Word of mouth should be heeded

Word of mouth is a great thing in this world, as it can help people look past the hype, ratings, box office figures and sales to see the truly great movies, books, television shows, video games and other entertainment out there.
Chris Randazzo, the former associate editor of The Gazette and now a downtown Stevens Point comic book and gaming store owner, hyped HBO’s “The Wire” in the pages of this paper in 2007, saying it was “the most compelling and thought-provoking drama on television.”
For more than a year he tried getting Gazette staffers to watch the show, to no avail as we all seemed to have better things to do. That was until late last year when John Kemmeter, the sports editor, decided to listen to Chris.
And once John started, he never stopped, finishing all 60 episodes of the crime drama in a short amount of time. John, in turn, recommended the show to everyone he knew, including his siblings, parents and co-workers.
Less than a month ago, I finally listened to John and Chris, and started watching their recommendation. I’m glad I did, because I haven’t stopped. I’m through the first three seasons of the five-season show, and I’m craving more.
Set in Baltimore, Md., “The Wire” focuses mainly on a group of police officers in a special unit of the Police Department that focuses on major cases, specifically ones involving two high-level drug dealers and the people under them.
But the show also gives a good amount of attention to the people connected to the officers, such as their bosses, the politicians (some of whom are corrupt) that dictate the policies they must abide by, representatives from the district attorney’s office, their families and fellow officers in other units.
It also spends time with the drug dealers, drug addicts, ordinary citizens whose lives are impacted by the drug trade and people who rob drug dealers.
Season two also looks at union workers on the ports of Baltimore, while season four examines the education system and season five follows the media.
David Simon, a former Baltimore Sun reporter, and Ed Burns, a former Baltimore police officer and teacher, incorporated real-life experiences to create the show, which helps it become more authentic and dramatic than any other show in the history of television.
The three-dimension world of Baltimore they portray in “The Wire” is harsh, sad, honest, compelling and one without mercy, yet it’s one most people will come to care about everyone in it, even the so-called bad guys, as even the worst people have redeeming qualities and the best people have their faults.
Personally, I’m ashamed I took so long to finally listen to two people whose opinions I value. Both highly recommended the show, even going so far as to say it was the greatest show on television ever.
That’s a mighty claim, and one that should have drawn my attention immediately. When I give others my recommendations as the best all-time television shows, I suggest “The Sopranos,” “Dexter,” “Lost,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as ones I hope they check out. Most people are usually familiar with “The Sopranos,” “Lost” and “Seinfeld,” but when they hear me recommend “Dexter” or “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” I hope they’ll check those shows out as soon as possible.
Some people do, and often give me feedback I’m expecting: “You’re right, that show rules.” In return, I hope they recommend the show to other people, which I hope helps the show build up enough of a cult status that it gets renewed for more seasons.
Seeing as I just finally listened to two other peoples’ recommendation, I did not do my part to help “The Wire,” as its fifth season was its last. Since I haven’t watched the final two seasons yet, the show was probably fated to end its course after the fifth one, but I can’t say that for sure.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that is the case, as I will kick myself if I could have helped bring about a sixth season.
Listen to the word of mouth, as it’s usually right on.