It's probably the most accurate and realistic look at modern american cities and the corruption of their institutions (police, education system, political system) under capitalism, especially in regard to the War on Drugs. Each season continues to storylines but introduces on a new institution and new characters (first cops and drug dealers, then stevedores union and white working class, then political system, then education, and finally the media). It's extremely well written and thoughtful to the point where they foreshadow things literally seasons ahead of time.

It can be a little slower than things like Breaking Bad or The Sopranos because it's almost novelistic in its approach, but the end result is worth it. It has some of my favorite characters in any fiction. Does have a plotline that strains credulity in the final season but it doesn't tar the show too much, imo and makes sense with what they were going for.

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