“When you walk through the garden, you gotta watch your back.”
I’ve been watching HBO’s The Wire religiously and I’m compelled to say, it’s got to be hands down the best show on the air. Check out the Wikipedia article on the show for the rundown. I also recommend Salan’s article Breaking down The Wire.
This show is fantastic. If you haven’t seen it, find Season 1 and just start watching. No sense jumping in in the middle. I accidentally found myself watching an episode out of season 2 when I had only seen a couple of the episodes from season 1 and I was totally confused.
It’s a double-edged sword, but the design of the show is very dependent on the story arch continuing from episode to episode which means you can’t jump in the middle. However, it makes every episode twice as great because instead of rehashing plot points to make sure everybody is caught up, the time is spent on character development and moving the story forward.
I’m just finishing up season four, but I recommend you check out this show. Start with season 1 episode 1; you won’t regret it.