Rising Seasons
The Wire poster

The Wire (2002)

Crime · Drama · Thriller

Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.

IMDb rating
9.3 (431,652 votes)
Seasons
5
Streaming (US)
HBO Max
Language
EN
Type
TV series
Open in interactive explorer → View on IMDb

Seasons

Season 1 (2002)

8.51 avg 13 episodes 7.8 → 9.0 58 min avg

  • Slow burn
Ep 1: 7.8 · 10,438 votesEp 2: 8.1 · 8,425 votesEp 3: 8.1 · 7,874 votesEp 4: 8.2 · 7,606 votesEp 5: 8.2 · 7,277 votesEp 6: 8.5 · 7,453 votesEp 7: 8.4 · 7,009 votesEp 8: 8.5 · 7,002 votesEp 9: 8.7 · 7,258 votesEp 10: 9.2 · 8,374 votesEp 11: 8.8 · 7,188 votesEp 12: 9.1 · 7,867 votesEp 13: 9.0 · 7,633 votes
Season 1 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Target7.810,438
2The Detail8.18,425
3The Buys8.17,874
4Old Cases8.27,606
5The Pager8.27,277
6The Wire8.57,453
7One Arrest8.47,009
8Lessons8.57,002
9Game Day8.77,258
10The Cost9.28,374
11The Hunt8.87,188
12Cleaning Up9.17,867
13Sentencing9.07,633

Season 2 (2003)

8.40 avg 12 episodes 7.7 → 9.0 59 min avg

  • Slow burn
Ep 1: 7.7 · 6,613 votesEp 2: 8.0 · 6,138 votesEp 3: 8.0 · 5,952 votesEp 4: 8.0 · 5,846 votesEp 5: 8.1 · 5,736 votesEp 6: 8.8 · 6,554 votesEp 7: 8.2 · 5,652 votesEp 8: 8.3 · 5,715 votesEp 9: 8.5 · 5,759 votesEp 10: 9.0 · 6,493 votesEp 11: 9.2 · 7,118 votesEp 12: 9.0 · 6,608 votes
Season 2 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Ebb Tide7.76,613
2Collateral Damage8.06,138
3Hot Shots8.05,952
4Hard Cases8.05,846
5Undertow8.15,736
6All Prologue8.86,554
7Backwash8.25,652
8Duck and Cover8.35,715
9Stray Rounds8.55,759
10Storm Warnings9.06,493
11Bad Dreams9.27,118
12Port in a Storm9.06,608

Season 3 (2004)

8.63 avg 12 episodes 7.9 → 9.3 59 min avg

  • Slow burn
Ep 1: 7.9 · 5,672 votesEp 2: 8.3 · 5,473 votesEp 3: 8.3 · 5,444 votesEp 4: 8.3 · 5,410 votesEp 5: 8.5 · 5,390 votesEp 6: 8.6 · 5,446 votesEp 7: 8.5 · 5,288 votesEp 8: 8.9 · 5,963 votesEp 9: 8.7 · 5,472 votesEp 10: 8.7 · 5,443 votesEp 11: 9.6 · 9,875 votesEp 12: 9.3 · 6,847 votes
Season 3 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Time After Time7.95,672
2All Due Respect8.35,473
3Dead Soldiers8.35,444
4Amsterdam8.35,410
5Straight and True8.55,390
6Homecoming8.65,446
7Back Burners8.55,288
8Moral Midgetry8.95,963
9Slapstick8.75,472
10Reformation8.75,443
11Middle Ground9.69,875
12Mission Accomplished9.36,847

Season 4 (2006)

8.68 avg 13 episodes 8.3 → 9.6 60 min avg

  • Big finale
Ep 1: 8.3 · 5,476 votesEp 2: 8.4 · 5,187 votesEp 3: 8.6 · 5,248 votesEp 4: 8.3 · 5,073 votesEp 5: 8.5 · 5,061 votesEp 6: 8.7 · 5,293 votesEp 7: 8.4 · 4,992 votesEp 8: 8.5 · 5,062 votesEp 9: 8.5 · 4,998 votesEp 10: 8.8 · 5,365 votesEp 11: 8.9 · 5,511 votesEp 12: 9.3 · 6,478 votesEp 13: 9.6 · 8,490 votes
Season 4 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Boys of Summer8.35,476
2Soft Eyes8.45,187
3Home Rooms8.65,248
4Refugees8.35,073
5Alliances8.55,061
6Margin of Error8.75,293
7Unto Others8.44,992
8Corner Boys8.55,062
9Know Your Place8.54,998
10Misgivings8.85,365
11A New Day8.95,511
12That's Got His Own9.36,478
13Final Grades9.68,490

Season 5 (2008)

8.66 avg 10 episodes 8.0 → 9.6 62 min avg

  • Big finale
Ep 1: 8.0 · 5,005 votesEp 2: 8.1 · 4,812 votesEp 3: 8.5 · 4,919 votesEp 4: 8.8 · 5,143 votesEp 5: 8.6 · 4,882 votesEp 6: 8.3 · 4,729 votesEp 7: 8.4 · 4,824 votesEp 8: 8.9 · 5,628 votesEp 9: 9.4 · 6,266 votesEp 10: 9.6 · 9,070 votes
Season 5 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1More with Less8.05,005
2Unconfirmed Reports8.14,812
3Not for Attribution8.54,919
4Transitions8.85,143
5React Quotes8.64,882
6The Dickensian Aspect8.34,729
7Took8.44,824
8Clarifications8.95,628
9Late Editions9.46,266
10-30-9.69,070

Episode ratings and vote counts from IMDb. Poster, overview, and streaming data from TMDB. Data refreshed 2026-05-20.

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