The Wire
The Ultimate TV Network
July 21, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
The Wire
April 14, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
The Wire didn’t get the media attention of Grey’s Anatomy in its five season run from 2002 to 2008.
It didn’t get the watercooler buzz of Desperate Housewives.
And it didn’t get the audience of network television hits like House or CSI.
But HBO’s program about Baltimore politicians, detectives, and drug dealers did get it – the undeniable fact that a loyal audience will find a show compelling if it has three-dimensional characters, at least enough of an audience to sustain the show for several seasons.
The Wire had a multi-racial cast and shooting locations all over Baltimore to give the show its authenticity.
Former Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon and Former Baltimore detective Ed Burns co-created The Wire.
Their resume speaks volumes about their dedication to honest storytelling about the life of Baltimore’s police department and the drug dealing that is so prevalent.
Simon and Burns co-wrote The Corner, a book about one year in the life of a West Baltimore family and its battle with drugs. HBO made a six-episode miniseries based on the book.
Before working with Burns, Simon used his reporting skills and spent one year with a Baltimore homicide squad for research on a book. Simply titled Homicide, Simon’s book recounts his year of observation -- 1988. It served as the basis for the NBC television show, another underrated program, this one airing during the 1990s on Friday nights.
One of the key detectives in the book is Jay Landsman. In honor of him, Simon and Burns named one of the detectives’ bosses after Landsman in The Wire. The real-life Landsman has a recurring role as Lieutenant Dennis Mello.
Although it was an ensemble show, The Wire arguably has a central character in Jimmy McNulty, played by Dominic West. After destroying his marriage through lies, drinking, and womanizing, McNulty finds salvation in the job, later getting his life on track and moving in with Beaty Russell, a cop at the port with whom McNulty crossed paths in Season 2.
McNulty’s growth is lamented by his former partner and drinking buddy Bunk and witnessed with surprise by his ex-wife. But McNulty is battling his old demons in Season 5.
The Wire stories covered different aspects – the drug dealing corners, the corruption in City Hall, the crookedness of the ports. But it also shows aspects familiar to just about anyone – office politics within squads, police departments, even mayoral campaigns.
The title comes from the detectives trying to bug or wire the drug dealers’ phones, even cell phones.
The Wire is more than just another show in the cop genre. It’s about as real-life as it gets.
Even one of the characters used the real life name of the actress who plays her. And she has a criminal record – Felicia Snoop Pearson.
In its fifth and final season, one of the story threads of The Wire depicted the influences on and of the media in covering stories.
david@davidkrell.com
The Wire didn’t get the media attention of Grey’s Anatomy in its five season run from 2002 to 2008.
It didn’t get the watercooler buzz of Desperate Housewives.
And it didn’t get the audience of network television hits like House or CSI.
But HBO’s program about Baltimore politicians, detectives, and drug dealers did get it – the undeniable fact that a loyal audience will find a show compelling if it has three-dimensional characters, at least enough of an audience to sustain the show for several seasons.
The Wire had a multi-racial cast and shooting locations all over Baltimore to give the show its authenticity.
Former Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon and Former Baltimore detective Ed Burns co-created The Wire.
Their resume speaks volumes about their dedication to honest storytelling about the life of Baltimore’s police department and the drug dealing that is so prevalent.
Simon and Burns co-wrote The Corner, a book about one year in the life of a West Baltimore family and its battle with drugs. HBO made a six-episode miniseries based on the book.
Before working with Burns, Simon used his reporting skills and spent one year with a Baltimore homicide squad for research on a book. Simply titled Homicide, Simon’s book recounts his year of observation -- 1988. It served as the basis for the NBC television show, another underrated program, this one airing during the 1990s on Friday nights.
One of the key detectives in the book is Jay Landsman. In honor of him, Simon and Burns named one of the detectives’ bosses after Landsman in The Wire. The real-life Landsman has a recurring role as Lieutenant Dennis Mello.
Although it was an ensemble show, The Wire arguably has a central character in Jimmy McNulty, played by Dominic West. After destroying his marriage through lies, drinking, and womanizing, McNulty finds salvation in the job, later getting his life on track and moving in with Beaty Russell, a cop at the port with whom McNulty crossed paths in Season 2.
McNulty’s growth is lamented by his former partner and drinking buddy Bunk and witnessed with surprise by his ex-wife. But McNulty is battling his old demons in Season 5.
The Wire stories covered different aspects – the drug dealing corners, the corruption in City Hall, the crookedness of the ports. But it also shows aspects familiar to just about anyone – office politics within squads, police departments, even mayoral campaigns.
The title comes from the detectives trying to bug or wire the drug dealers’ phones, even cell phones.
The Wire is more than just another show in the cop genre. It’s about as real-life as it gets.
Even one of the characters used the real life name of the actress who plays her. And she has a criminal record – Felicia Snoop Pearson.
In its fifth and final season, one of the story threads of The Wire depicted the influences on and of the media in covering stories.