Baltimore is known for it’s crabs (Old Bay, hon!), the Inner Harbor, and…oh, who am I kidding? Any time someone mentions Baltimore, someone else immediately makes a crack about Charm City actually being Murder City. Which kind of makes me think about how we must have stolen the title from DC (nicknamed “Dodge City” in the 80s and 90s). Anyway, there are three shows that put Baltimore on the map and gave people everywhere a look at our underbelly: The Wire, Homicide: Life on the Street and The Corner.

The Wire gets the most mentions, and with good reason; it’s a gritty, almost difficult to watch look at the dirty, messy parts of Baltimore that public officials and the Baltimore business district would like to keep on the DL.  Director David Simon pretty much knocks it out of the park, with each season focusing on a different aspect of Baltimore (drugs, the seaport, city politics, schools and newspapers), yet they’re all tied together by the end.

The Wire introduced me to so many awesome characters, including junkie-snitch-with-a-heart-of-gold Bubbles, drunk-ass cop Jimmy McNulty, his partner Bunk Moreland, and dollhouse-furniture-making-cop Lester Freamon (aka “Cool Lester Smooth”).  The Wire also had strong female characters, especially Detective Kima Greggs and Assistant States Attorney Rhonda Pearlman.  Plus, any show that has Idris Elba (as super-slick baddie Stringer Bell)?  Win.

I’d love to see this show on Netflix streaming, but alas.  Hope springs eternal, though.

Because what’s a mention of The Wire without a little bit o’ Omar? MEME: themikeokeefe.com

Homicide: Life on the Street came out years earlier, and director Paul Attanasio (who would go on to helm the glorious House M.D.) but also didn’t shy away from tough subjects.  Probably because Homicide was based on David Simon’s book “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets”.  As this show was on basic cable tv, it’s a bit more toned down in it’s manner.  But I love Homicide for giving the world Detective John Munch crazy conspiracy nut with a badge, a character so awesome he made the jump to another series (that’d be Law & Order: SVU).

As with The Wire, this series isn’t available for streaming on Netflix.  *shakes fist at the gods*

And last, but certainly not least, we have The Corner, another David Simon joint, this time a mini-series that came out between Homicide and The Wire.  Although widely loved by critics, it never got much traction with tv viewers.  And that’s too bad.  As with Homicide and The Wire, The Corner raked in a slew of awards, including Best Miniseries in 2000.  “The Corner” itself was supposedly the intersection of West Fayette and Monroe Streets, in the heart of West Baltimore.  It’s a dark, uncompromising look at the toll drug use takes on a family, and how poverty and lack of viable options can lead to anyone becoming…well, let’s just say less than they could be.

If you notice some stars from The Wire here, you’d be correct.  I can only guess that Simon saw folks he thought were amazing, and decided to tap them when The Wire got a green light at HBO.  And I also assume that The Wire got that green light after HBO saw that Simon had the goods with this show.  Oh, and as with The Wire and Homicide, The Corner isn’t available for Netflix streaming.  Dammit.

A rough patch to cover for the Ravens Superbowl Celebration?  Maybe.  But it’s a part of our past (and in some areas, these problems an all too real present), and these shows are amazing, and if you haven’t seen ’em yet, you really should.

To end this day’s post, a song to send you on your way.  “Way Down In The Hole”, sung by the awesome Blind Boys of Alabama, the theme song of The Wire.  Take it away, boys!