How many seasons of The Wire are there?

Last Modified Mar 10, 2025 07:03 EDT
How many seasons of The Wire are there?
The Wire (Source: Amazon Prime Video)


The Wire has 5 seasons, airing from June 2, 2002, to March 9, 2008.


In 2002, former crime reporter David Simon's fiendishly detailed police drama, ‘The Wire’ took to the small screen and captivated viewers with its complex and insightful stories. The show is set in Baltimore, a city painted as a godforsaken lawless swamp. The title of The Wire refers to the painfully elaborate surveillance used by the police department in an attempt to bring down local drug lords.


What sets The Wire apart from other crime dramas is the show's decision to focus on lawbreakers as much as law enforcers. They try to let the viewers get to know the ruthless operators at the top and the kids at the bottom who have no other career option but dealing drugs.


The Wire Episode List


Here is a list of all 60 episodes of The Wire that aired during its 5 season run:


Season 1 (2002)



No. OverallNo. in SeasonTitleOriginal Air Date
11The TargetJune 2, 2002
22The DetailJune 9, 2002
33The BuysJune 16, 2002
44Old CasesJune 23, 2002
55The PagerJune 30, 2002
66The WireJuly 7, 2002
77One ArrestJuly 21, 2002
88LessonsJuly 28, 2002
99Game DayAugust 4, 2002
1010The CostAugust 11, 2002
1111The HuntAugust 18, 2002
1212Cleaning UpSeptember 1, 2002
1313SentencingSeptember 8, 2002



Season 2 (2003)



No. OverallNo. in SeasonTitleOriginal Air Date
141Ebb TideJune 1, 2003
152Collateral DamageJune 8, 2003
163Hot ShotsJune 15, 2003
174Hard CasesJune 22, 2003
185UndertowJune 29, 2003
196All PrologueJuly 6, 2003
207BackwashJuly 13, 2003
218Duck and CoverJuly 27, 2003
229Stray RoundsAugust 3, 2003
2310Storm WarningsAugust 10, 2003
2411Bad DreamsAugust 17, 2003
2512Port in a StormAugust 24, 2003



Season 3 (2004)



No. OverallNo. in SeasonTitleOriginal Air Date
261Time After TimeSeptember 19, 2004
272All Due RespectSeptember 26, 2004
283Dead SoldiersOctober 3, 2004
294HamsterdamOctober 10, 2004
305Straight and TrueOctober 17, 2004
316HomecomingOctober 31, 2004
327Back BurnersNovember 7, 2004
338Moral MidgetryNovember 14, 2004
349SlapstickNovember 21, 2004
3510ReformationNovember 28, 2004
3611Middle GroundDecember 12, 2004
3712Mission AccomplishedDecember 19, 2004



Season 4 (2006)



No. OverallNo. in SeasonTitleOriginal Air Date
381Boys of SummerSeptember 10, 2006
392Soft EyesSeptember 17, 2006
403Home RoomsSeptember 24, 2006
414RefugeesOctober 1, 2006
425AlliancesOctober 8, 2006
436Margin of ErrorOctober 15, 2006
447Unto OthersOctober 29, 2006
458Corner BoysNovember 5, 2006
469Know Your PlaceNovember 12, 2006
4710MisgivingsNovember 19, 2006
4811A New DayNovember 26, 2006
4912That's Got His OwnDecember 3, 2006
5013Final GradesDecember 10, 2006



Season 5 (2008)



No. OverallNo. in SeasonTitleOriginal Air Date
511More with LessJanuary 6, 2008
522Unconfirmed ReportsJanuary 13, 2008
533Not for AttributionJanuary 20, 2008
544TransitionsJanuary 27, 2008
555React QuotesFebruary 3, 2008
566The Dickensian AspectFebruary 10, 2008
577TookFebruary 17, 2008
588ClarificationsFebruary 24, 2008
599Late EditionsMarch 2, 2008
6010-30-March 9, 2008


FAQs about The Wire

A. The Wire consists of 5 seasons, airing from June 2, 2002 to March 9, 2008, airing a total of 60 episodes.

A. No, The Wire is not available on Netflix. Fans can stream the show on Hulu and Max with a subscription.

A. The Wire is a crime drama created by a former police reporter, David Simon, for HBO. The show is set in Baltimore, where the cops use elaborate surveillance to bring down local drug lords.

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