History YMMV / TheWire

* AwardSnub: ''The Wire'' didn't win a single Emmy and was nominated for only two (for writing). This despite routinely being the subject of gushing critical praise and more than once being declared the Best Show Ever. This might be because the Emmy nominations are done on the strength of a single episode that the producers submit to the judges, and this show is difficult to appreciate (or even understand) by watching a single isolated episode.

** At a reunion of some of the cast in 2014, it was revealed that the actors weren't all that satisfied with the show at first. "I told my agent to call ''Series/LawAndOrder''", said Wendell Pierce; Sonja Sohn said, "A lot of us were like, 'I don't know, it's kind of slow.'"
** Dominic West was reluctant to do the series since it meant signing a five-year contract to live in Baltimore. His agent eased his fears by telling him "[[ItWillNeverCatchOn don't worry, it'll only last one season]]."

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: The show's bleak tone, with so many sympathetic characters [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished ground between the cogs of the system]] while the same system [[KarmaHoudini rewards some of its most heinous members]], can alienate some viewers. That said, the show does have a ''lot'' of humor on it, which Simon has admitted to inserting to prevent the show from being too depressing.

** Omar is a robber who targets drug dealers. His actor, Michael K. Williams, himself died of a drug overdose in 2021.

** For Stringer: [[spoiler: arranging D'Angelo's death. Dee was one of the only completely likeable members of the Barksdale gang and was on the way up education-wise at The Cut. Then Stringer has him killed and [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident makes it look like a suicide]] just because he's afraid of Dee ratting to lower his sentence, ''and he does so without ManipulativeBastard Avon's consent''. Not to mention the fact that before and after the hit he spends a lot of the time fucking D'Angelo's girlfriend, and even has the balls to pick up and hold D'Angelo's infant son while he's plotting to have his dad murdered.]] Holy shit.

* "You come at the king, you best not miss!"

** [[Characters/TheWireOmarAndAssociates Omar Devon Little]] is a "stick-up man" in Baltimore who [[KarmicThief robs drug dealers]] for a living. His first episode has him robbing one of Avon Barksdale's Stash houses. Avon puts out a hit on him and his crew and manages to succeed in killing one of his crew and torturing Omar's boyfriend to death. Over the course of the next three seasons, Omar [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge retaliates]] against the [[Characters/TheWireBarksdaleOrganization Barksdale organization]], culminating in him killing Stringer Bell, Avon's right-hand man. In part due to Omar's actions, the Barksdale organization collapses soon after. In season 4, Omar robs [[Characters/TheWireTheStanfieldGang Marlo Stanfield]], a new West Side kingpin. Marlo, wanting revenge, frames Omar for murder. Omar beats the charge, and then {{blackmail}}s Proposition Joe, another kingpin, into giving up Marlo's new drug shipment, though Omar double-crosses Joe and then steals a much larger shipment instead of Marlo's. Omar then sells it back to Joe and announces his retirement. In season 5, Marlo, who still wants revenge, has Omar's mentor killed. Omar returns to Baltimore, but he is briefly outgunned. He then goes on a warpath and calls Marlo out to face him. While he dies before this can come to fruition, the taunts prove to be very effective, as by the end of the series Marlo has faded into obscurity whereas Omar has become a legend.
** [[BadassBookworm Brother Mouzone]], a legendary [[ProfessionalKiller hitman]] from New York, is called down to Baltimore by Avon Barksdale to deal with Proposition Joe's drug dealers in season 2. He first shoots Cheese, Joe's nephew, with a rat shot, and is then able to intimidate Joe’s gang into staying away with his presence alone. Stringer Bell, Avon’s right-hand man, had cut a deal with Joe, and manipulates Omar into attacking Mouzone, claiming Mouzone tortured Omar’s lover to death. Omar shoots Mouzone but realizes the man is innocent and calls an ambulance for him. While in the hospital Mouzone is able to deduce that Stringer was responsible but keeps this information to himself. Returning in season 3, he tracks Omar down, asking him for help killing Stringer. He then blackmails Avon into giving up Stringers location. Together, he and Omar ambush Stinger and kill him at his condo developments. AffablyEvil and WickedCultured, Mouzone showed why he was [[TheDreaded so feared]] as a hitman.

* CompleteMonster: [[Characters/TheWireTheStanfieldGang Marlo Stanfield]], the final BigBad, [[TyrantTakesTheHelm wages war]] against the [[Characters/TheWireBarksdaleOrganization Barksdale organization]] after a member makes him an offer to join their coalition, seeing the partnership as a sign of weakness and preferring the bloody combat that ensues. A ruthless sociopath, Marlo orders Junebug and his whole family killed in response to an alleged verbal insult; orders Snoop to kill the 14-year-old Michael, on the mere suspicion he was a snitch; and murders his own mentor after feeling [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he is of no further use to him]]. Revealed to keep vacant houses as "tombs" for the bodies of people he orders killed, over 20 corpses are found in them, both of Marlo's enemies and innocents. Egging on a security guard by purposefully committing petty theft in front of him, when the man tells Marlo he would rather avoid confrontation and just wants to support his family, Marlo orders him killed for "talking back".

** [[{{Gayngster}} Omar Devon Little]] is a "stick-up man" in Baltimore who [[KarmicThief robs drug dealers]] for a living. His first episode has him robbing one of Avon Barksdale's Stash houses. Avon puts out a hit on him and his crew and manages to succeed in killing one of his crew and torturing Omar's boyfriend to death. Over the course of the next three seasons, Omar [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge retaliates against the Barksdale organization]], culminating in him killing Stringer Bell, Avon's right-hand man. In part due to Omar's actions, the Barksdale organization collapses soon after. In season 4 Omar robs Marlo Stanfield, a new westside kingpin. Marlo, wanting revenge, frames Omar for murder. Omar beats the charge, and then {{blackmail}}s Proposition Joe, another kingpin, into giving up Marlo's new drug shipment, though Omar double-crosses Joe and then steals a much larger shipment instead of Marlo's. Omar then sells it back to Joe and announces his retirement. In season 5, Marlo, who still wants revenge, has Omar's mentor killed. Omar returns to Baltimore, but he is briefly outgunned. He then goes on a warpath and calls Marlo out to face him. While he dies before this can come to fruition, the taunts prove to be very effective, as by the end of the series Marlo has faded into obscurity whereas Omar has become a legend.

** Seasons 1 and 2 are certainly good television but Season 3 is when it really lives up to its promise. We're back on the street, new characters such as Bunny Colvin and Tommy Carcetti are introduced, we get a better balance between worlds and we see the social side of PoliceDrama. This coincides with Omar growing his goatee into a thick beard and Cutty, also bearded, arriving onto the scene. And then Season 4 also improved on that, continuing to look on the politics but also the education system.

*** Others actors from The Wire would have minor roles in the MCU, too. Notable instances include Herc appearing as [[ComicBook/TheKingpin The Kingpin's]] father in ''[[Series/Daredevil2015 Daredevil]]'', Lester as a detective again in ''[[Series/JessicaJones2015 Jessica Jones]]'', Avon being a cop in ''Film/AntMan1'', Bubbles as a club owner in ''Series/AgentCarter'', and Landsman playing a Vietnam War veteran poser in ''[[Series/ThePunisher The Punisher]]''. Omar makes a cameo in ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk''.

* JerkassWoobie: Ziggy. Lampshaded by him explaining to his father that he killed Glekas because he was "tired of being the punchline of every joke." Ziggy also has a sympathetic side, in spite of also being frustratingly stupid. His father's dedication to saving the docks often meant he didn't have time to fully care for his son. [[SadClown It's suggested that Ziggy's constant acting-out is because he's insecure and depressed]]. [[spoiler: The genuine angst and horror he feels after shooting Glekas is also portrayed rather poignantly.]]

* JerkassWoobie: Ziggy. Lampshaded by him explaining to his father that he killed Glekas because he was "tired of being the punchline of every joke."

*** Ziggy also has a sympathetic side in spite of also being frustratingly stupid. His father's dedication to saving the docks often meant he didn't have time to fully care for his son. [[SadClown It's suggested that Ziggy's constant acting-out is because he's insecure and depressed]]. [[spoiler: The genuine angst and horror he feels after shooting Glekas is also portrayed rather poignantly.]]

* CompleteMonster: [[NotSoHarmlessVillain Marlo Stanfield]], the final BigBad, [[TyrantTakesTheHelm wages war against the Barksdale organization]] after a member makes him an offer to join their coalition, seeing the partnership as a sign of weakness and preferring the bloody combat that ensues. A ruthless sociopath, Marlo orders Junebug and his whole family killed in response to an alleged verbal insult; orders Snoop to kill the 14-year-old Michael, on the mere suspicion he was a snitch; and murders his own mentor, after feeling he is of no further use to him. Revealed to keep vacant houses as "tombs" for the bodies of people he orders killed, over twenty corpses are found in them, both of Marlo's enemies and innocents. Egging on a security guard by purposefully committing petty theft in front of him, when the man tells Marlo he would rather avoid confrontation and just wants to support his family, Marlo orders him killed for "talking back".

* VindicatedByHistory: The series spent its five seasons, for the most part, ignored, a minor-league show overshadowed by the likes of ''Series/TheSopranos''. A while after it ended, UsefulNotes/BarackObama (a huge fan) became the U.S. president and his public appearances increasingly referenced the show. It is now showing up on numerous critics' lists as one of the greatest television dramas ever made, even occasionally outdoing the show whose shadow i

* SacredCow: Being one of the greatest shows ever to come from HBO, very few will tolerate baseless criticism of it.

* SeasonalRot: While not considered bad by any means, there are those who think that Season 5 is weaker and unrealistic compared to the other seasons. The sideplots of the previous seasons were fascinating and expanded the strong ensemble cast, to the point that they could practically carry the show by themselves when the main cast were absent from an episode. In Season 5, though, the newspaper sideplot feels extremely superfluous. Seen as a severe WriterOnBoard moment on the part of David Simon, it didn't introduce any memorable or compelling new characters, and the whole "serial killer" plot line came across as implausible, getting away from the "true to life" feel of the show. It may also have been sinking under the weight of the sheer number of characters and plot lines of the first four seasons (in fact, the fifth season is saturated with cameos by characters from past seasons, and they don't serve much purpose). Reducing the episode count to 10 (as opposed to the normal 12-13 per season) did not help matters either.

* Sacred cow: Being one of the greatest shows ever to come from HBO, very few will tolerate baseless criticism of it.

** Kenard for being a horrible, sociopathic little brat. Oh yeah, there's also the fact that he [[spoiler: '''killed Omar.''']]

** Templeton. In a series where almost no one gets a happy ending no matter what side of the law they're on or how sympathetic they are, the fact that a slimy, dishonest reporter like him [[spoiler: wins a Pulitzer]] and faces seemingly no punishment really rubbed fans the wrong way.
** Pretty much nobody likes Cheese Wagstaff, as like Ziggy, he's both an unpleasant jerk and a complete moron who manages only to ruin the plans of more likable and sympathetic characters. No wonder people rejoiced when he ended up as the [[spoiler: [[UndignifiedDeath unceremonious]] [[AssholeVictim last death]] in the series.]]

*** Taken UpToEleven with ''Series/LukeCage2016'', where Burrell, Kima, Levy, Cheese, and Norman Wilson all make appearances.