The Game Is The Game: 12 Interesting Facts You Should Know About ‘The Wire’

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Earliest this month, HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire celebrated the 22nd anniversary of the date it premiered. Click inside to check out some cool facts from the legendary show that you may or may not have known.

On June 2nd, 2002, a cult classic crime drama aired on TV screens across the world for the first time and captured our hearts. The Wire chronicled the issues of a post-industrial American city from the drug infested streets of West Baltimore to the corruption of City Hall. The award-winning series captured the moral dilemmas of both the police and the people they were after in a way never before seen on television.

Each season, The Wire introduced a different institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement. The five subjects included the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools and the print news medium. The series was praised for its realistic depiction of inner-city life, its uncommonly accurate exploration of society and politics and its literary themes. Although the ratings didn’t reflect it at the time, The Wire is now often considered one of the greatest television series of all time.

The larger than life characters that comprised the cast of the show became cultural icons as fans watched their compelling storylines play out week to week. The legendary series catapulted the careers of many renowned actors including Dominic West, Idris Elba , Michael K. Williams (Rest In Peace), Sonja Sohn , Wendell Pierce and Deidre Lovejoy to name a few.

We know that the cultural phenomenon will forever be etched into the history books. We know that the show is as relevant today as it was when it premiered 20 plus years ago. What don’t we know though? We thought it would be a good idea to give The Wire its flowers by creating a list of interesting facts that you may or may not have known about the legendary series!