Way down in the hole

I'm not going to give any plot points away, but if you like [NAME OF YOUR FAVORITE SHOW HERE, AND I DON'T EVEN CARE IF IT'S TWO AND A HALF MEN], you owe it to yourself to watch The Wire. It will rip your heart out and replace it with a new, stronger one.
--Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly

The Wire is coming back next week. I'd say something long and pointless, but I'm lazy and I'm no longer interested in writing stuff. I'm tapped out.

I've only seen one season and I'm working on two, but The Wire is one of the best shows I've ever seen. It's one of those shows like Arrested Development that doesn't a giant audience, but the audience that's there loves the show, loyally and rabidly. Like AD, there hasn't been anything like it before or since. The storytelling from episode to episode is incredible. The comparison has been made over and over, but it's like reading a great book, only it's on TV and you watch it. Of course, no one watches it. Just like no one reads. My theory, people in this country are so illiterate, they won't even watch a TV show that unfolds like a book.

I can understand why it's had some trouble finding an audience. It's not a show you can just jump into. You have to pay attention, you can't just leave it on in the background while you surf the internet. It's also a hard hitting social commentary, therefore it can be depressing and bleak. So I'm not going to recommend that everyone watch the show. I probably sound like I do, and I push shows on everyone all the time, but I don't want anyone to watch it if they're not going to get into it. Basically, I have no point. You can stop paying attention if you haven't already.

I will say though everyone who's seen the episodes (HBO sent out all 13 season 4 episodes to critics) is pretty much saying it's one of the best seasons any show has ever done. There's even some "better than The Sopranos" whispers, which might actually turn into shouts before all things are said and done.

And the thing is, I'm not entirely sure they're wrong.

Here's a list of other things I'm looking forward to watching this fall season.

2. The Office
3. The MLB Playoffs
4. Lost
5. Manning vs. Manning on Sunday Night Football (and the NFL in general)
6. Fox News' coverage of the Republicans getting their asses handed to them on Election Night
7. Battlestar Galactica
8. Studio 7 on the Sunset Strip
9. Heroes
10. Porn