon's nephew D'Angelo is fresh off beating a murder rap, but he finds himself demoted upon his return to the gang.

PaulVincent83 Feb 10, 2021

It wasn't boring but it doesn't grab you the way a pilot should. If I didn't see the show was rated ...

8.1/10 (6618 votes)
#2

The Buys

S1:E3

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

kanootcha Feb 6, 2019

Does this get better? Cause so far I think this is probably the most overrated show I've ever had th...

8.2/10 (7071 votes)
#3

The Detail

S1:E2

'You cannot lose if you do not play.' - Marla Daniels. 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.

killip.sean Jun 13, 2024

I think what I always espouse about The Wire is that within the first 2 hours of the show, you have ...

8.2/10 (6405 votes)
#4

Old Cases

S1:E4

"It's a thin line 'tween heaven and here." - Bubbles. 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, and Herc and Carver try to track down Bodie.

purpledrazi-deleted-1523337478 Jul 22, 2017

The 'fuck' scene is a brilliant piece of television. This is also the scene that Lester steps into t...

8.2/10 (6121 votes)
#5

The Pager

S1:E5

"..a little slow, a little late." - Avon Barksdale. 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. Later, Carver and Herc find Bodie, but their interrogation doesn't turn up results.

fenring Sep 4, 2022

Both the D'Angelo restaurant scene and the Bubbles visiting Johnny scene are tremendously solid scre...

8.4/10 (5918 votes)
#6

One Arrest

S1:E7

"A man must have a code." - Bunk. 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 and hunt a suspect known as 'Mr. Bird.'

killip.sean Mar 20, 2023

Bunk: "A man must have a code." Omar: "Oh, no doubt."

8.5/10 (6286 votes)
#7

The Wire

S1:E6

"..and all the pieces matter." - Freamon. 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. Meanwhile, Wallace and D'Angelo struggle with their consciences after Avon pays them blood money.

Sólstafir Feb 20, 2022

I feel for Wallace. It's so heavy on your conscience.

8.5/10 (5904 votes)
#8

Lessons

S1:E8

"Come at the king, you best not miss." - Omar. 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. Omar earns his 'loose cannon' moniker.

forcefield Sep 22, 2023

“Look man, I do what I can do to help you all, but the game is out there. And its either play or ge...

8.7/10 (6123 votes)
#9

Game Day

S1:E9

"Maybe we won." - Herc. 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.

ABSTRACTlegend Sep 11, 2021

Lol at the cops taking forever to Id Avon. Dude sitting next to Stringer with a bright ass red shirt

8.8/10 (6074 votes)
#10

The Hunt

S1:E11

"Dope on the damn table." - Daniels. 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. Bubbles tries to stay sober while scoping out the projects for McNulty; and Freamon determines there's a rat in the detail.

killip.sean Jun 19, 2024

I think what I love about this episode in particular is that all the chickens come home to roost. D...

9.0/10 (6435 votes)
#11

Sentencing

S1:E13

"all in the game..." - Traditional West Baltimore. 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. Season finale.

killip.sean Jun 19, 2024

The world turns. It's hard to square The Wire away as another copaganda show when you have a finale...

9.1/10 (6612 votes)
#12

Cleaning Up

S1:E12

"This is me, yo, right here." - Wallace. The low-rise pay phones are out of service, so McNulty and Daniels try to keep pace by tapping Barksdale's office. Bodie gets new responsibilities from Stringer; Freamon gives Shardene a 'new look'; and D'Angelo goes to NYC on an errand for his uncle. With the detail's future hanging in the balance, Daniels faces off against Burrell and his political allies.

EzraPace Aug 28, 2019

Woo, not him, not like this. My heart is broken.

9.2/10 (7057 votes)
#13

The Cost

S1:E10

"And then he dropped the bracelets..." - Greggs. 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.' McNulty's estranged wife Elena takes desperate measures after learning that he had their kids follow Stringer Bell.

tcb86 Jan 4, 2018

The last minutes of the episode was mind blowing everything was perfect after the shots the reaction...

7.8/10 (8769 votes)

The Target

S1:E1

'... when it's not your turn.' - McNulty. 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 in Franklin Terrace. Meanwhile, Avon's nephew D'Angelo is fresh off beating a murder rap, but he finds himself demoted upon his return to the gang.

PaulVincent83 Feb 10, 2021

It wasn't boring but it doesn't grab you the way a pilot should. If I didn't see the show was rated ...

8.2/10 (7071 votes)

The Detail

S1:E2

'You cannot lose if you do not play.' - Marla Daniels. 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.

killip.sean Jun 13, 2024

I think what I always espouse about The Wire is that within the first 2 hours of the show, you have ...

8.1/10 (6618 votes)

The Buys

S1:E3

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

kanootcha Feb 6, 2019

Does this get better? Cause so far I think this is probably the most overrated show I've ever had th...

8.2/10 (6405 votes)

Old Cases

S1:E4

"It's a thin line 'tween heaven and here." - Bubbles. 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, and Herc and Carver try to track down Bodie.

purpledrazi-deleted-1523337478 Jul 22, 2017

The 'fuck' scene is a brilliant piece of television. This is also the scene that Lester steps into t...

8.2/10 (6121 votes)

The Pager

S1:E5

"..a little slow, a little late." - Avon Barksdale. 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. Later, Carver and Herc find Bodie, but their interrogation doesn't turn up results.

fenring Sep 4, 2022

Both the D'Angelo restaurant scene and the Bubbles visiting Johnny scene are tremendously solid scre...

8.5/10 (6286 votes)

The Wire

S1:E6

"..and all the pieces matter." - Freamon. 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. Meanwhile, Wallace and D'Angelo struggle with their consciences after Avon pays them blood money.

Sólstafir Feb 20, 2022

I feel for Wallace. It's so heavy on your conscience.

8.4/10 (5918 votes)

One Arrest

S1:E7

"A man must have a code." - Bunk. 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 and hunt a suspect known as 'Mr. Bird.'

killip.sean Mar 20, 2023

Bunk: "A man must have a code." Omar: "Oh, no doubt."

8.5/10 (5904 votes)

Lessons

S1:E8

"Come at the king, you best not miss." - Omar. 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. Omar earns his 'loose cannon' moniker.

forcefield Sep 22, 2023

“Look man, I do what I can do to help you all, but the game is out there. And its either play or ge...

8.7/10 (6123 votes)

Game Day

S1:E9

"Maybe we won." - Herc. 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.

ABSTRACTlegend Sep 11, 2021

Lol at the cops taking forever to Id Avon. Dude sitting next to Stringer with a bright ass red shirt

9.2/10 (7057 votes)

The Cost

S1:E10

"And then he dropped the bracelets..." - Greggs. 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.' McNulty's estranged wife Elena takes desperate measures after learning that he had their kids follow Stringer Bell.

tcb86 Jan 4, 2018

The last minutes of the episode was mind blowing everything was perfect after the shots the reaction...

8.8/10 (6074 votes)

The Hunt

S1:E11

"Dope on the damn table." - Daniels. 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. Bubbles tries to stay sober while scoping out the projects for McNulty; and Freamon determines there's a rat in the detail.

killip.sean Jun 19, 2024

I think what I love about this episode in particular is that all the chickens come home to roost. D...

9.1/10 (6612 votes)

Cleaning Up

S1:E12

"This is me, yo, right here." - Wallace. The low-rise pay phones are out of service, so McNulty and Daniels try to keep pace by tapping Barksdale's office. Bodie gets new responsibilities from Stringer; Freamon gives Shardene a 'new look'; and D'Angelo goes to NYC on an errand for his uncle. With the detail's future hanging in the balance, Daniels faces off against Burrell and his political allies.

EzraPace Aug 28, 2019

Woo, not him, not like this. My heart is broken.

9.0/10 (6435 votes)

Sentencing

S1:E13

"all in the game..." - Traditional West Baltimore. 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. Season finale.

killip.sean Jun 19, 2024

The world turns. It's hard to square The Wire away as another copaganda show when you have a finale...

Season Average Rating Episodes Best Episode Worst Episode
4 ★ 8.7 13
★ 9.5 Final Grades
★ 8.3 Boys of Summer
3 ★ 8.7 12
★ 9.6 Middle Ground
★ 8.0 Time After Time
5 ★ 8.7 10
★ 9.6 -30-
★ 8.0 More with Less
1 ★ 8.5 13
★ 9.2 The Cost
★ 7.8 The Target
2 ★ 8.4 12
★ 9.2 Bad Dreams
★ 7.7 Ebb Tide