Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com EW.com
    • All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
    • All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
    • All Music
    • Music Reviews
    • All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
    • All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
    • All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
    • All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
    • All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com EW.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The 10 best songs of 2022

      The 10 best songs of 2022

      From disco-trap to deconstructed techno to Dolly-style country, we rank our favorite tracks this year. Read More
    • The 10 best movies of 2022 (and 5 worst)

      The 10 best movies of 2022 (and 5 worst)

      Let there be Mavericks, Bollywood magic, and a Cate Blanchett maestro on the loose. Read More
    • The true story of the g-strings and murders behind Welcome to Chippendales

      The true story of the g-strings and murders behind Welcome to Chippendales

      A look back at the crazy true story of Chippendales founder Somen "Steve" Banerjee and the murder and murder-for-hire plots at the center of the Hulu series. Read More
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • What to Watch

    What to Watch

    See All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • BINGE

    BINGE

    See All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
  • The Awardist

    The Awardist

    See All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Books
  3. 5 things you didn't know about The Wire

5 things you didn't know about The Wire

A decade after 'The Wire' went off the air, a new book revisits the show's cast (hello, Idris!) and crew — and offers up some intriguing new revelations
By Clarissa Cruz February 16, 2018 at 01:17 PM EST
Skip gallery slides
FB

1 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Under The Wire

Allthepiecesmatter_Final.indd
Credit: Crown Archetype

There’s a reason why The Wire, which aired on HBO from 2002 to 2008, is on lists of TV’s greatest shows of all time. “It was more than just a show,” says Jonathan Abrams, author of All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire. “[It] dealt with issues that are systematic and problematic in the real world. So, when you write about The Wire, by default, you are also writing about crime, politics, social classes, and the media." Here are some things even die-hard fans may not know about the series.

1 of 6

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Dominic West sat out most of season 4 for his daughter

McNulty tells investigator he needs to grab prints.
Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO

West, who played Det. Jimmy McNulty, told creator David Simon he wanted to spend more time with his young child in his native England. So he shot all his season 4 scenes in three weeks and agreed to return for the show’s final season with the stipulation that he could direct an episode as well. Says West: “[I] managed to talk my way out of the best season of all, I think, like an idiot.”

2 of 6

3 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Andre Royo’s Bubbles was almost too convincing

Bubbles gets beaten down from a fiend whils Sherrod stands bye.
Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO

In his role as drug addict/police informant Bubbles, Royo was sitting on an outdoor bench during a break from filming when a real-life junkie walked by, shook his hand, and kept moving. “When I looked at my hand I had a little vial of some drugs,” says Royo. “I call it my street Oscar.”

3 of 6

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Idris Elba was the drinking-game king

The Wire - 2002
Credit: Deadline/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

J.D. Williams (Bodie) challenged frequent bar buddy Elba (Stringer Bell) to a drinking contest, even though Elba outweighed him by at least 50 pounds. “We poured a couple bottles of Henny and started doing shots,” says Elba. “He didn’t last. ... I don’t remember how he got under the table.” Confirms West: “Idris is a big man. He can drink his drink.”

4 of 6

Advertisement

5 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Ad-libbing was verboten

The Wire - Hot Shots 16 - L.JPG
Credit: Larrt Riley/HBO

As fresh and realistic as the show’s dialogue was, actors were forbidden to freestyle with the script. “They were on us about the words, man,” says Wendell Pierce, who portrayed wisecracking Det. William “Bunk” Moreland. (Yes, even the infamous five-minute scene where McNulty and Bunk conversed using only iterations of the word "f---.") “ ‘All the pieces matter’ was the mantra. [David Simon] was very exact about the dialogue.”

5 of 6

6 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The show was always on the verge of cancellation

TV THE WIRE
Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO

Though a critical darling, viewership was notoriously low. "The show is perfect for binge-watching, which was just starting out when The Wire finished its run; it was tough to be dropped into that universe for one hour a time, once a week,” says Abrams. "Once people were able to stream it and devour it all at once, the show could be appreciated by its whole, instead of by bits and pieces. The Wire’s legacy is that it honestly presented problems and issues that are uncomfortable to talk about. It never offered answers, but it urged us to at least pay attention."

6 of 6

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

  • By Clarissa Cruz @clarissanyc1

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 6 Under The Wire
    2 of 6 Dominic West sat out most of season 4 for his daughter
    3 of 6 Andre Royo’s Bubbles was almost too convincing
    4 of 6 Idris Elba was the drinking-game king
    5 of 6 Ad-libbing was verboten
    6 of 6 The show was always on the verge of cancellation

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    EW.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright EW.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

    View image

    5 things you didn't know about The Wire
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.