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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 (440,619 votes)
Episode average
8.6 -0.7 vs IMDb
Seasons
5
Streaming (US)
HBO Max
Language
EN
Type
TV series

Consistent trajectory: great across every season, no weak one. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well. See every Consistent show in the explorer →

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 5 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2002)

8.50 avg 13 episodes 7.8 → 9.0 58 min avg

Ep 1: 7.8 · 11,075 votesEp 2: 8.1 · 8,915 votesEp 3: 8.1 · 8,340 votesEp 4: 8.2 · 8,038 votesEp 5: 8.2 · 7,697 votesEp 6: 8.5 · 7,862 votesEp 7: 8.4 · 7,389 votesEp 8: 8.4 · 7,377 votesEp 9: 8.7 · 7,670 votesEp 10: 9.2 · 8,826 votesEp 11: 8.8 · 7,589 votesEp 12: 9.1 · 8,281 votesEp 13: 9.0 · 8,043 votes
Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Target7.811,075
2The Detail8.18,915
3The Buys8.18,340
4Old Cases8.28,038
5The Pager8.27,697
6The Wire8.57,862
7One Arrest8.47,389
8Lessons8.47,377
9Game Day8.77,670
10The Cost9.28,826
11The Hunt8.87,589
12Cleaning Up9.18,281
13Sentencing9.08,043

Season 2 (2003)

8.39 avg 12 episodes 7.6 → 9.0 59 min avg

Ep 1: 7.6 · 6,978 votesEp 2: 8.0 · 6,455 votesEp 3: 8.0 · 6,262 votesEp 4: 8.0 · 6,161 votesEp 5: 8.1 · 6,039 votesEp 6: 8.8 · 6,909 votesEp 7: 8.2 · 5,941 votesEp 8: 8.3 · 5,999 votesEp 9: 8.5 · 6,055 votesEp 10: 9.0 · 6,839 votesEp 11: 9.2 · 7,463 votesEp 12: 9.0 · 6,922 votes
Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Ebb Tide7.66,978
2Collateral Damage8.06,455
3Hot Shots8.06,262
4Hard Cases8.06,161
5Undertow8.16,039
6All Prologue8.86,909
7Backwash8.25,941
8Duck and Cover8.35,999
9Stray Rounds8.56,055
10Storm Warnings9.06,839
11Bad Dreams9.27,463
12Port in a Storm9.06,922

Season 3 (2004)

8.63 avg 12 episodes 7.9 → 9.3 59 min avg

Ep 1: 7.9 · 5,975 votesEp 2: 8.3 · 5,741 votesEp 3: 8.3 · 5,712 votesEp 4: 8.3 · 5,680 votesEp 5: 8.5 · 5,655 votesEp 6: 8.6 · 5,715 votesEp 7: 8.5 · 5,538 votesEp 8: 8.9 · 6,283 votesEp 9: 8.7 · 5,743 votesEp 10: 8.7 · 5,716 votesEp 11: 9.6 · 10,333 votesEp 12: 9.3 · 7,156 votes
Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Time After Time7.95,975
2All Due Respect8.35,741
3Dead Soldiers8.35,712
4Amsterdam8.35,680
5Straight and True8.55,655
6Homecoming8.65,715
7Back Burners8.55,538
8Moral Midgetry8.96,283
9Slapstick8.75,743
10Reformation8.75,716
11Middle Ground9.610,333
12Mission Accomplished9.37,156

Season 4 (2006)

8.67 avg 13 episodes 8.3 → 9.6 60 min avg

Ep 1: 8.3 · 5,750 votesEp 2: 8.4 · 5,432 votesEp 3: 8.6 · 5,503 votesEp 4: 8.3 · 5,308 votesEp 5: 8.4 · 5,291 votesEp 6: 8.7 · 5,542 votesEp 7: 8.4 · 5,216 votesEp 8: 8.5 · 5,296 votesEp 9: 8.5 · 5,218 votesEp 10: 8.8 · 5,624 votesEp 11: 8.9 · 5,759 votesEp 12: 9.3 · 6,780 votesEp 13: 9.6 · 8,891 votes
Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Boys of Summer8.35,750
2Soft Eyes8.45,432
3Home Rooms8.65,503
4Refugees8.35,308
5Alliances8.45,291
6Margin of Error8.75,542
7Unto Others8.45,216
8Corner Boys8.55,296
9Know Your Place8.55,218
10Misgivings8.85,624
11A New Day8.95,759
12That's Got His Own9.36,780
13Final Grades9.68,891

Season 5 (2008)

8.66 avg 10 episodes 8.0 → 9.6 62 min avg

Ep 1: 8.0 · 5,232 votesEp 2: 8.1 · 5,017 votesEp 3: 8.5 · 5,118 votesEp 4: 8.8 · 5,350 votesEp 5: 8.6 · 5,080 votesEp 6: 8.3 · 4,924 votesEp 7: 8.4 · 5,022 votesEp 8: 8.9 · 5,904 votesEp 9: 9.4 · 6,540 votesEp 10: 9.6 · 9,423 votes
Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1More with Less8.05,232
2Unconfirmed Reports8.15,017
3Not for Attribution8.55,118
4Transitions8.85,350
5React Quotes8.65,080
6The Dickensian Aspect8.34,924
7Took8.45,022
8Clarifications8.95,904
9Late Editions9.46,540
10-30-9.69,423
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Episode ratings and vote counts from IMDb. Poster, overview, and streaming data from TMDB. Data refreshed 2026-10-03.

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