Debunking TV cop stereotypes, the relentlessly realistic drama follows flawed inner-city detectives as they investigate violent crimes – but not always solving them, because that’s how life works.
Before broadening his scope for The Wire, screenwriter David Simon created one of the all-time great police procedurals, based on stint as a crime reporter for the Baltimore Sun. Debunking TV cop stereotypes, the relentlessly realistic drama follows flawed inner-city detectives as they investigate violent crimes – but not always solving them, because that’s how life works. We see up close how officers grow hardened by the horrors they witness. The late Andre Braugher emerged as the breakout star for his portrayal of master interrogator Detective Frank Pembleton, later riffing on the character in cop comedy Brooklyn 99.