Generation Kill

This Wednesday 7th October Channel 4 will begin broadcasting a 7 part HBO drama called Generation Kill. The show which originally aired in the US in 2008 is based on the book of the same name by Rolling Stone’s Evan Wright. The book was developed for TV by David Simon and Ed Burns (The Wire) and has been proclaimed as the most realistic depiction of the Iraq War yet to make it to our screens. Generation Kill recounts Wrights experiences during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 when he was embedded with the First Recon Battalion of the US Marines and is shot with an almost documentary like style. This is not an action show. Fans of The Wire will recognise the slow pacing and prominence of dialogue over action as traits of Simon and Burns. They will also recognise one or two of the actors. The most obvious being … There’s more

Stars from The Wire to present on RTE Lyric FM

This time of year, the papers are often full of articles complaining about RTE radio presenters who are off on their holidays and listeners being forced to put up with sub-par replacements. Well, no offence to the great broadcaster John Kelly, who I know has many fans on this website, but his listeners might not miss him too much tomorrow as his slot on RTE Lyric FM is being presented by none other than Reg E. Cathey, star of TV show The Wire. He plays Norman Wilson in the smash hit US series but is currently treading the boards as “Red” in the Gaiety Theatre’s production of The Shawshank Redemption. The Wire is regarded by pretty much everyone as the best TV show of all time (and anyone who disagrees clearly never watched an episode). Reg’s special guest on the show is his co-star from The Wire, actor Clarke Peters, … There’s more

Why So Series: The Wire

“I had such fucking hopes for us.” -McNulty How do I summarise the The Wire? Well, I can’t. In the simplest terms, it was so good that I watched all five series in a warm flush of excitement over a period of no more than a five weeks. Set and produced in Baltimore, I think it’s universally agreed that The Wire is The Greatest American TV series ever made. It’s insightful, honest, brutally dark yet comically entertaining. A true testament to the power and talent of American Televisions that makes other TV shows weep. And yet it’s one of those shows, like many great BBC/ITV series (which will be covered at a later date) that few seem to have seen on TV but everyone is catching the fever as it hits DVD. The plot: Created by David Simon, The Wire was originally to be a police drama based on the … There’s more