5 things you didn't know about The Wire

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.

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”