The Smartest Show on TV 

If you're not watching The Wire, then you have no right to own a television.

Damn. I don't think that, in my lifetime, there has been a show as amazingly good as this one has been for the past 3 seasons.

Buffy will always be number one in my heart, but The Wire simply does stuff that no other show would dare do, and it does everything better than everybody else.

It's not even hyperbole. I dare you to rent the 1st season on DVD (Netflix it!). Watch the whole thing - it's only 12 episodes, so it'll take you like a weekend. Just watch it, pay attention to the characters and stories. If you're not completely blown away by say, episode 8 or 9, I will give you a cookie and apologize for wasting your time.

Then I'll punch you in the face for being stupid. If you don't get this show, you can't be my friend.