2006-09-19

### The Wire, and the rest

[![the_wire.jpg](/space/the_wire.jpg)](http://hbo.com/thewire/)

It premiered a couple weeks ago, but I didn't get the chance to watch the
season premiere of [The Wire](http://hbo.com/thewire/) until last night. It
was good, as always, and it sets up a season that promises to be great.

It may sound like hyperbole, but The Wire is easily the best TV show I've ever
seen. It lives up to the HBO legacy of deep, complex, nuanced dramas that
unfold slowly over the course of an entire season. It foregoes eye candy
and witty repartee for realism, subtlety, and unparalleled writing and acting.
Whats more,
[David Simon](http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/crew/david_simon.shtml)'s
writing is a tour de force. 
The Wire isn't just television, it's modern literature. (HBO should be paying
me for this!)

Sadly, despite its
[critical acclaim](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/06/DDG7BKV7HK26.DTL),
The Wire has underperformed. Sex and the City, The Sopranos, and Entourage all
sell HBO subscriptions, but with viewership flat at 1.5 million, The Wire
doesn't. Given that, HBO deserves serious kudos for renewing it. Whether it's a
commitment to quality content or a soft spot in some exec's heart, I'm just
happy it's back.

[![amazing_race.jpg](/space/amazing_race.jpg)](http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race5/)
[![studio_60.jpg](/space/studio_60.jpg)](http://www.nbc.com/Studio_60_on_the_Sunset_Strip/)

I also caught the season premieres of
[The Amazing Race](http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race5/),
which was silly but fun, and
[Studio 60](http://www.nbc.com/Studio_60_on_the_Sunset_Strip/),
which was surprisingly good. Think
[Entourage](http://hbo.com/entourage/) meets
[West Wing](http://www.nbc.com/The_West_Wing/) -
not surprising, since Studio 60 is also written by the
[embattled](http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/20321/)
Aaron Sorkin. Also, props to NBC, you can
[watch the entire episode online](http://www.nbc.com/Studio_60_on_the_Sunset_Strip/).

Thanks to Matt and Kristin for their living room and company, and to
the [Tim Goodman](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=24) for his
[unerring](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/18/DDG2VL68U51.DTL)
[reviews](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/06/DDG7BKV7HK26.DTL).