Personally The Wire and The Sopranos are in a league of their own when it comes to television an writing. They both boast strong casts an had a real feel for the underbelly of criminality. They felt authentic, The Wire in particular is very unusual in its pacing as it’s almost tedious to the point of boredom. However once you stick with it you see where all the pieces fit an it’s like a Shakespearean esk play which delivers in spades what the viewers desire. It’s not a show that try’s to keep the viewer watching by giving excitement or quick ending storylines but rather it demands the viewers full attention an wit to keep up with the writers genius.