For this week’s podcast review, I’m listening to the new podcast honoring 20 years of one of the best shows ever created. Yes, The Wire is a Top 5 show of all time and if you argue it’s number 1, I won’t fight you on that (especially with how bad the Simpsons has been over the last few years).

The podcast is a co-production between HBO and Campside Media. Hosted by Method Man, who played Cheese on the show, the podcast explores the creation of The Wire through interviews with actors, producers, casting directors and more. Naturally, the show’s famous creator David Simon is all over the podcast as well. 4 episodes have been released so far with 4 more to go.

First the good: Method Man is FUN. I’m a bit biased as I grew up a giant rap fan and while Method doesn’t crack my top 10, I am a fan. And I love his acting work especially in How High and The Wire. So it’s fun to get to know him a bit better. And of course, I love getting to hear from the people who played my favorite characters on the show including Bunk, Jimmy McNulty, Snoop, and Bubbles, just to name a few. I’m holding out hope we get to hear from Stringer Bell himself, Idris Alba, who I may have a bit of a crush on. Don’t hate! The man is beautiful AND talented.

Anyway, if you’re a Wire fan, this podcast will give you what you want; the behind the scenes looks and details that make you want to go back and rewatch the show and then go to the next bar trivia night and clean up. And for that, I’ll be listening until the end.

Now, the not so great. The show is a bit disjointed at times and bumps around. Some segments don’t seem to relate to each other at all as in we’ll be hearing from Dominic West (McNulty) and then all of a sudden we’ll be hearing from David Simon about a different topic with no transition. As a person who has created a docuseries, I know this feeling. You have a lot to cover (my show covered 30 years, this podcast covers five seasons of episodes) and you’re trying to squeeze it into, in this case, 8 episodes. That’s tough. Really tough.

Look, let’s be honest. If you’re a fan of The Wire and a podcast listener, you’re going to listen to this show and like it regardless. It’s not the knockout that the original show was like, let’s say Fake Doctors Real Friends is to Scrubs or The Office Ladies is to The Office (or so I’m told). But it’s enjoyable and I’m excited to hear the rest of the series. Which is good. Because as Omar said, when you come at the king, you best not miss.

I give it a solid 8.5 out of 10!

Check it out on Apple Podcasts or on Great Pods!