The Wire (TV Series 2002–2008) Poster

(2002–2008)

Parents Guide

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Certification

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Certification

Sex & Nudity

  • Some images of dead naked bodies. Sometimes they are seen through photographs or when police officers go to the morgue.
  • Strip club scenes throughout. Very mild nudity if any at all.
  • Sex scenes sometimes occur but are quite minimal and never graphic. Nudity is rarely seen.
  • The morgue shows many partially naked people throughout the show, but it is done in a investigative and non-sexual way. There are also a couple crimes scenes with dead nude bodies.
  • Male butt nudity in some scenes. Though these scenes aren't sexual in context.
  • Some themes of sexual assault, prostitution, and human trafficking, yet these aren't shown only discussed.
  • A Wiretap recording in early season 1 has sexual dialogue. The police are listening in and laughing, this scene is played for laughs.
  • Some infrequent nudity at strip clubs in a non-sexual context.
  • A rape case is discussed in the very first episode. This is not shown and the police talk about the female perpetrator as "disgusting".
  • One of the more tame HBO shows in terms of sex and nudity, but not other categories.

Violence & Gore

  • Brutal violence is present, but does not occur that frequently. However the the violence does become more frequent and brutal as the show goes on.
  • Young men get beaten by police officers on the street or while they're getting arrested.
  • Thugs that live in the street stick up people for either money or drugs, sometimes they get brutally beaten to death.
  • Gangsters often use kids from the age of 12 to 16 as soldiers, and they are seen killing people in some scenes or being killed in a bloody fashion.
  • An Anti-Hero like character uses a shotgun to rob gangsters of their drugs and their money. Sometimes he executes them with his shotgun.
  • Drug dealers and gangsters are unexpectedly shot and killed in a lot of episodes.
  • Several scenes feature high school kids getting into fist fights that often end with cuts and bruises.
  • We also see some people being executed in their homes, sometimes with blood splattering onto walls.
  • There are some instances where major characters are killed suddenly
  • Several episodes contain graphic images of dead bodies with bloody wounds, sometimes they are seen through photographs. Other times they are seen when police officers visit the morgue.
  • Shootouts occur in a few episodes, (especially in Season 3), and we see people getting shot and killed with bloody results.
  • People are often harassed by the police. Some officers make lots of vulgar threats towards young men who live in the drug ring which West Baltimore is being over run by

Profanity

  • Profanity is very frequent. Virtually every single character on the show regularly uses harsh language in one form or another.
  • Infrequent uses of "cunt" and "cocksucker"
  • "Nigga" is used throughout.
  • About 600+ f bombs per season. Seasons 1 and 3 contain the most amount of f-bombs.
  • One famous scene from Season 1 Episode 4 has two characters literally use the F-word (and nothing else) about 38 times in the span of about 3 minutes.
  • One of the most profane television shows of all time. Every other word said on the show is some form of swear.
  • The word "fuck" and its other variations are said frequently throughout the series.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

  • Clearly negative characters are shown to have drugs and are punished by the police for this.
  • Young boys are offered a better life if they participate in the drug trade in West Baltimore.
  • Drug addicts are often seen living on the street, and we see the horrible environment they live in.
  • Characters are smoking Cannabis cigarettes, cigars, snorting cocaine, injecting heroin, using crack vials, drinking alcohol. It's all shown.
  • Police officers are often seen drinking beers near the train tracks at night. Sometimes they are drunk.
  • The main character is an alcoholic. He is often drunk and is seen drinking alcohol in numerous scenes.
  • The main premise of the show is drug dealing. Stash houses are seen full of equipment used to cook drugs. Drugs are a major subject throughout every season.
  • This show delivers a very strong anti-drug message by showing the negative side effects of drugs.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

  • There are a few instances where violence is committed against children. Some scenes show children engaging in criminal activity.
  • Between the intense, realistic violence and graphic drug usage sometimes seen by some characters, the show can be hard to watch at times. There are also plenty of emotionally intense scenes throughout, this show is not for the faint-hearted.

Spoilers

The Parents Guide items below may give away important plot points.

Sex & Nudity

  • A woman at a party is seen very intoxicated and clearly high on drugs in early season 1. Later when the party finishes she is seen laying on a bed partly naked though it is very hard to see, she has died.

See also

Taglines | Plot Summary | Synopsis | Plot Keywords


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