The Wire (2002)
0.6941Canon Score · ranked #2 all time
Aggregated from 11 of 13 authoritative lists, weighted by authority and adjusted for each list's scope and age. How scoring works →
About the show
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.
Why it ranks #2
Every list on which The Wire appears, with its position as published.
| List | Authority | Position |
|---|---|---|
| BBC Culture 100 Greatest of 21st C (2021) | Major international poll | #1 / 100 |
| Rolling Stone 100 Greatest (2016) | Editorial list | #2 / 100 |
| Guardian 100 Best of 21st C (2019) | Editorial list | #2 / 82 |
| Rolling Stone 100 Greatest (2022) | Critics' canon | #4 / 100 |
| Empire 100 Greatest (2025) | Editorial list | #4 / 100 |
| TV Guide 60 Best Series (2013) | Critics' canon | #6 / 60 |
| IMDb Top 250 TV (2026-07 snapshot) | Editorial list | #6 / 250 |
| Variety 100 Greatest TV Shows (2023) | Critics' canon | #7 / 100 |
| WGA 101 Best Written Series (2013) | Critics' canon | #9 / 101 |
| THR Hollywood's 100 Favorite (2015) | Critics' canon | #30 / 100 |
| 1001 TV Shows You Must Watch (2016) | Critics' canon | Selected |