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'The Wire': Way Down in the Hole

Prologue

'The Wire': Way Down in the Hole

The Ringer

Tv & Film

4.42.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2020

⏱️ 77 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Before diving into Season 1, Jemele Hill and Van Lathan discuss how they first got into ‘The Wire’ (04:00), the show’s unique authenticity (15:30), the TV landscape in 2002 (24:30), initial reviews from critics (35:15), how close it came to cancellation (01:04:00), and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Today's episode of The Wire Way Down in the Hole on the Ringer Podcast Network is brought to you by World Central Kitchen.

0:07.0

Their relief team is working across America to safely distribute individually packaged fresh meals in communities that need support.

0:15.0

They're now serving tens of thousands of meals daily in some of our biggest cities like New York and L.A.

0:21.0

and their launching initiatives across America to deliver fresh hot meals to hospitals and clinics fighting on the front lines while keeping local restaurants and business as well.

0:32.0

You can directly help the heroes and hospitals and clinics who are fighting for us and you can help keep your local restaurants alive.

0:39.0

Go to the wringer.com backslashwck2donate.please. We're trying to raise $250,000.

0:46.0

And if you have the means, it's an unbelievably great and useful cause that helps our hospital heroes, emergency workers and local restaurants.

0:55.0

Please give whatever you can. The money goes directly to the World Central Kitchen and it's a charitable donation.

1:03.0

Once again, that's TheRinger.com backslashwck.

1:09.0

You follow drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers.

1:15.0

But you start to farm up the money and you don't know where the fuck is going to take you.

1:23.0

Welcome everybody. I tell you, man, I've started a ton of new things before but I have literally,

1:37.0

I can't remember the last time I've been this excited about starting something because it plays into something I never thought I'd get paid to do and that's watch fucking television.

1:47.0

I'm serious for those who don't know if you didn't read that handy description that was right there before you clicked on this pod.

1:56.0

I'm Jamel Hill joined by Van Lathan and this is way down and a whole I know check this out, man.

2:03.0

We really made it. We're getting paid to fucking watch television.

2:05.0

Yeah, it's crazy. Like all the things that we pour into that we talk about that we deal with, the wire is almost like weed in that is the one thing that if you go into a room and you got some, if you got some kind of commentary, some take on the wire, everybody just huddles around you.

2:27.0

I mean, so it's a pleasure of mine in terms of shows that not just I love to because I've loved a lot of shows, right? It's a lot of show I love I love homeboys from out of space. Love that show.

2:37.0

Wait, time out. You love it. I got to step right here. I loved it. Oh my god. Love it. Love it. And by the way, it's one of those shows where I feel like if you didn't really love it, maybe there's no point you were taking yourself a little too seriously.

2:49.0

A little bit. I love home. You know that show set us back as a people, right?

2:53.0

Yeah, but it depends on what you look at it. You know what I mean? But what I the reason why I say is it's very few shows that you love as much as I love the wire.

3:01.0

And are actually important enough to warrant doing it what it is that we're doing right now.

...

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