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20 years later, 'The Wire' still enthralls : Pop Culture Happy Hour This year marks the 20th anniversary of HBO's crime drama The Wire. Creators David Simon and Ed Burns spent five seasons dissecting various institutions in Baltimore, producing what is now considered one of the best television series of all time. The large cast included many then-unknown actors who've gone on to become stars, like Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan, Dominic West and the late Michael K. Williams.

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

20 years later, 'The Wire' still enthralls

20 years later, 'The Wire' still enthralls

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Wendell Pierce and Dominic West in the HBO series The Wire. Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy hide caption

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Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy

Wendell Pierce and Dominic West in the HBO series The Wire.

Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy

This year marks the 20th anniversary of HBO's crime drama The Wire. Creators David Simon and Ed Burns spent five seasons dissecting various institutions in Baltimore, producing what is now considered one of the best television series of all time. The large cast included many then-unknown actors who've gone on to become stars, like Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan, Dominic West and the late Michael K. Williams.