[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ2iGYwdEi8[/youtube]
Just as we Yanks need a few extra Kleenex to mop up after watching some of the best the BBC ships across the pond, the Brits have a deep and abiding appreciation for the toniest HBO offerings, most notably The Wire. Charlie Booker unabashedly loses his blob here — and this was even before he saw Season 4.
When I get too down about the lack of Emmy love for The Wire, I read the citation the series received as one of the 10 AFI TV Programs of the Year in 2006:
THE WIRE is the great American novel produced for television. Rich in detail and engrossing in depth of character, the show is a moving document about the failure of American social institutions – from the family to schools to the justice system and beyond. David Simon and his talented writing team have created a window on our world – one complicated by motives, illuminated by nuance, and ultimately, heartbreaking in its humanity. THE WIRE is a show that you do not simply watch; it’s one you live.