17 years ago, almost to the day (March 9th is the actual date), one of the best television shows of all-time came to an end. Click inside to check out some cool facts from HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire that you may or may not have known.
On June 2nd, 2002, a cult classic crime drama aired on TV screens across the world for the first time and captured our hearts. The Wire chronicled the issues of a post-industrial American city from the drug infested streets of West Baltimore to the corruption of City Hall. The award-winning series captured the moral dilemmas of both the police and the people they were after in a way never before seen on television.
Each season, The Wire introduced a different institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement. The five subjects included the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools and the print news medium. The series was praised for its realistic depiction of inner-city life, its uncommonly accurate exploration of society and politics and its literary themes. Although the ratings didn’t reflect it at the time, The Wire is now often considered one of the greatest television series of all-time.
The larger than life characters that comprised the cast of the show became cultural icons as fans watched their compelling storylines play out week to week. The legendary series catapulted the careers of many renowned actors including Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael K. Williams (Rest In Peace), Sonja Sohn, Wendell Pierce and Deidre Lovejoy to name a few.
We know that the cultural phenomenon will forever be etched into the history books. We know that the show is as relevant today as it was when it premiered 20 plus years ago. What don’t we know though? We thought it would be a good idea to give The Wire its flowers by creating a list of interesting facts that you may or may not have known about the legendary series! ENJOY!
1. Hood Oscar
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Andre Royo was so convincing in his role as Bubbles that one day as he was leaving the location they were filming, he was approached by REAL drug dealers. They felt bad for him and offered him dope. He didn’t realize what one of the guys gave him until he got back to his trailer.
2. Real Life Ties
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The creator/writer of The Wire, David Simon, is a former journalist for the Baltimore Sun. The idea for the show started out as a police drama loosely based on the experiences of Simon’s writing partner Ed Burns. Burns is a former police detective (Baltimore Homicide & Narcotics Division) and public school teacher.
3. The Deacon
Melvin Williams joined The Wire as “the Deacon” in Season 3. Williams actually used to be a real life drug kingpin. Avon Barksdale’s character is loosely based on him. When he was arrested in 1984, Ed Burns was the arresting officer. David Simon covered the arrest for the Baltimore Sun.
4. Newark Natives
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JD Williams, who played Bodie and Michael B. Jordan, who played Wallace are both from the same area in Newark, New Jersey. Michael B. Jordan actually auditioned for the role of Bodie and it went well. He was eventually passed over because he looked too young for the role.
5. Who's Who?
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Most actors on the show auditioned for different roles:
Lance Reddick (Cedric Daniels) auditioned for William “The Bunk” Moreland & Reginald “Bubbles” Cousins
Seth Gilliam (Ellis Carver) auditioned for Stringer Bell
Robert Wisdom (Howard “Bunny” Colvin) auditioned for Stringer Bell
Jamie Hector (Marlo Stanfield) auditioned for Dennis “Cutty” Wise
Gbenga Akinnagbe (Chris partlow) auditioned for Marlo Stanfield
Tray Chaney (Malik “Poot” Carr) auditioned for Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice. Chaney’s audition was so impressive that they created Poot’s role specifically for him
Jay Landsman (Dennis Mello), who is an actual police officer auditioned to play himself
Anwan Glover (Slim Charles) read for Marlo Stanfield, then read for Slim Charles his second audition, then for Fruit before eventually landed the Slim Charles role
Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Clay Davis) auditioned for Lester Freeman but was persuaded to come on the show to play Clay
Tristan Wilds (Michael Lee) auditioned for Randy Wagstaff
One of the best catch phrases in television history was not scripted. Isiah Whitlock Jr. played Agent Flood in the movie 25th Hour and that’s where he debuted the iconic catch phrase. David Simon heard it and added it to his audition.
7. Sonja Sohn Almost Left The Show Season 1
Due to her previous trauma with the police, Sonja Sohn was having issues playing Kima Greggs in the first season. She would often forget her lines and become very frustrated. She stuck it out and became heavily involved with the show. She was actually supposed to be killed off in season 1 in the episode she got shot but Sohn asked for her character to stay alive so she could continue playing Kima.
8. Preparation
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To prepare to play Bodie, J.D. Williams put on a black hoodie and walked around the inner city streets of Baltimore in the middle of the night. He went to one of their hoods and observed to get a better feel for his character.
9. Michael K. Williams Couldn't Whistle
All Wire fans know when they heard Omar’s famous whistle, someone was probably about to get shot or robbed. In actuality, Michael K. Williams couldn’t whistle at all. A woman named Susan Allenbach did the whistling voice overs.
10. Huge Cast
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As hard as it is to believe, no character appeared in every episode. The person who came the closest was Lance Reddick (Cedric Daniels) appearing in 58 out of 60 episodes.
11. The Lone Shooter
The Wire is typically considered a cop show. Ironically, only one cop shot their gun through out all five seasons. Roland “Prez” Pryzbylewski, who was played by Jim True-Frost, shot his gun three times while no other cop fired once.
12. Cancelled?
Believe it or not, the ratings for The Wire weren’t that good. The show was briefly cancelled after Season 3 and then again after Season 4. David Simon had to convince the HBO network to keep the show playing.
