‘The Wire’ named No. 2 TV show of the 21st century by New York Times

Despite critical acclaim, “The Wire,” the unflinching HBO crime series set in 2000s Baltimore, famously never won an Emmy Award and earned only two nominations during its five-season run.

This morning, more than 18 years after its conclusion, the TV show that became synonymous with the city it depicted received a posthumous bouquet of flowers from its industry peers.

“The Wire” was named No. 2 on The New York Times’ 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century, which was voted on by hundreds of actors, showrunners and other TV industry experts. The television series, created by Silver Spring native David Simon, fell short only to AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” the white-knuckled tale of a science teacher’s unlikely rise as a methamphetamine kingpin.

“It soars above the meticulous rigor of its parts and labor into a ‘dark corner of the American experiment,’” Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Wesley Morris wrote about “The Wire” in the final results. He also called it “a miracle that should never have worked,” in part because it was made by “white people dreaming up Black life.”

The fictional show illuminated the drug war’s often-heartbreaking, trickle-down effects on policing, schools, politics, drug trade and the many human lives it can irreparably harm. While widely heralded, “The Wire” and its success have created a complicated relationship between the show and Baltimore. Its critics say the series’ laser-focus on often violent drug crime, and its cascading effects on a city, presented a too-narrow vision of Baltimore to the rest of the world.

The rest of the list’s top five included “Mad Men,” the 1960s period drama created by Baltimore County native Matthew Weiner, at No. 3, “Succession” at No. 4 and “Fleabag” at No. 5.

George Pelecanos, “The Wire” producer who earned an Emmy nod for co-writing Season 3’s “Middle Ground” episode with Simon, said he was happy to see “The Wire” so high on the list. He had no issue with “Breaking Bad” at No. 1, but was also quick to call the rankings, and top lists in general, “kind of silly.”

“Let’s be honest,” Pelecanos said Friday morning. “It’s completely subjective, and I looked at some of the celebrity lists, and they’re naming their friends.”

More than 500 ballots were cast, according to The New York Times. A series had to have premiered on Jan. 1, 2000, or after to qualify — in case anyone is wondering why “The Sopranos,” which debuted in January 1999, didn’t make the list.

Premiered on June 2, 2002, “The Wire” presented a sweeping, kaleidoscopic view of an American city ravaged by the war on drugs, seen through the eyes of a wide range of players all entangled in a largely futile battle. The ensemble cast included Dominic West, Michael K. Williams, Wendell Pierce, Wood Harris and Sonja Sohn, along with future leading men like Idris Elba and Michael B. Jordan.

“The Wire” was never a huge ratings hit when it aired live — the 2008 series finale was watched live by more than 1 million viewers, compared with 11.9 million for the end of “The Sopranos” the prior year, according to ScreenRant.

“It is one of those series, like the original ‘Star Trek,’ that future generations will refuse to believe struggled with low ratings during its entire run,” The New York Times’ James Poniewozik wrote in a glowing 2022 reappraisal.

But its stature and fandom have only grown as more viewers discovered “The Wire” through binging DVD box sets and then the streaming revolution. One super fan, President Barack Obama, hosted Simon at the White House in 2015 to discuss the show’s major themes.

The series has its detractors as well. P. David Bramble, the Baltimore native and head developer for Harborplace’s renovation, blamed “The Wire” as a roadblock to raise money for one of Baltimore’s biggest redevelopment projects.

“If you’re ever trying to raise investment capital and you call anyone in New York, California, Chicago to try to get money, the first thing you hear is ‘Is Baltimore really ‘The Wire’?’ You hear that over and over again,” Bramble told the Baltimore Business Journal in April. “I got to tell you, getting over that hump of getting people interested in Baltimore is really, really hard.”

S. Rasheem, a social scientist, has presented her new Baltimore-focused documentary, “Beyond the Wire,” as a counter-narrative to the drug- and crime-infested national reputation “The Wire” helped create.

At the time of filming, “Wire” actors like Andre Royo, who played the charming drug addict Bubbles, could not have imagined the acclaim the show has received.

“I wanted to get my career poppin’ and, you know, raise my daughter with some money. I didn’t know that it was gonna impact like that. But, like I said, I’m humbled by it,” Royo told The Banner in late June.

This past year, “The Wire” has lost some of its cast members. In May, Bobby J. Brown, who played a police officer, died at 62 in an accidental barn fire in St. Mary’s County. In December, Isiah Whitlock Jr., who played the indelible politician Clay Davis, died at 71, while James Ransone (the loose cannon Ziggy Sobotka) died at 46.

All six seasons of “The Wire” are available to stream with an HBO Max or AMC+ subscription.

Some other local connections found in The New York Times’ list:

• “Veep” (No. 7) and “House of Cards” (No. 48) were both filmed in Baltimore and Maryland.
• Maryland Institute College of Art alum Abbi Jacobson’s BFF-comedy “Broad City” came in at No. 46.
• “The White Lotus” clocked in at No. 21, boosted no doubt by performances from the Baltimore-born Parker Posey and University of Maryland alum Natasha Rothwell.
• “The Pitt” (No. 36) features Emmy winner and Frederick County native Shawn Hatosy.

Did “The Wire” deserve No. 1? Which shows got snubbed — or ranked too highly? Let us know in the comments.