Top 25 Characters On The Wire

There are two types of people—those who have seen The Wire and know it's the best show of all-time, and those you haven't seen it yet.

—Tim Speaker

One of the many reasons why my favorite (and best) show of all time is The Wire are the characters. Fully three-dimensional, real characters either based on factual individuals, often played by non-actors, or amalgamations of real-life people, the characters on The Wire move far beyond any film or television series in terms of truth.

Most shows have a character, or a few characters, that keep you coming back. Yet when I thought to put this list together, I immediately thought of over 30 characters that I loved off the top of my head. I cannot imagine being able to do this with any other show. And that alone says alot for the quality of the acting on The Wire. Also, I had to leave out characters that I loved or felt were brilliant, in order to limit the list to 25 (sorry Herc, Prezbo, Clay Davis). This is astounding for a television show.

Here it is, my Top 25 Favorite Characters On The Wire:

25. Slim Charles

24. Carver

23. Chris Partlo

22. Snoop

21. Poot

20. Cutty

19. Brother Mouzone

18. Randy

17. Marlo Stanfield

16. Bunny Colvin

15. Dukie

14. Michael

13. Kima Greggs

12. Bodie Broadus

11. Wee Bey

10. Wallace

09. Proposition Joe

08. Lester Freamon

07. D’Angelo Barksdale

06. Bubbles

05. Avon Barksdale

04. Bunk Moreland

03. Jimmy McNulty

02. Stringer Bell

01. Omar Little

I know it's cliche to like Omar the best, but the brilliant Michael K. Williams portrayal of him is simply electric. He owns the screen every second he is on it, regardless of who he is sharing it with.

And fans can find a great home here, at WireFans.com.

The Wire Is The Greatest Show In Television History

I heard it for years, over and over. Anytime I read about or heard anyone speak about the HBO show The Wire, the same phrase was always, (and I mean always) mentioned immediately; "The Wire is the best show in history". And it wasn't just the critics that I read making this claim, but also a few of my closest friends whose opinions I respect greatly echoing that same sentiment. It seemed there were two types of people - those who had seen The Wire and claimed it to be the best show in history, and those who had not yet seen it.

So for years I have been wanting to watch it, and never seemed to be able to get my hands on it. Until now. Thanks to HBO GO (which is amazing, and potentially life-altering) a service that allows on-demand viewing of all HBO shows in history, available on your iPad or computer if you subscribe to HBO. Suddenly all shows, all seasons are now open to be explored. And the first night that I downloaded HBO GO, I watched the first episode of The Wire.

The Wire is incredible for many reasons, but one of my favorite is the characters. Genuine, accurate writing combined with truly phenomenal actors blend to create a realism unseen in any television show or film that I have seen. Added to that mix is the spice of true life, non-actors from the mean streets of Baltimore that only lend more weight to the atmosphere of authenticity that permeates every aspect of the show.

Omar is one of the greatest, most original characters in history, and he is not even the "star". The characters are phenomenal, played with passion and believability. Why isn't Dominic West (McNulty) a star? Why isn't Wendell Pierce (Bunk) a household name? If I was a Hollywood executive, I would be hiring these actors immediately. Though HBO was wise enough to cast Michael K. Williams (Omar) in the fledgling Boardwalk Empire and Wendell Pierce in the struggling Treme we really need to see more of their vast talents.

But it is more than a pseudo-documentary. It is epic in scope, viewing the city from several seemingly disparate vantage points (from police to drug dealers, teachers to longshoremen, government administration to junkies) that when viewed as a whole, come into focus as an interconnected entity called Baltimore.

With confidence I can assert that yes, The Wire is the best show in television history. But it is more than that - it truly is a "visual novel" as some critics have described it, every bit as sweeping as The Godfather mixed with the gritty legitimacy of a documentary. The Wire supersedes television - it is too big for that small of a medium. No, The Wire is something else, something more significant than what we refer to as "TV".

Long live The Wire - the best show in the history of television.

Portlandia Is Hilarious, Timely

IFC's new show Portlandia (starring the super underrated Fred Armisen) is absolutely hilarious. And it's alot like me my life I must admit, especially in the clip above.

Thanks J Vizzle for the clip.

Boardwalk Empire Already the Best Show On Television

Created and executive produced by the greatest living filmmaker, Martin Scorsese, (sorry Jean-Luc Godard) Boardwalk Empire comes with unprecedented fanfare for a television premiere. Starring the always great Steve Buscemi as lead character Nucky Thompson, based on the real life politician/gangster of the era, the show sounded like a can't miss proposition. And two episodes in, it has exceeded expectations and already become the Best Show of Television, all due respect to Dexter.

The criminally underrated Michael Pitt (he of The Dreamers and Last Days) co-stars as Thompson's driver and one time protege. But all is not right in his world. Scorsese has created a world (literally building the boardwalk in it's entirety in Brooklyn) so legitimate and true, that you feel like you literally are walking the boardwalk of Atlantic City at the beginning of prohibition.

I don't want to give any more away, other than to say that the Scorsese directed pilot looked and felt like a classic Scorsese film, from the camera pans and jump cuts to the "flash" cuts and character introductions.

Just watch it, you won't be sorry.

Everything Tracy Morgan Says Is Funny

As you may already know, I am a huge fan of 30 Rock. It's the only show that can make me laugh out loud every week. I have loved Tracy Morgan since he was on SNL (I seem to be the only one, but Brian Fellows is hilarious, I don't care who you are) and was pleased to seem his unique talents utilized on 30 Rock.

Apparently, I am not alone in loving his character, Tracy Jordan. Over at Unlikely Words, they have collected ever single line of dialogue Jordan says in the series, in one handy list . It will have you cracking up in no time.

Enjoy.

"These. These are my people. Bucket drummers, if you’re striking, so am I. Two-four-six-eight-ten-twelve-fourteen-sixteen-eighteen".

I Got A Fever, & The Only Prescription Is More Exile

Absolutely going mental for the new Exile On Main Street reissue which comes out on Tuesday. Jimmy Fallon has made this entire past week Stones Week, with different artist coming on to perform songs from Exile (too bad they all suck except Phish, who totally rocked Loving Cup), had interviews with Mick and Keith, and did some sketches with the Stones too.

I have been on the Fallon train since early last summer, when I thought he solidified after a shaky start and had become the most entertaining late night show. It's still a bit inconsistent, and some bits crash and burn, but he does have the best music, best band, and best guests on late night. I also think his impressions are awesome, like his killer Neil Young take.

Anyway, here is the hilarious Pros/Cons bit with Mick and Keef. Too, too funny. Enjoy.

Building Excitement: HBO's Into The Storm

I am very excited about the coming HBO film Into The Storm. It chronicles the leadership of Winston Churchill during World War II. I've always been fascinated with Churchill, as he provided many of the most spine-tingling speeches known to man (We will fight on the beaches! We will fight in the streets! We will never surrender! - I'm paraphrasing btw). When I was young I spent alot of time reading about Churchill, and all WWII history. As an adult, I am torn about Churchill - though a brilliant leader for the British, he was absolutely brutal on the Irish and had no sympathy for their cause.

Anyway, the HBO movie stars the brilliant Brendan Gleeson (one of my favorite character actors) as the man himself. It should be great either way. It premieres May 31st at 9pm.

Ikea Lamp Commercial Makes Me Laugh

Just watch it.

30Rock: As Funny As Mainstream TV Gets

I’ve given it enough time (you know, that probationary status you afford a new TV show/band/artist/website before you make your mind up about their standing) and can confidently say, 30 Rock is the funniest show on mainstream television.

30 Rock requires a little bit of time to fully “get” the tone of the show. The rapid-fire editing and constant asides take some getting used to.

This truly is an ensemble cast, but Tracy Morgan always, always maximizes his screen time, bringing the odd charm he occasionally brought to SNL. Alec Baldwin is laugh out loud funny, often poking fun at his appealingly smarmy executive magnetism. Of course Tina Fey makes the whole thing move, constantly referencing herself, self-deprecating and witty.

I will leave you with this quote:

Tracy: "Werewolf bar mitzvah, spooky scary. Boys becoming men, men becoming wolves."

The Tudors Is Back, Better Than Ever

I am a big fan of Showtime's The Tudors. The series stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as King Henry VIII of England. It is an amazingly tumultuous period of history, one that reverberates through today. Henry VIII's life ripples through the English/Irish Troubles that continue to the present day.

Anyway, the show is fascinating. Rhys-Meyers gives a tour-de-force performance in the series. While he was previously spectacular in Todd Hayne's absurdly underrated Velvet Goldmine (where he brilliantly portrayed David Bowie), it seems that this is the part he was born to play. Rhys-Meyers embodies Henry VIII's royal charisma and brutal ferocity effortlessly.

The new season just began, and it has been riveting. It's so good, that even though I know what is going to happen, I find myself on the edge of my seat every episode. Do yourself a favor and watch them from the beginning. Not only will you be fully entertained, but you can pick up some history while you are at it.

My Favorite TV Commercial of All Time

OK, so I found it, my favorite TV commercial of all time. This commercial appeared somewhere around the early 2000's, and it features one of my favorite musicial artist in history, the late great Nick Drake. There is an atmosphere present in this Volkswagen clip that is entrancing - I want to be in car with them, driving under a million stars. It reminds me of so many times when I was younger, going up north as we Michiganders say. So here it is, in all it's oddly moving glory.

No Resevations Is a Really Great Show

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not much of a Foodie (but my wife is, bigtime). I hate vegetables (especially onions, which make my skin crawl), I really only like meat and cheese. I honestly could be a meatatarian, as the only things I really like to eat are meat based. I do love pasta and pizza, and have a notorious sweet tooth (which is very hard for me to control).

So if I told you that one of my very favorite shows on TV is No Reservations on the Travel Channel, you might be surprised. But I love this show enough to watch marathons of it (actually, when I am home sick, I pray for marathons of it). This show is great because of it's really about it's host, Anthony Bourdain. Though Bourdain is a world class chef (and the show is ostensibly based around food) he speaks as much about the people, culture, and geography as much as about food. Often the show strays from food for long periods (Sicily episode), and much of the time Bourdain himself is the focus (New Jersey episode).

Bourdain is so interesting to listen to that he makes me interested in food production, it's history, etc. - which is something that is not easy to do. LaPorte disagrees with me about the show - he likes Samantha Brown more, which is like liking Lawrence Welk more than Iggy Pop. Bourdain's punk rock foodie shtick could get old to some, but not to me. Trust me, it's great, and addictive. And Bourdain's blog is a great read too. Check it out here.

Elvis Costello TV Is Fantastic

I am a big fan of Elvis Costello, but an even bigger fan of Lou Reed. The Velvet Underground is one of my favorite bands of all time - I've always been a huge fan, but the older I get the more time I spend listening to VU intently.

Elvis Costello has a show on the Sundance Channel called Spectacle. He talks with all types of people, plays music, whatever he feels like basically. It's pretty awesome. Anyway, I watched the episode the other night that features the indominable Lou Reed. Not only does he interview Lou at length and perform "Perfect Day" and "Set The Twilight Reeling" with him, but Julian Schnabel is also in the audience. Schnabel gets up on stage and becomes part of the interview. Schnabel (unbeknownst to me previously) is Lou Reed's best friend, which is how he came to direct Lou Reed's Berlin, a concert film documenting a 2006 live performance of the album Berlin in it's entirety. The Berlin site is here.

This show is not to be missed. More info about Spectacle can be found here. Sublime.

Kyle Cooper = WOW

You know Kyle Cooper from his pioneering title sequences to Seven, Donnie Brasco, and others. He is amazing. Check out his reel below. WOW.

Dexter Covers, Showtime, Excellent

As a promotional lead up to the fantastic new season of Showtime's Dexter, Showtime created several different magazine covers featuring lead Michael C. Hall as the show's namesake. To a graphic designer, these are an interesting study in the replication of a concept. Too cool.

Oh, and Dexter is great too. One of the most original, well written and acted programs in television history. At some point Showtime just flat out passed HBO for the highest quality. Since The Sopranos took the dirtnap, Entourage has been kind of slow and Curb Your Enthusiasm has been up and down, Showtime has come on strong with The Tudors(featuring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), Dexter, and my favorite, Californication. Californication is very adult content, but is very well written and acted by the killer David Duchovny as Hank Moody, one of my favorite characters ever.