If I love the Wire - what other box sets will I love?

[HarrogateMum]

On series 2 of The Wire and sooooo love it. Being super organised have just ordered series 3 and 4 (5 is a bit pricy so will wait...) but thinking ahead - what other gritty police type dramas will I like? Anyone seen the Shield? Any other recommendations....?

sopranos
dexter
mad men

I still think Hill Street Blues was great. May seem tame ish now but still quality. Showing on More4 but presume you can get a box set. (Did type boxed set, is that very wrong??)

West Wing, West Wing, West Wing.

I am watching it AGAIN (I have no life.) The Wire is next.

thats good to hear Lula.
My parents used to love Hill Street Blues, of course I hated it at the time but it might be worth a re-visit now i'm a grown-up.

I have watched and enjoyed: The Wire, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, The Sopranos

Currently watching: The West Wing

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thanks lula sounds like far too much hard work lol. i look to tv for escapism these days, not for social realism. also you say the broken society we're living in, but is much of it relevant to the uk?

i utterly failed to get into mad men either, although it looked as though it was gong to tick every box.

The Shield.

It is v good.

Similar to The Wire (though not as good). And I htink 5 seasons.

Also Prison Break.
24.
Generation Kill (suprisingly).

Really, try The Shield.

Homicide Life on the Streets - set in Baltimore, and with the same original writer/researcher (David Simon) as the Wire I believe.

I've just started Series 3. DH loved the first series, but I preferred the 2nd. Love it, but it's not normally what I would watch so I can't recommend anything similar except everyone raves about 'The Shield'.

I thought the Wire was the best tv I've ever seen. The Shield is very weak in comparison.

Try Oz, it's a prison drama, very violent but still great stories. Also by HBO. I've just bought Carnivale which gets good reviews.

Big Shield fan - but not seen the Wire yet (trying to find someone who can lend it us rather than buy it and not like it).
There are 6 seasons to The Shield - some are better than others but you can't skip any or they won't make sense.
The ones with Forrest Whittaker are brilliant!

Iklboo, on season 2 of The Shield at the moment. So it is worth carrying on?

I find Vic very unconvincing because he looks so small and a bit fat!

Mad Men - v dif subject but same intelligence and pace. well worth it.

nothing will ever beat the wire tho

have you tried just rewatching the wire from the start??

Def stick with the Shield - I think the whole point of Vic being the smaller guy is because he's plain clothes and he has the bigger guys to back him up if needs be (not often). He has 'little man syndrome' - short guy, short fuse.
PLus it's not always about Vic and the Strike team - there's lots of in stories about the other characters too

Thanks Iklboo, will carry on. Try and get the Wire, you will love it. It probably takes about 4 episodes to get into it and then you're hooked.

blimey loads of recommendations - I have ordered 3, 4 and 5 of the Wire and series 1 of The Shield to see if I like it and seriously pondering West Wing full box set now........thanks loads everyone!!

Has noone suggested the shield?? we watched all seven series through the end of my pregnancy and the first four weeks of ds's life. it's amaaaaaaazing, one of the best things on tv

I have ordered first series of the Shield to try after finishing the Wire! Looking forward to it already!

you'll grow to love to hate to love vic mackey, i'm almost jealous that you've got it all ahead of you!

Am I the only one who is obsessed with Law and Order SVU? The chemistry between the characters is great - if you haven't seen Richard Belzer and Ice-T squabbling, you haven't lived!

I also really hated Jimmy Mcnulty by the end of the wire but I LURVED Stringer Bell

vjg - FWIW i think jimmy is the weakest character in wire by far. but if we're talking lust, yup stringer rings my bell too. and bunk too