However, I have to take issue with a couple of your comments.

You say that the more strident, elitist fans of the show who dismiss those who couldn’t get into The Wire (I take it you mean dismiss them as too stupid, or too easily pleased or with inferior attention spans) will put people off watching it.

I don’t buy that argument. Because it implies that people will hear such opinions and meekly agree that they are lacking in the qualities required to enjoy it.

Now, however complex The Wire might be, it is still only a TV show. All you need to do is plonk yourself down in front of the TV and watch it.

Does it require a bit more effort and concentration than, say, The Bill or CSI? Yes, for many reasons – it’s densely plotted, the accents and slang can be tricky and there are a lot of characters to keep track of from the start, with few concessions in terms of introducing them or spoon-feeding us their role in the story.

But, again, it’s still just a TV show. And I find it hard to believe many people will read a review by an elitist snob who belittles those who do not agree with him and then either judge themselves too inferior to watch the show or refuse to watch in protest at another individual’s opinion they find offensive.

I think that kind of snobbery or arrogance only puts people off one thing – listening to the person trying to boost their own ego by sounding clever and intellectually superior.

People won’t watch The Wire for lots of reasons – they don’t like the description of the show, they didn’t like the first episode(s), they hate the characters, they can’t affordn to invest the time or focus needed to follow it, there’s not enough action… and as you say, all reasons are valid and shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand.

But not watching it because of someone else’s opinion, in particular an elitist and snobbish one, IS daft and I think you do people a diservice by suggesting they are negatively influenced in this way.

As for your ranking of the seasons from best to worst – you present that as a statement of fact when it is only your opinion. Is that not an example of the pontificating you object to?

I may or may not agree with your ranking – I don’t 8^) – but it’s a moot point in the case of The Wire. It’s one single story, broken up into five chapters, that can only really be considered as a whole. If you read a novel, would you rate the chapters in order of preference? No you rate the novel as a whole.

By contrast, 24, for example, is more like a series of short stories and that show’s seasons are easily ranked by enjoyability. But not The Wire.

Finally, I’d disagree with your dismissal 8^) of The Shield as a “normal cop show”. CSI is a normal cop show. Cold Case is a normal cop show. Even the wonderful NYPD Blue was a normal cop show. The Shield took normal cop shows and stock cop-show characters, deconstructed and subverted them and pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable (albeit within the limitations of a non-premium cable network).

I’ll shut up now…

It’s a gritty, rude, violent show which is unlikely to be on PSBing before 10pm. So viewing will be restricted to an audience who would probably have watched the show before if they had made a little bit more effort.

I just think it’s fantastic it’s getting a shot at breaking into more of the mainstream.

Completely agree with the ranking, although I’ll put season Four top, despite the most violent scene I have ever witnessed, ever (daddy beatdown anyone?).