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What can I watch that is like The Wire but is not The Wire?

57 replies

ValleyClouds · 05/02/2018 23:07

Currently binging the Wire (again) but when I'm done would like to watch a Criminal Investigation type series that I haven't yet seen

I want it to be complex and rewarding like the Wire, not a formulaic crime of the week type thing, an ongoing arc or series of stories

I have access to Sky, Prime, Netflix

I basically want The Wire but not The Wire

I have seen

Mindhunter
Manhunt Unabomber
Dark
The Sinner
Breaking Bad

Didn't like Dexter and couldn't get into either the US or EU The Killing

Thanks!

OP posts:
Joskar · 06/02/2018 23:23

The Bridge. So good. That's what we watched after The Wire.

CoffeeAndEnnui · 06/02/2018 23:38

Try searching Sky for The Night Of (it's on Amazon too but not free, sadly). It was an HBO mini series (remake of a UK show) starring Riz Ahmed. Like The Wire it is very character driven and plays with the notion of areas of grey rather than good/bad guys. It centres around a murder but ripples out to be a lot more. I no longer have Sky to check but will cross my fingers for you!

And, should you need more incentive to watch, Michael K Williams (who played Omar in The Wire) has a pivotal role in it! Also check out The Corner, a series written by the guys behind The Wire. The books Homicide and The Corner, by the same writers, are both extraordinary reads too.

Ultimately though I have to agree with a PP: nothing is like The Wire.

BitOfFun · 07/02/2018 00:12

Line Of Duty is my all-time favourite.

If you want another one with a satisfying arc, try watching Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes.

SleightOfMind · 07/02/2018 00:17

Great thread. Looking forward to trying some of these and it’s mafe me want to watch The Wire again, maybe with DS1.

womanhuman · 07/02/2018 00:20

The Tunnel was good.
Danishes The Killing.
True Detective.

MrsDilber · 07/02/2018 00:38

Just found Line of Duty on Netflix, DH and I have binged on all 3 series and bought 4 on Dvd. Loved it.

mydailymailhell · 07/02/2018 00:40

I've just got totally hooked on Gomorrah which you can get on Sky or Now TV - it's dark and complex, I'd put it up there with The Wire, Breaking Bad and The Sopranos

Justawaterformeplease · 07/02/2018 02:33

Another vote for The Night Of!

laudanum · 07/02/2018 03:11

The Bridge.

frozenlake · 07/02/2018 03:27

Enjoyed the wire, also enjoyed true detective and am watching narcos at present.

DaisyDando · 07/02/2018 03:54

I loved The Wire and have recently enjoyed Bosch on Amazon Prime. A few faces from The Wire.

NavyGold · 07/02/2018 05:08

Line of Duty! I only discovered it late last year, I finished all 4 seasons in about a week and a half!

DGRossetti · 07/02/2018 08:26

Michael K Williams (who played Omar in The Wire)

Which reminds me of "Boardwalk Empire" ....

DaisyDando · 07/02/2018 10:56

Oh yes! Boardwalk Empire is the best.

Roomba · 08/02/2018 10:19

The Shield is great, though it is a bit crime of the week for the first time series. But once it gets going it's fantastic.

Crime related though not a police procedural - The Sopranos is definitely something you should watch if you've never seen.

I've enjoyed a few International police series - Spiral (Engranages) is great, The Killing, Witnesses, and I'm enjoying The Method on Netflix at the moment.

Roomba · 08/02/2018 10:20

I forgot True Detective! Amazing series.

DGRossetti · 08/02/2018 10:45

I forgot True Detective! Amazing series.

The theme to the 2nd series was sublime ... "I dug some graves ... you'll never find"

WellTidy · 08/02/2018 10:50

The Bridge is outstanding (subtitles).

Homeland.

Line of Duty is absolutely brilliant.

Happy Valley is also fantastic.

IsabelleSE19 · 08/02/2018 10:57

Nothing is like The Wire Sad

Haven't tried it myself yet, but I know my DB liked Homicide: Life on the Street, which is what David Simon did before The Wire. Ditto for The Corner, as a pp said. I wasn't a fan of Treme, although I watched it all, but loved The Deuce, Generation Kill, and also Show Me a Hero, a dramatisation of a true story made by David Simon and starring Oscar Isaac.

nancy75 · 08/02/2018 12:02

Oh I loved Treme, I know nothing happened for the whole entire time it was on but I really enjoyed the characters in it

Sarahh2014 · 08/02/2018 12:11

The blacklist

TheHallouminati · 08/02/2018 12:13

Has anyone seen Rectify? I watched the first episode the other day and it looks promising. About a guy released from death row after serving 19 yrs after new evidence suggests he didn't rape and murder his girlfriend.
Like Baltimore was such an important and relevant setting to The wire, almost like a character of its own, the setting is really important here too. Set in Georgia and big on dark southern gothic.
Also has anyone suggested The Sinner with Jessica Biel. I was gripped by that.

CoffeeAndEnnui · 10/02/2018 10:08

I love your description of Rectify. I'd not heard of it but I shall go looking now!

TheDonald · 10/02/2018 10:12

I've just finished Homeland and I loved it. Perfect timing too because s7 starts this weekend.

I was thinking of watching The Wire next. I'll check out some of these suggestions too.

sinceyouask · 10/02/2018 10:15

You might like Boomtown. I don't think it ran for long, it was in the early 2000s.
The Shield is fabulous.