The Wire poster

TV series

The Wire

2002TV-MA5 seasons8.6 / 10

Listen carefully.

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.

Streaming, rental and purchase options

Where to watch in United States

Checked Jul 22, 2026

The Wire is available to stream on HBO (Via Hulu), HBO Max, Max (Via Amazon Prime), and YouTube TV in United States. You can also rent or buy it from Google Play, Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.

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Synopsis

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.

Season 2 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

← Season 1

Episode 1

Ebb Tide

59m7.8 / 10

'Ain't never gonna be what it was.' -- Little Big Roy Det. Jimmy McNulty--exiled to police-boat duty--makes a shocking discovery in the Baltimore harbor. Bodie drives to Philly to make a connection for the Barksdale crew and Stringer Bell takes the train to New York to feel out the crew's reticent suppliers.

Episode credits

Directed by Ed Bianchi, Steve ShillWritten by David SimonGuest stars J.D. Williams, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jim True-Frost, Delaney Williams, Pablo Schreiber, Chris Ashworth, Charley Scalies, Melanie Nicholls-King

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Episode 2

Collateral Damage

59m7.9 / 10

'They can chew you up, but they gotta spit you out.' -- McNulty Major Valchek gets back at Sobotka for the church gift fiasco, and a feud begins. Valchek ups the ante by asking Deputy Commissioner Burrell for a detail to go after Sobotka. Avon Barksdale continues to run his empire from a prison cell--counseling his nephew D'Angelo and going after a guard who is harassing the organization's convicted hit-man Wee-Bey.

Episode credits

Directed by Ed BianchiWritten by David SimonGuest stars Frankie Faison, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Seth Gilliam, Jim True-Frost, Delaney Williams, Pablo Schreiber, Chris Ashworth, Charley Scalies

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Episode 3

Hot Shots

59m7.9 / 10

'What they need is a union.' -- Russell Bunk and Freamon chase their crime scene, a container ship, to Philly. Lt. Cedric Daniels--disgusted with his exile to the evidence control unit--makes it known that he's leaving. On orders from Barksdale, Bell finds a way to set up the correctional officer who's been harassing Wee-Bey. McNulty pursues the identity of the Jane Doe found floating in the harbor.

Episode credits

Directed by Elodie KeeneWritten by David SimonGuest stars Michael Kenneth Williams, Frankie Faison, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Isiah Whitlock Jr., Jim True-Frost, Delaney Williams, Callie Thorne, Pablo Schreiber

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Episode 4

Hard Cases

59m7.7 / 10

'If I hear the music, I'm gonna dance.' -- Greggs Sobotka reprimands his nephew Nick for stealing the cameras and orders him to bring the cargo back--too late. McNulty is on a self-assigned moral mission to identify his floater, but his old partner, Bunk, says they have a more pressing matter at hand: to find Omar so he can testify against a Barksdale trigger man in one of last year's murders.

Episode credits

Directed by Elodie KeeneWritten by Joy KeckenGuest stars Michael Kenneth Williams, Andre Royo, Frankie Faison, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Domenick Lombardozzi, Michael Kostroff, Jim True-Frost, Delaney Williams

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Episode 5

Undertow

58m7.9 / 10

'They used to make steel there, no?' -- Spiros Vondas Ziggy loses his prized Camaro to drug dealers. Unable to dump the homicide investigation on other agencies, Rawls measures Bunk for the blame, if the cases go unsolved. Homicide detectives hand out grand jury summonses to stevedores involved in the homicide case, and port cop Beadie Russell talks to an old boyfriend to find out how cargo disappears from the docks.

Episode credits

Directed by Steve ShillWritten by Ed Burns, David SimonGuest stars Michael Kenneth Williams, Andre Royo, J.D. Williams, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jim True-Frost, Callie Thorne

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Episode 6

All Prologue

59m7.9 / 10

'It don't matter that some fool say he different...' -- D'Angelo Trying to let go of police work and return to his marriage, McNulty gives up on identifying his Jane Doe. In their investigation of Sobotka, the detectives discover a pattern in the computer and explain the connection to Daniels, but he still won't take the murders. Sobotka tries to play the political game on behalf of his union.

Episode credits

Directed by Steve ShillWritten by David SimonGuest stars Michael Kenneth Williams, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Michael Kostroff, Jim True-Frost, Callie Thorne, Pablo Schreiber

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Episode 7

Backwash

59m7.4 / 10

'Don't worry, kid. You're still on the clock.' -- Horseface Russell tells Sobotka the investigation is over, but, in fact, a port computer is cloned, and when a container goes missing, the detectives follow. Simultaneously, Greggs and Prez tap into a circuit of Russian prostitutes. With two sets of evidence, the detail goes to Pearlman. Neither crime merits wiretap--but a drug connect could give the case legs.

Episode credits

Directed by Thomas J. WrightWritten by Rafael AlvarezGuest stars J.D. Williams, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jim True-Frost, Delaney Williams, Callie Thorne, Pablo Schreiber, Chris Ashworth

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Episode 8

Duck and Cover

58m7.7 / 10

'How come they don't fly away?' -- Ziggy McNulty is back to his old self, on a drunken binge. Urged by fellow stevedores to fight Maui, Ziggy is again humiliated. Worried about McNulty, Bunk tries to get Daniels and Rawls to take him on. After some labor, the wiretap is up--just in time to catch another disappearing can. Sobotka meets with The Greek and Vondas, and they decide to change up.

Episode credits

Directed by Dan AttiasWritten by George PelecanosGuest stars J.D. Williams, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jim True-Frost, Pablo Schreiber, Chris Ashworth, Charley Scalies, James Ransone

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Episode 9

Stray Rounds

59m7.8 / 10

'The world is a smaller place now.' -- The Greek Bodie's effort to improve sales ends disastrously, forcing Bell to rethink his strategy. Ziggy pulls Johnny Fifty into a new caper that should make the Greeks pay off big. McNulty, undercover and outnumbered in the brothel, awaits 'rescue.' Daniels and Pearlman stay cool as Valcheck fumes over the change of targets--and Burrell pulls the rug out from under him.

Episode credits

Directed by Tim Van PattenWritten by David SimonGuest stars J.D. Williams, Frankie Faison, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jim True-Frost, Robert Wisdom, Delaney Williams, Pablo Schreiber

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Episode 10

Storm Warnings

59m8.3 / 10

'It pays to go with the union card every time.' -- Ziggy The Detail uses satellite technology to its advantage. Bodie is unhappy that Proposition Joe's people are slinging on his turf, but business flows--until a new face arrives. Stringer Bell looks to an unlikely solution to the problem. Valcheck visits the FBI in an attempt to get real results on the docks. Ziggy's deal with Double-G goes bad in a big way.

Episode credits

Directed by Rob BaileyWritten by Ed Burns, David SimonGuest stars Andre Royo, J.D. Williams, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jim True-Frost, Delaney Williams, Merritt Wever, Method Man

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Episode 11

Bad Dreams

59m8.6 / 10

'I need to get clean' -- Sobotka With the clock ticking, the Detail makes a desperate move, and Daniels reams out Landsman for dropping the ball. Nick's deceit is in the open as Sobotka is overwhelmed by bad news. The Greeks ease out of an encounter with the Detail, and Omar's suspicions are validated. The Detail hopes to find Vondas's boss, and Nick hopes to repair relations with the Greeks.

Episode credits

Directed by Ernest R. DickersonWritten by George PelecanosGuest stars Michael Kenneth Williams, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Delaney Williams, Pablo Schreiber, Chris Ashworth, Lev Gorn, James Ransone

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Episode 12

Port in a Storm

1h 3m8.5 / 10finale

'Business. Always business.' -- The Greek The Detail has a setback, while Russell and Bunk revisit Philly to look for evidence. Brother Mouzone talks with Stringer Bell about their agreement, leaving Bell to contend with a dissatisfied Avon Barksdale. Bubbles and Johnny pull another caper and McNulty and Greggs return to the Westside, where they discover new connections.

Episode credits

Directed by Robert F. ColesberryWritten by David SimonGuest stars Michael Kenneth Williams, Andre Royo, Frankie Faison, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Delaney Williams, Pablo Schreiber

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Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026

More about The Wire

Cast

Dominic WestJimmy McNulty
Lance ReddickCedric Daniels
Sonja SohnKima Greggs
Wood HarrisAvon Barksdale
Wendell PierceBunk Moreland
Michael Kenneth WilliamsOmar Little
Deirdre LovejoyRhonda Pearlman
Idris ElbaStringer Bell

Credits

Created by
David Simon
Written by
David Simon

Production details

Status
Ended
Series type
Scripted
Episodes
60
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • HBOUnited States
  • Blown Deadline ProductionsUnited States
  • HBOUnited States

Themes

admiringangryappreciativeawestruckbaltimore, usablack projectcallouscandid