The Wire

Story

One of the most complicated television shows in history starts out pretty simple. The show begins with a trial where a young D'Angelo Barksdale beats a murder charge through bribery and witness intimidations. This becomes the last straw to break the Camel's back for James McNulty, who chooses to do something about the West Baltimore drug crew D'Angelo belongs to, the Barksdale Crew. The Barksdales have dropped bodies all over West Baltimore, but because the murders happen in mostly black, drug-addled projects no one cares. Frustrated by the system's repeated failures, James McNulty attempts to make a detail that will be designed to take down major drug crews instead of busting corner dealers, arrests that do nothing to stop the drug trade. From there, The Wire embarks on a journey through the systematic failures of the city of Baltimore, from law enforcement, the drug trade, the unions, politics, education, and the media.

Season One

Following the exoneration of known murderer and drug dealer D'Angelo Barksdale, Detective Jimmy McNulty goes beyond the chain of command and inadvertently creates a detail assigned to target the Barksdale organization. Led by Avon Barksdale and his cunning lieutenant Stringer Bell, the Barksdale empire has firm control of Baltimore's west-side drug trade, thanks to coded communique and a zero-tolerance attitude towards dissent. As the detail gets closer to Avon, the consequences ripple through all of Baltimore, affecting the streets, the police, and the city's power structure.

Season Two

With much of the Barksdale empire behind bars, the detail has been disbanded. McNulty, for his insubordination, is assigned to the Harbor patrol and Stringer Bell must fight for control of the west-side due to weak product and a lack of muscle. But a Jane Doe taken out of the harbor will expose the lucrative and deadly smuggling ring being run out of Baltimore's ports, and both Mcnulty and Stringer will find their fates intertwined with a mysterious figure known only as The Greek.

Season 3

The heat is on for the Major Crimes Unit. An ambitious city councilman makes crime his running platform and command diverts attention towards superficial drops in the crime rate. This puts a halt on McNulty's detail which is investigating the revived west-side drug trade. Stringer Bell tries to legitimize his operation by dealing with the crooks at city hall but also engages in a power struggle following Avon's release from prison. Meanwhile a new drug kingpin looks to make his stake in Baltimore and a soon-to-retired police lieutenant goes to extreme lengths to save his city's corners.

Season 4

With the Barksdale empire gone, Major Crimes focuses it's attention on rising player Marlo Stanfield, who's managed to take Baltimore's street corners without racking up a body-count. As Carcetti sets his sights on the mayor's office, four youths returning to school must rely on their nerves and each other as they face the dangers of the classroom and the streets created by a system corrupted from the top down.

Season 5

Even with twenty-two homicides to his name, budget cuts have left the Stanfield investigation at a standstill. As Marlo's power continues to grow, one detective creates a fraud of incomparable proportion, thanks to a journalist desperate for attention at a newspaper that's dying. As the conspiracy grows, the noose tightens around Stanfield in a case that could see everyone, the dealers, the police and the politicians, end up in prison.