How ‘The Wire’ Hired Non-Television Writers to Craft Stories That Felt Real to Baltimore and Beyond

Vlogger N.T. Jordan of the excellent cinematic series Behind the Curtain, examines how the sublime HBO series The Wire, which ran from 2002 through 2008, portrayed incredibly realistic situations while making incredibly profound statements about the city of Baltimore, the United States and capitalism in general.

Jordan gathered the words of showrunners David Simon and Ed Burns in which they each spoke about the gifted storytelling from their non-television writers, the need to keep the story true to itself by using both drama and anti-drama to convey reality and ensuring that the message of the show was not just limited to Baltimore. This combination of forethought and attention to detail makes The Wire one of the most brilliant shows ever to air on television.

Ever wonder how they wrote the hit HBO show The Wire? Hear from David Simon and Ed Burns about their experiences in the writers’ room and how they created one of the best TV shows in history by not following the rules of television.