The Wire

The WIRE

the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...

, a television drama series created by David Simon, premiered on June 2, 2002 on HBO in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and ended on March 9, 2008. 60 episodes aired over the show's five seasons, plus three additional prequel

Prequel

A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...

 shorts.

The Wire is set in Baltimore, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

; each season of the series focuses on a different part of the city. The show features a large ensemble cast; many characters are only featured prominently in a single season. A group of characters, mainly in the Baltimore Police Department

Baltimore Police Department

The Baltimore Police Department provides police services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland and was officially established by the Maryland Legislature on March 16, 1853...

, appear in every season.

The show is available on DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4.

Series overview

Season			Season premiere Season premiere In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:...			Season finale Season finale A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...		Region 1 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...		Region 2 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...		Region 4 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...			1	13	June 2, 2002	September 8, 2002	October 12, 2004	April 18, 2005	May 11, 2005	5
					2	12	June 1, 2003	August 24, 2003	January 25, 2005	October 10, 2005	May 3, 2006
	3	12	September 19, 2004	December 19, 2004	August 8, 2006	February 5, 2007	August 13, 2008
	4	13	September 10, 2006	December 10, 2006	December 4, 2007	March 10, 2008	August 13, 2008	4
	5	10	January 6, 2008	March 9, 2008	August 12, 2008	September 22, 2008	February 3, 2010

Prequel shorts

Three short film vignettes set prior to the series events were filmed during the fifth season's production. They were made available via HBO On Demand during broadcast of the final season, and included as extras on the complete series DVD box set.

• "When Bunk Met McNulty"
• "Young Omar"
• "Young Prop Joe"