The Wire

A barroom toast to Det. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), a one-man good cop/bad cop, offered in The Wire's final episode could very well serve as this series' epitaph: "When you were good, you were the best we had." Season five bears witness to this. The 10 riveting, wrenching episodes focus on yet another beleaguered Baltimore institution, The Baltimore Sun daily newspaper, whose staff, much like the police, is forced to do more with less. The ratings-strapped and criminally Emmy-snubbed The Wire has always been a critic's darling with a passionate fan base. From the masterful storytelling to the peerless ensemble, it just doesn't get any better than The Wire. But that's not exactly news.