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Season guide

The Wire: Season 1

13 episodes Premiered Jun 2, 2002 Updated Jul 20, 2026

The Wire is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by David Simon. It is set in Baltimore and explores the city's drug-infested streets. The series primarily focuses on a single sprawling drug and murder investigation, which involves complex wiretaps and surveillance. The show is told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets. Th

Season overview

The Wire is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by David Simon. It is set in Baltimore and explores the city's drug-infested streets. The series primarily focuses on a single sprawling drug and murder investigation, which involves complex wiretaps and surveillance. The show is told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets. The Wire captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are often blurred. The series is known for its unique portrayal of systemic dysfunction in American civic institutions. It premiered on a cable network and consisted of five seasons.

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Episodes

S1·E1

The Target

Jun 2, 2002 · 63 min

"... when it's not your turn." - McNulty. Baltimore homicide detective Jimmy McNulty gets into hot water and winds up assigned to a detail of narcotics outcasts charged with inves

S1·E2

The Detail

Jun 9, 2002 · 58 min

"You cannot lose if you do not play." - Marla Daniels. McNulty feels the heat when a witness who testified against D'Angelo is found murdered. Meanwhile, Greggs is given the lay o

S1·E3

The Buys

Jun 16, 2002 · 56 min

"The king stay the king." - D'Angelo. The early-morning 'field interviews' by Herc, Carver and Prez result in a minor riot, a boy losing an eye and some bad publicity for the de

S1·E4

Old Cases

Jun 23, 2002 · 60 min

"It's a thin line 'tween heaven and here." - Bubbles. Greggs and McNulty try to get Hardcase to turn informant as arraignment begins for those caught in the raid. Barksdale plac

S1·E5

The Pager

Jun 30, 2002 · 60 min

"..a little slow, a little late." - Avon Barksdale. McNulty's detail finally gets 'clone' pagers to track Barksdale and his gang, but nobody can crack the codes used by the call

S1·E6

The Wire

Jul 7, 2002 · 60 min

"..and all the pieces matter." - Freamon. When Rawls looks to make a premature arrest for three murders that are linked to D'Angelo and Avon Barksdale, McNulty and Greggs must ar

S1·E7

One Arrest

Jul 21, 2002 · 60 min

"A man must have a code." - Bunk. Tipped off by the wire, Greggs, Herc, Carver and Freamon make a bust, but the incident makes Avon and Stringer suspicious, leading them to clos

S1·E8

Lessons

Jul 28, 2002 · 57 min

"Come at the king, you best not miss." - Omar. An unlikely source gives McNulty the tag of a car driven by Stringer Bell. Meanwhile, Greggs and Carver bust a congressional aide

S1·E9

Game Day

Aug 4, 2002 · 57 min

"Maybe we won." - Herc. Barksdale plays an expensive game of one-upmanship with an east-side rival. Meanwhile, Herc and Carver take some cash off of Wee-Bey's hands, and Omar re

S1·E10

The Cost

Aug 11, 2002 · 56 min

"And then he dropped the bracelets..." - Greggs. With Wallace in custody, McNulty and Daniels try to figure out what to do with him in the months before he testifies. Sydnor and

S1·E11

The Hunt

Aug 18, 2002 · 57 min

"Dope on the damn table." - Daniels. The police turn up the heat on tracking down Savino, Wee-Bey and Little Man. Burrell orders Daniels to hit drug dealers for results that wil

S1·E12

Cleaning Up

Sep 1, 2002 · 57 min

"This is me, yo, right here." - Wallace. The low-rise pay phones are out of service, so McNulty and Daniels try to keep pace by tapping Barksdale's office. Bodie gets new respon

S1·E13

Sentencing

Sep 8, 2002 · 66 min

"all in the game..." - Traditional West Baltimore. Every crew has weak links--including Avon Barksdale's. With the heat turned up in the high-rises, Daniels and McNulty turn to