Right now you can watch The Wire in Australia on Foxtel Now and HBO Max, and in the US on HBO Max Amazon Channel and YouTube TV — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. The 5-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. A 9/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch Dominic West work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. Start it on Foxtel Now whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, The Wire earns its spot. The plotting gives The Wire its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated. Dominic West and Lance Reddick lead a cast that gives the tension real weight. Across 5 seasons (2002–2008), it never lost the thread that made it worth starting. What makes The Wire hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. It sustains a level of quality that very few manage to hold onto all the way through.

For anyone who wants their crime drama to earn its twists, The Wire delivers. We Own This City is the obvious comparison, but The Wire earns its own place alongside it. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch if your schedule allows. Watch Dominic West work — it is a masterclass in the genre. Few crime dramas earn their twists this consistently.

The Wire wrapped up in 2008, created by David Simon — and 5 seasons are available to watch from start to finish. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.