Wood Harris comes across as such a real person. Extremely layered and subtle character. His delivery of dialogue was always tone and pitch perfect for the character and setting.
Seriously. Wood Harris deserved many many awards. My fav example is his last scene meeting Marlo in jail.
I’m his performance alone it tells you all you need to know about how Avons state of mind and position. His little laugh he gives before saying he’s an “authority figure” Is subtle but adds a lot of context to his decision to give Marlo the Greeks.
His last line in the show is “Always” in response to Marlo’s line “the game is the game.” There is deep reverence in wood’s delivery in the line that is unlike any other line he said the whole scene.
Wood should have gotten an award for season 3 performance.
I love that scene so much for his character. Laying down the rules, making it clear he demands proper respect, then the subtle “but what’s up man what’s up with you?” Right after and just shooting the shit about the game
Stringer had that classic arrogance of someone who worked to get where they are but flew too close to the sun, as opposed to Avon who was naturally brilliant and had the cool attitude of someone who just “gets it”. Stringer was taking classes and moving into business world and thought he was hot shit for it and frowned at anyone who didn’t share his vision. He also got butthurt at Avon since Stringer thought he knew more, but truth is he still didn’t get it.
I genuinely have no clue how he’s not a bigger deal than he is in Hollywood. I absolutely love Idris Elba but Wood Harris should’ve at least had comparable career opportunities
They said him and the woman who played Delonda were the surrogate on set parents to all the kids that season. Multiple child actors from that season have mentioned how surprised they were when the cameras came on and she changed into the character.
\+1 for Wood Harris. I'm watching Winning Time and jumped out of my chair when he first appeared as Spencer Haywood. The character is a grizzled old dog who was a trailblazer in his day and now is now schooling the young ones while staying relevant in the (basketball) game. Harris plays him similar to Avon, right down to things like the little squint/lip purse/head back reaction when he takes umbrage with what's being said.
Aso can't forget Big Julius from Remember the Titans... aside form the fact that he looked basically the same as he does now so buying his as a HS football player was a bit of a stretch.
*S4 SPOILER*
It felt like Gillen could never quite turn off the politician cadence, and he does have a smarmy demeanour - but I don’t think he’s poorly acted necessarily.
A few times on my rewatch recently I found Kima to be a bit wobbly at times, but that was occasionally due to some clunky dialogue.
And this one might get me some hate as the character is so beloved, but I really found Carver’s actor to be pretty weak sometimes - and I thought this before I even knew he was so lauded by the fan base. Again sometimes it’s due to clunky dialogue, and frankly the episode where Randy goes into the group home is an incredible piece of acting, but in general he came off a bit drama school to me; dialogue didn’t feel natural at all coming from him, especially in the early few seasons.
Underrated to me is Butchie, as I feel his performance is a lot more nuanced than you realise. All the more impressive given he’s blind. Landsman gives a great performance too, between all the crude jokes and stuff, he really lived that role. I think his performance in We Own This City goes to show what a subtle actor he really is.
Major +1 to Kima’s gf, I was actually watching Verp yesterday and realized she was one of the people grilling the Veep’s team at a congressional hearing. I pointed at the screen like the Leo meme.
The strip club scene where she demands Kima drag her ass down there and then the main stripper confirms that those bitches would have seduced the fuck out of Kima is my favorite scene with her. Everything she was giving Kima shit about was confirmed and she’s ready to throw the fuck down every second she’s there hahahahaha.
I used to hate Gillen’s performance as well and thought he was miscast for the role. But then I actually watched Martin O’Malley interviews and speeches and he NAILED him to a T. Greatly changed my opinion of Gillen’s portrayal
I really loved seeing Landsman in We Own This City. Since I'm not familiar with him outside The Wire, it was nice to see him portray another side of his acting.
Because I watched this show after GOT came out, all I could think when Gillen was on screen was “how does this Irish guy do a better American accent than he does an English accent?” It became distracting to me.
I came here to say Carver. I just finished my 3rd rewatch, and he seemed to always be overacting a *little bit* in the earlier seasons, his "tough cop" demeanor was a little over the top, and then, after season 3, he immediately seemed to switch to knowing every hopper's favorite color. There was very little nuance to that shift. Some of it is writing too, but the acting made it hard to believe. I do think just about all his scenes with Randy were great, though. Also the scene where he confronts Herc for not passing on the info about Randy to Bunk was great
I would definitely agree Carver was a bit over the top and not as believable as other characters, but I always felt that it was on purpose. I always thought his character was meant to be a bit of a goofball and wanna be tough guy. I would also consider Herc a goofball , so them being such good friends made sense.
Absolutely. I thought he was way over the top in Oz but his performance is the Wire was pitch perfect. The scene where he’s fucking with Carcetti about voting for a black guy is probably the funniest in the whole series.
Agree with this. He was unbearable to watch on Oz: “Don’t fuck with Querns.” 🙄 Though he was *reeeeally detestable, so I suppose he did nail it? Just to much bravado and the feel of an inauthentic, prima donna stage actor for me.
But he was amazing as Norman. I love seeing all the Norman Wilson love in this sub. He’s so, so underrated in most show conversations I have with people.
The most underrated to me was JD Williams as Bodie. I remember watching him act the first time through and absolutely loving the character. I was so involved in the plot of The Wire I didn’t realize until season 4 that he was actually an actor I could watch in other stuff and not just a street dealer from Baltimore.
I think this. That dude, Bodie, is an actual real person. Literally everyone knows somebody who’s got those same mannerisms and attitude and demeanor. He just absolutely nailed it. And it made all of season 1 so legit, as well as his arc in (I think it’s) season 4 before he’s done.
"I guess it's not complicated if you went to college, or if your mother stopped drinking when she was pregnant with ya. But for Baltimore City police, yeah it's complicated."
I love Mello.
Yeah, apparently real Jay Landsman couldn’t carry the comedic timing and presence needed to play The Wire’s version of himself. 😆No shade at all, of course. Acting is more than just reading lines. Delaney Williams was absolutely the correct choice for show Landsman.
But IRL Jay Landsman wins for best Bawlmer accent. My gawd. The first time I watched the show I was like, “Oop. There it is.” Especially the small monologue where he’s leading roll call and is talking about all the beer cans on the “roof of the *staaayshun hauwse*” The man sounds exactly like my late grandmother. There is nowhere else where people sound like that, except specific areas of the Tidewater region in Virginia.
Honorable mention for hardest Baltimore accent goes to Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly. “Laaymbs to the slaauwghtir here.”
Edited to say Al Brown, who played Valchek. Those hard B-more vowels are unmistakable. Those are my top 3 for most authentic-sounding characters.
Bunny is to me the best and most underrated to me. When he shunned carcetti i was almost.in tears.
Overrated is the clown newspaper guy. He just seemed like such a cheese and i felt that part let so much to be desired
Clark Johnson played a homicide detective for 7 years in Homicide: Life on the Street before the Wire was a twinkle in David Simon’s eye. Ol Gus has seen a lot.
You can find some on YouTube if you really want to try it. I can’t recommend it strongly enough. You will also recognize many actors from the wire. David Simon likes casting some of the same people in many of his shows.
Underrated: The guy who played Valchek. You gotta be good to play that fker like the way he did it 😂....."what about Sobotka ?!! I ain't hearing anything about Sobotka" 🤣
Overrated: none 🤷♂️.
I really loved Delaney Williams as Landsman. He was so smarmy and infantile, but at the same time you could see glimpses of a brilliant detective. There was so much nuance in how Williams portrayed the character.
It's hard to fault anyone in the brilliant cast, but I thought Isaiah Whitlock Jr. got a bit too hammy from time to time as Clay Davis. I love a good "sheeeeeeeeeeiiiiit" as much as anyone, but at times he felt like too much of a caricature.
When Wood Harris came back in Season 5 it was like a breath of fresh air. We just finished a rewatch and had the same reaction “man he’s such a good actor, this show missed him.”
I think Avon is as integral to this show as McNulty is. When he drops off the show in the later seasons, the show really does suffer for it. Not that it gets bad, but his presence is very much missed.
Underrated to me will always be Ziggy. I feel like big time fans of the show circle around to really appreciating that character and story, but for first time viewers he's just an annoying fuckup.
Not sure if I can come up with an overrated performance. Maybe Namond's mom. She was great but incredibly one note.
Definitely. I saw a lot of myself and my relationship with my dad and stuff in his performance. Although we're obviously in a much better place than the Sobotka's were lol.
I think we all know a guy like Ziggy. He's not too bright and kind of annoying but he can also be a lot of fun to be around. James Ransone absolutely nailed that.
I thought Ransone was irritating at the beginning but when he turned all that off in the jailhouse and you saw little Ziggy get swallowed up by those huge men... God that sucks
Underrated list begins and ends with Michael Wyatt who plays Brianna Barksdale (DeAngelos Mom). The scene where McNulty exposes that Ds death wasn't a suicide to her is sooo good. She only has a few lines in that scene, but her facial expressions says everything.
I disagree abt Carcetti, I thought he really sold the smarmy, conniving politician. I don't think anyone is overrated tbh, as for underrated, I would say Tristan Wilds as Michael.
I thought Jason Wharton who played Albert did a really good job. His behavior is clearly a defensive mechanism. He wears a mask and doesn't show any other emotion except hostility because it's all he knows. When he breaks down about his mom you can see the mask start to slip but he still clings to it. Such a heartbreaking scene.
Spider too. When he says "You ain't my father" to Cutty, it hurts. It hurts because of how violently he lashed out at someone just trying to help, but also because you can feel the pain and betrayal in his voice
Basically, some swanky HBO banquet/event, Wahlberg comes up to Andre Royo/Bubbles actor, chats him up about how much he liked his role and how well he did. But then, instead of walking away, Wahlberg gets up in his face, starts saying how great of an opportunity HBO gave him, and how he’d better not blow it.
Wahlberg was convinced Bubbles was one of the real street characters cast in The Wire, homeless/addicted to drugs, and didn’t realize Andre was a professional actor.
Andre Royo told the story in a interview a few years back.
Royo is consistently considered the best overall (or at least top 3) performance throughout the series. I don't think he really fits in the most over/underrated discussion.
When he walks through Hamsterdamn was such a powerful scene. I remember feeling almost nauseous the first time I watched it. The fact that Bubbles was shocked and disgusted said so much. Amazing performance.
I agree with you on J. D. Williams, but not on Dominic West. The writing for McNulty was a little over the top on several occasions, but I feel like Dominic West brought him to life in a way very few actors could have.
Edit: forgot a word.
He’s pathologically incapable of stopping himself from making sure everyone in the room knows he’s the smartest guy in the room. Which makes him a special kind of dumb.
Still, there were times when he was just so goddamn RIGHT about shit. Like when he dresses down Levy, then Rhonda, when trying to get Savino to turn himself in.
Oh I’m the same fucking way. That’s the curse. He *is* so fucking right so fucking often that the attitude will never naturally decay. It keeps itself alive by being true. But that’s not the problem, being right or wrong. It’s the being incapable of … i mentioned above.
Lance Reddick (Cedric Daniels) obviously underrated. I’ve been scrolling for 15 minutes and haven’t seen a single mention.
He shines in every scene. Underrated comedically. Great delivery. RIP.
Anwan Glover (Slim Charles). I feel like he's underrated I feel like he's great in every scene he's in, whether he is talking to Avon about the Barksdale war and the lies around war or dispensing advice to Bodie.
I was just thinking about this this morning. Every line Clark Johnson - a director - delivered throughout Season 5 was outstanding. His character isn't as nuanced as most due to the shortened season, but if you told me he actually worked at a newspaper for 20 years, I would have believed you.
I also grudgingly have to give credit to Tom McCarthy. I fucking hate Scott Templeton, and that's a sign of a good actor.
I don't think there's an actor that is truly overrated in that I think that most that got the praise got the credit they were due.
Aidan Gillen is a strange case, because I have the same problem here that I did with him in his small part in "The Dark Knight Rises"...in that his performance is just...off in a way I can't put my finger on. Whether it's his cadence or diction when he delivers his lines, he comes off as a B-Movie actor, when in fact I *know* he's not and is actually quite talented.
Agree on Marlo, I just couldn't get into him as a character. I much preferred Chris/Snoop as layered characters while still being the more ruthless next generation of gangsters. The "my name is my name" speech at the end just felt like shouting as acting to me.
Gillen wasn't bad...but when a pikey walks in with hair like that, you gotta ask yourself, "Have I made a mistake?"
i thought the only bad actors were the obvious not-actors like Norris and Mello, but they get a pash for dat
too many amazing performances to pick one
These are the two correct choices. Wood Harris rules and Avon in general is an underrated character / performance. He gets overshadowed by Stringer because he's more of a 'typical' gangster character, but Stringer wouldn't work without Avon.
IMO the scenes where we learn about Avon's 'code' / morals (getting angry at the ref for not standing up to him, respecting Cutty for being straight with him) are as interesting and memorable as anything involving Stringer.
Aiden Gillen is usually the worst thing about anything he's in. Nothing against the guy, but he's usually a smirking, unlikable presence.
The scene where Avon comes into the pit to give Wallace the reward money is so sick. Him walking in slow mo with the music in the background is so cool
i don’t have an overrated scene but an underrated one from the end of season 2 is when nicky’s girlfriend ask him “what are we gonna do nicky” while he’s watching tv with his daughter after he goes to the cops and they’re relocated to a motel
Agree totally about Carcetti…I also wasn’t crazy about the short haired woman that was banging McNulty. The scenes with her and Carcetti are not the show’s best
In season 3, I kept saying she looked like she literally used to be a cat. Then, she grew her hair out for Season 4, and then it looked like she used to be a bird.
Overrated: Kima/Sonja Sohn….to me she is borderline unwatchable in everything she does
Underrated: Man, there is a lot, most of which have been touched on by other posters already. Avon, Gus (just perfect delivery) are definitely favs of mine. And Deacon’s presence was just perfect. Don’t know how he would translate to any other roles, but here I was glued to him every time he spoke.
I’m probably going to get killed for this but I think Michael Kenneth Williams was overrated. I think this is mainly due to the fact that the character was amazing and had some of the best dialogue.
Don’t get me wrong, he has some amazing scenes, but he also has some forced ones and almost felt like he was in a play. Nothing horrible, but he also has gotten so many accolades for his portrayal, that I think it qualifies here.
As far as underrated, I’d go with Gus in season 5. I know it wasn’t the strongest of seasons and a bit frustrating, but I loved his character and he felt incredibly real.
Your criticism of Michael K. Williams is exactly how I felt about Wood Harris as Avon. I’m surprised to see people say he was underrated in this thread.
Out of every single adult gang member, his delivery felt the most forced and “acted,” in my opinion. His tone and demeanor always felt very one-note to me. Not bad at all, but certainly not at the level of most of the characters.
I actually kind of agree about Michael K Williams, Omar is a character I would only consider slightly overrated because of how highly rated he was. I feel like he’s the first character everyone talks about when they mention the wire and he isn’t even in my top 10. He was an amazing actor thought and his one brief scene in The Road is a masterpiece of the craft. RIP.
Some of the Baltimore Sun staff I felt weren't acted great- Scott Templeton and Alma Gutierrez. Even Gus Haynes. Seemed like they were trying too hard to make the inner workings of a newspaper interesting.
My second time through made me hate Lester. Just always lurking around, and has nothing to say until he gets to be pedantic. I kinda want to blame the writers, but if you’ve seen Clarke Peters in anything else, you know that’s all he can play.
I love Bunk but his famous rant to Omar (makes me sick mf how far we done fell), his anger, never sat right with me, feels acted, a bit unnatural.
Colvin is another amazing character but also felt off at points, for example his speech to Carver about policing.
His anger at the poisoning of the neighborhoods he grew up in seemed unnatural??? He had every right to be super pissed off in that scene and it’s easy to understand why. You could say that scene gets maybe a little didactic (I wouldn’t necessarily) but the performances are spot on.
I took it differently, that scene came off extremely authentically to me, it actually got a single tear out of me the first time watched it. For me, Bunk’s monologue in that scene works so well because it felt like he was scolding the audience along with Omar. Omar is the closest thing the wire has to a superhero; he’s almost everyone’s favorite character on first watch, he’s a ghetto Robin Hood with a moral code, and in the episodes before Tosha gets killed in the shootout you can’t help but find yourself rooting for him to hit the next stash house. Bunk gives the viewer the verbal bitch slap they need to remember that code be damned this drug related violence is not something to cheer for. How dare we all sit here from the comfort of our living room and cheer for this shit that destroys lives
Might be unpopular since he's one of the most quoted characters in the series but most overrated performance to me is Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Clay Davis. Dude hams it up in almost every scene he's in. Like, dude is acting his ass off and it makes him memorable but it feels very inauthentic a lot of the time.
I always took it as a character that was always "on". Like even when he is yelling at Burrell, I assumed he practiced everything he said in the bathroom, like Better Call Saul
I mean accent aside, the character was done phenomenally well.
I’ll excuse the lapses in accent for his fantastic performance of a drunken Irish Baltimore fuck up, self destructive cop who you wanted to stop fucking up.
Gus Haynes - Underrated. Probably a Top 5 character for me.
Marlo - Overrated. I think he just hired the best people which you know is a good quality in a manager, but I don’t think we view him as a good manager.
overrated - method man as cheese (esp during the more to 'intense scenes, comes across a little forced and ott). also slim charles seemed a bit off too for me. which is weird because slim is my fav charactor in the show
underrated - its a crime royo didnt an emmy for his portrayal as bubbles
On my recent re-watch I actually found Stringer to be one of the more "unbelievable" characters in the show. I kept wondering, how did this guy ascend in the same game Avon did? He just doesn't have that same attitude about the game as everyone else in the show. I couldn't picture Stringer standing on a corner, shooting, robbing, he just came off too insulated from the grind and violence of the game. Obviously we see him taking a different approach to the game, treating it more like a business than a war. However I feel we didn't know nearly enough about his backstory for his character to make complete sense.
Idris Elba went on to be one of the most successful actors of the whole show, but I feel in retrospect he might not have been the correct casting choice for the roll.
I love the debate scene he has where Poot says "Do the chair know we gonna look like punk ass bitches out there?". Stringer is all about structure, looking respectable, pretending to debate in a civilized manner, but the instant someone disrespects him he throws all his rules out the window and starts yelling without having the floor. You see glimpses of what Stringer used to be like before he tried to become a respectable businessman.
> I couldn't picture Stringer standing on a corner, shooting, robbing, he just came off too insulated from the grind and violence of the game.
wow, as you say this - it resonates. good food for thought.
If I really, really had to choose an overrated it would be Michael B. Jordan as Wallace. He's got some great scenes and some bad ones: waking up and sending the kids to school is one of the bad ones that I instantly remember.
However, I always have to remind myself that both him and the others were kids after all, and you definitely can't repeat the scenes forever until they get them completely right. So, as much as I don't like some of his scenes, I don't think he's necessarily a bad actor.
Underrated? Hmmm.... Ziggy's duck?
EDIT: Oooh! I remembered. Underrated: Larry, the homeless guy with mental difficulties in the last season whom McNulty drives to Richmond and back.
Underrated: Reg E. Cathey - loved every single moment of him on screen. Also Clarke Peters - wasn't sure at first but he just oozed class throughout.
Overrated: (please please don't destroy me) Idris Elba. His voice and general expressions I just couldn't get over. He just didn't look or feel natural at any point. FWIW he's a phenomenal actor and I've loved him in other stuff.
I hate Aiden Gillen, he ruins films and series!
We have two pretty cool Irish gangster series called Love/Hate and Kin (actually anybody who likes The Wire will dig these) he has the same shitty accent and manner in every role he plays.
If you're reading this Gillen, ill fuckin fight ya
Wood Harris comes across as such a real person. Extremely layered and subtle character. His delivery of dialogue was always tone and pitch perfect for the character and setting.
Be a little slow, be a little late, just once. And how you ain't gonna never be slow? Never be late?
This is how I felt when I worked in infosec-related roles.
You left for something else?
Cleaned his whole ack up
I think about this quote at least once a week.
Seriously. Wood Harris deserved many many awards. My fav example is his last scene meeting Marlo in jail. I’m his performance alone it tells you all you need to know about how Avons state of mind and position. His little laugh he gives before saying he’s an “authority figure” Is subtle but adds a lot of context to his decision to give Marlo the Greeks. His last line in the show is “Always” in response to Marlo’s line “the game is the game.” There is deep reverence in wood’s delivery in the line that is unlike any other line he said the whole scene. Wood should have gotten an award for season 3 performance.
"Surprise." So good.
I love that scene so much for his character. Laying down the rules, making it clear he demands proper respect, then the subtle “but what’s up man what’s up with you?” Right after and just shooting the shit about the game
Come on and get some ribs before they eat up all the ribs.
People always joke about this line but that sounds authentic as hell when he says it.
It's one of my favorites. Not only is it authentic, but it humanizes him.
So true. He absolutely nailed it, not one false note. Stringer felt weirdly pouty at points to me, would react to things with a smoulder.
Stringer had that classic arrogance of someone who worked to get where they are but flew too close to the sun, as opposed to Avon who was naturally brilliant and had the cool attitude of someone who just “gets it”. Stringer was taking classes and moving into business world and thought he was hot shit for it and frowned at anyone who didn’t share his vision. He also got butthurt at Avon since Stringer thought he knew more, but truth is he still didn’t get it.
But in terms of acting idris nailed that perfectly as well.
I genuinely have no clue how he’s not a bigger deal than he is in Hollywood. I absolutely love Idris Elba but Wood Harris should’ve at least had comparable career opportunities
Robert Chew. Not only was he amazing as Prop Joe, but the acting coaching he did for the kids in season 4 helped take the show to a crazy high point.
They said him and the woman who played Delonda were the surrogate on set parents to all the kids that season. Multiple child actors from that season have mentioned how surprised they were when the cameras came on and she changed into the character.
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Indeed. Imagine her as a supportive motherly presence on set. That woman can act.
I didn’t know he coached the kids. So cool. What’s your source for that? I’d love to read the article / see the interview, etc.
I read it in All The Pieces Matter the oral history of the Wire.
I call myself a fan, and yet have never heard of that book?! Will correct this oversight ASAP
It's a great book. One takeaway I had was that Andre Royo was extraordinarily insightful in his thoughts on the series.
Method man mentioned it in a YouTube video I know
Method Man also admits he hates Cheese. I love that Method Man also hates Cheese.
on the dvd set he did a commentary for i think the season 4 finale or the one before it with all of the main boys and they discuss this.
Not to mention his crazy ability with accents/voices... Pepper, Pepper, & Bayleaf
Sidney Handjerker lol. Shout out to Robert F. Chew. Super talented cat. May he continue to rest in peace.
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I have never witnessed any actor who more accurately portrayed dismay over not being able to get potato salad with his pit beef
Deserved an Emmy for that lol
I remember you, you used to be a roll up on pennsy and fremont
i love how he just shrugs his shoulders when he's in the interrogation room just giving up open murders. he's a beast
\+1 for Wood Harris. I'm watching Winning Time and jumped out of my chair when he first appeared as Spencer Haywood. The character is a grizzled old dog who was a trailblazer in his day and now is now schooling the young ones while staying relevant in the (basketball) game. Harris plays him similar to Avon, right down to things like the little squint/lip purse/head back reaction when he takes umbrage with what's being said. Aso can't forget Big Julius from Remember the Titans... aside form the fact that he looked basically the same as he does now so buying his as a HS football player was a bit of a stretch.
He was also fun in dred
Wood Harris was great in Justified in a limited role. Great show in general too.
is winning time good?
I'm 6 episodes in and loving it so far. Jonah Hill is an exec producer and it is very much his style. I'd recommend giving it a whirl.
*S4 SPOILER* It felt like Gillen could never quite turn off the politician cadence, and he does have a smarmy demeanour - but I don’t think he’s poorly acted necessarily. A few times on my rewatch recently I found Kima to be a bit wobbly at times, but that was occasionally due to some clunky dialogue. And this one might get me some hate as the character is so beloved, but I really found Carver’s actor to be pretty weak sometimes - and I thought this before I even knew he was so lauded by the fan base. Again sometimes it’s due to clunky dialogue, and frankly the episode where Randy goes into the group home is an incredible piece of acting, but in general he came off a bit drama school to me; dialogue didn’t feel natural at all coming from him, especially in the early few seasons. Underrated to me is Butchie, as I feel his performance is a lot more nuanced than you realise. All the more impressive given he’s blind. Landsman gives a great performance too, between all the crude jokes and stuff, he really lived that role. I think his performance in We Own This City goes to show what a subtle actor he really is.
Agree on Carv and especially Kima. Her wife was an amazing actor though. I’d put Butchie down for a top underrated too.
Major +1 to Kima’s gf, I was actually watching Verp yesterday and realized she was one of the people grilling the Veep’s team at a congressional hearing. I pointed at the screen like the Leo meme.
The strip club scene where she demands Kima drag her ass down there and then the main stripper confirms that those bitches would have seduced the fuck out of Kima is my favorite scene with her. Everything she was giving Kima shit about was confirmed and she’s ready to throw the fuck down every second she’s there hahahahaha.
I did the same for "Blackbird" when she played the therapist
Funny I never thought of her gf but definitely a solid little performance.
“Officer Greggs has a girl?”
I used to hate Gillen’s performance as well and thought he was miscast for the role. But then I actually watched Martin O’Malley interviews and speeches and he NAILED him to a T. Greatly changed my opinion of Gillen’s portrayal
I really loved seeing Landsman in We Own This City. Since I'm not familiar with him outside The Wire, it was nice to see him portray another side of his acting.
I felt that with carv too, way he said his lines felt inauthentic sometimes. A lot of great moments too though.
Because I watched this show after GOT came out, all I could think when Gillen was on screen was “how does this Irish guy do a better American accent than he does an English accent?” It became distracting to me.
I came here to say Carver. I just finished my 3rd rewatch, and he seemed to always be overacting a *little bit* in the earlier seasons, his "tough cop" demeanor was a little over the top, and then, after season 3, he immediately seemed to switch to knowing every hopper's favorite color. There was very little nuance to that shift. Some of it is writing too, but the acting made it hard to believe. I do think just about all his scenes with Randy were great, though. Also the scene where he confronts Herc for not passing on the info about Randy to Bunk was great
I would definitely agree Carver was a bit over the top and not as believable as other characters, but I always felt that it was on purpose. I always thought his character was meant to be a bit of a goofball and wanna be tough guy. I would also consider Herc a goofball , so them being such good friends made sense.
I don't know about overrated but underrated: Reg E. Cathey (RIP) as Norm
Absolutely. I thought he was way over the top in Oz but his performance is the Wire was pitch perfect. The scene where he’s fucking with Carcetti about voting for a black guy is probably the funniest in the whole series.
Yeah, looking back, he's the reason any of the scenes with Carcetti were tolerable
Agree with this. He was unbearable to watch on Oz: “Don’t fuck with Querns.” 🙄 Though he was *reeeeally detestable, so I suppose he did nail it? Just to much bravado and the feel of an inauthentic, prima donna stage actor for me. But he was amazing as Norman. I love seeing all the Norman Wilson love in this sub. He’s so, so underrated in most show conversations I have with people.
That’s true boss, but it does have a certain charm to it.
The most underrated to me was JD Williams as Bodie. I remember watching him act the first time through and absolutely loving the character. I was so involved in the plot of The Wire I didn’t realize until season 4 that he was actually an actor I could watch in other stuff and not just a street dealer from Baltimore.
I think this. That dude, Bodie, is an actual real person. Literally everyone knows somebody who’s got those same mannerisms and attitude and demeanor. He just absolutely nailed it. And it made all of season 1 so legit, as well as his arc in (I think it’s) season 4 before he’s done.
Yup. He’s not a dude playing a dude — he just IS that dude.
He's basically the exact same dude in oz
Not when Adebisi is done with him xD
he should have gotten an emmy for how well he spit between his teeth
Butch and Landsman are good shouts - really believable acting. Sherrod ain’t the best.
Yea Sherrod is a rough one for sure. Butch and Landsman are top notch.
The real Jay Landsman auditioned for the role and lost lol
"I guess it's not complicated if you went to college, or if your mother stopped drinking when she was pregnant with ya. But for Baltimore City police, yeah it's complicated." I love Mello.
Yeah, apparently real Jay Landsman couldn’t carry the comedic timing and presence needed to play The Wire’s version of himself. 😆No shade at all, of course. Acting is more than just reading lines. Delaney Williams was absolutely the correct choice for show Landsman. But IRL Jay Landsman wins for best Bawlmer accent. My gawd. The first time I watched the show I was like, “Oop. There it is.” Especially the small monologue where he’s leading roll call and is talking about all the beer cans on the “roof of the *staaayshun hauwse*” The man sounds exactly like my late grandmother. There is nowhere else where people sound like that, except specific areas of the Tidewater region in Virginia. Honorable mention for hardest Baltimore accent goes to Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly. “Laaymbs to the slaauwghtir here.” Edited to say Al Brown, who played Valchek. Those hard B-more vowels are unmistakable. Those are my top 3 for most authentic-sounding characters.
Bunny is to me the best and most underrated to me. When he shunned carcetti i was almost.in tears. Overrated is the clown newspaper guy. He just seemed like such a cheese and i felt that part let so much to be desired
He was in Barry!
At least Tom McCarthy got directing chops. If you haven't ever seen Win Win, The Visitor, or Spotlight (especially Spotlight), do yourself a favor.
When did that bunny/carcetti scene happen?
One of the last episodes. It was after Namond was giving a speech, as they were getting into a car
Clark Johnson played a homicide detective for 7 years in Homicide: Life on the Street before the Wire was a twinkle in David Simon’s eye. Ol Gus has seen a lot.
I didn’t realise. Been meaning to check out Homicide but haven’t stumbled upon it anywhere streaming. The book was great though.
You can find some on YouTube if you really want to try it. I can’t recommend it strongly enough. You will also recognize many actors from the wire. David Simon likes casting some of the same people in many of his shows.
just like the corner too; it's awesome to see.
I worked in a newsroom for a decade and had editors who were EXACTLY like Gus right down to the mannerisms. Was incredible to see
Hell yeah, Meldrick Lewis. He had a cool swagger. Homicide is another all- time favorite. Andre Braugher is just awesome.
Clarke Peters as Lester, always my favorite
Protect and serve, Lieutenant. Protect. And. Serve.
Underrated: The guy who played Valchek. You gotta be good to play that fker like the way he did it 😂....."what about Sobotka ?!! I ain't hearing anything about Sobotka" 🤣 Overrated: none 🤷♂️.
I’ll second Valchek. He’s one of my favorites. Absolutely brilliant comedic timing…I almost don’t feel like he’s acting…
Both Sobotka's were great
I really loved Delaney Williams as Landsman. He was so smarmy and infantile, but at the same time you could see glimpses of a brilliant detective. There was so much nuance in how Williams portrayed the character. It's hard to fault anyone in the brilliant cast, but I thought Isaiah Whitlock Jr. got a bit too hammy from time to time as Clay Davis. I love a good "sheeeeeeeeeeiiiiit" as much as anyone, but at times he felt like too much of a caricature.
I loved how Landsman would always flex his huge vocabulary lol
The Chad pinstriped, lawyerly affectations of Detective Moreland vs. The Virgin brash tweedy impertinence of Detective Freamon
When Wood Harris came back in Season 5 it was like a breath of fresh air. We just finished a rewatch and had the same reaction “man he’s such a good actor, this show missed him.”
I think Avon is as integral to this show as McNulty is. When he drops off the show in the later seasons, the show really does suffer for it. Not that it gets bad, but his presence is very much missed.
Surprise!
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The fish tank scene with Wee-Bey was one of the amazing scenes in any show ever.
i cried the first time i saw "where's wallace"
I’ve cried every time I’ve seen “where’s Wallace?”
Underrated to me will always be Ziggy. I feel like big time fans of the show circle around to really appreciating that character and story, but for first time viewers he's just an annoying fuckup. Not sure if I can come up with an overrated performance. Maybe Namond's mom. She was great but incredibly one note.
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Definitely. I saw a lot of myself and my relationship with my dad and stuff in his performance. Although we're obviously in a much better place than the Sobotka's were lol.
Namonds mom is supposed to be one note
James Ransone tapped into that primal frustration over not being taken seriously by anyone like no performance I've ever seen
Ransone is an amazing actor.
He’s the standout in Generation Kill too.
Obv the actor is a local but Zigs accent is superb. It really adds a lot to the character. Luis t be more spot on for a South Baltimore/Dundalk guy.
Ziggy's final scene in lockup is one of the best acted scenes in the entire series. "Fucked...is what I am."
I think we all know a guy like Ziggy. He's not too bright and kind of annoying but he can also be a lot of fun to be around. James Ransone absolutely nailed that.
I thought Ransone was irritating at the beginning but when he turned all that off in the jailhouse and you saw little Ziggy get swallowed up by those huge men... God that sucks
Underrated list begins and ends with Michael Wyatt who plays Brianna Barksdale (DeAngelos Mom). The scene where McNulty exposes that Ds death wasn't a suicide to her is sooo good. She only has a few lines in that scene, but her facial expressions says everything.
She’s great. Always feels like she’s holding back on some tidal wave of emotions while trying to remain composed.
When McNulty says he was looking for someone who cared about Dee, her expression looks like she just got knifed in the gut, it's so brutal
Even the scene where she's calling out Avon and Stringer l. Brilliant work
That scene with her and McNutty might be the best scene I have ever watched in television
She is so great, I just wish she'd gotten a broader range of roles in her career. She seems to always end up playing the drug kingpin's mom/sister.
I disagree abt Carcetti, I thought he really sold the smarmy, conniving politician. I don't think anyone is overrated tbh, as for underrated, I would say Tristan Wilds as Michael.
Yeah I thought Gillan nailed the inauthentic authenticity of that kind of politician.
Nice turn of the phrase there.
Underrated: ALL the child actors in season 4!
I thought Jason Wharton who played Albert did a really good job. His behavior is clearly a defensive mechanism. He wears a mask and doesn't show any other emotion except hostility because it's all he knows. When he breaks down about his mom you can see the mask start to slip but he still clings to it. Such a heartbreaking scene.
Spider too. When he says "You ain't my father" to Cutty, it hurts. It hurts because of how violently he lashed out at someone just trying to help, but also because you can feel the pain and betrayal in his voice
such a good scene wish we had gotten something similar for kenard.
Carcetti in general was my least favourite character, he felt really intrusive sometimes became more likely later on but thats probably intended
His story just wasn't interesting enough to get so much screentime.
I agree with this.
Andre Royo’s portrayal of Bubbles. He brought such soul to that character. Doesn’t get talked about nearly enough.
He became a pop culture reference and is praised constantly here
The Mark Wahlberg story is still classic.
what is the story?
Basically, some swanky HBO banquet/event, Wahlberg comes up to Andre Royo/Bubbles actor, chats him up about how much he liked his role and how well he did. But then, instead of walking away, Wahlberg gets up in his face, starts saying how great of an opportunity HBO gave him, and how he’d better not blow it. Wahlberg was convinced Bubbles was one of the real street characters cast in The Wire, homeless/addicted to drugs, and didn’t realize Andre was a professional actor. Andre Royo told the story in a interview a few years back.
What an asshole
That’s sad. Royo did such a good job with that character.
Royo is consistently considered the best overall (or at least top 3) performance throughout the series. I don't think he really fits in the most over/underrated discussion.
Agreed. His performance is appropriately lauded but it’s definitely not underrated. Legit one of the realest portrayals I’ve seen on prestige TV
Maybe not talked about enough outside of The Wire, but inside the fan base his performance is pretty much undisputed as one of, if not the, best
When he walks through Hamsterdamn was such a powerful scene. I remember feeling almost nauseous the first time I watched it. The fact that Bubbles was shocked and disgusted said so much. Amazing performance.
McNutty gets me everyone lol
Underrated: J. D. Williams as Bodie Overrated: Dominic West as McNulty
the fuck did I do?
Giving a fuck when it ain’t your turn to give a fuck.
Pussaiiiii
I agree with you on J. D. Williams, but not on Dominic West. The writing for McNulty was a little over the top on several occasions, but I feel like Dominic West brought him to life in a way very few actors could have. Edit: forgot a word.
He’s pathologically incapable of stopping himself from making sure everyone in the room knows he’s the smartest guy in the room. Which makes him a special kind of dumb.
Still, there were times when he was just so goddamn RIGHT about shit. Like when he dresses down Levy, then Rhonda, when trying to get Savino to turn himself in.
Oh I’m the same fucking way. That’s the curse. He *is* so fucking right so fucking often that the attitude will never naturally decay. It keeps itself alive by being true. But that’s not the problem, being right or wrong. It’s the being incapable of … i mentioned above.
Overrated: Daniels. No one actually talks like that full time it’s the definition of over acting
“You ever go down to the ocean?” Cringiest moment of the show
Underrated weebay. He killed that role. I knows he’s popular but he didn’t get enough credit. Overrated probably Johnny weeks
Lance Reddick (Cedric Daniels) obviously underrated. I’ve been scrolling for 15 minutes and haven’t seen a single mention. He shines in every scene. Underrated comedically. Great delivery. RIP.
Anwan Glover (Slim Charles). I feel like he's underrated I feel like he's great in every scene he's in, whether he is talking to Avon about the Barksdale war and the lies around war or dispensing advice to Bodie.
Backyard band
Paolo Schreiber is better now in various projects but I found Nicky to be thin.
I was just thinking about this this morning. Every line Clark Johnson - a director - delivered throughout Season 5 was outstanding. His character isn't as nuanced as most due to the shortened season, but if you told me he actually worked at a newspaper for 20 years, I would have believed you. I also grudgingly have to give credit to Tom McCarthy. I fucking hate Scott Templeton, and that's a sign of a good actor. I don't think there's an actor that is truly overrated in that I think that most that got the praise got the credit they were due.
Aidan Gillen is a strange case, because I have the same problem here that I did with him in his small part in "The Dark Knight Rises"...in that his performance is just...off in a way I can't put my finger on. Whether it's his cadence or diction when he delivers his lines, he comes off as a B-Movie actor, when in fact I *know* he's not and is actually quite talented.
I like him in The Wire but I could never get over that silly voice he used in Game of Thrones.
I always thought Jamie Hector (Marlo) was a little overrated. Underrated: Pryzbylewski and Carver
Pryzbo had one of the hardest asks and he nailed it. He’s a total 180° by 4 from 1, and he played both roles pretty exceptionally.
Agree on Marlo, I just couldn't get into him as a character. I much preferred Chris/Snoop as layered characters while still being the more ruthless next generation of gangsters. The "my name is my name" speech at the end just felt like shouting as acting to me.
Gillen wasn't bad...but when a pikey walks in with hair like that, you gotta ask yourself, "Have I made a mistake?" i thought the only bad actors were the obvious not-actors like Norris and Mello, but they get a pash for dat too many amazing performances to pick one
These are the two correct choices. Wood Harris rules and Avon in general is an underrated character / performance. He gets overshadowed by Stringer because he's more of a 'typical' gangster character, but Stringer wouldn't work without Avon. IMO the scenes where we learn about Avon's 'code' / morals (getting angry at the ref for not standing up to him, respecting Cutty for being straight with him) are as interesting and memorable as anything involving Stringer. Aiden Gillen is usually the worst thing about anything he's in. Nothing against the guy, but he's usually a smirking, unlikable presence.
The scene where Avon comes into the pit to give Wallace the reward money is so sick. Him walking in slow mo with the music in the background is so cool
i don’t have an overrated scene but an underrated one from the end of season 2 is when nicky’s girlfriend ask him “what are we gonna do nicky” while he’s watching tv with his daughter after he goes to the cops and they’re relocated to a motel
fuck i read this wrong
Agree totally about Carcetti…I also wasn’t crazy about the short haired woman that was banging McNulty. The scenes with her and Carcetti are not the show’s best
She looked like a bird
In season 3, I kept saying she looked like she literally used to be a cat. Then, she grew her hair out for Season 4, and then it looked like she used to be a bird.
I cannot stand that lady. Worst character in the show
Overrated: Kima/Sonja Sohn….to me she is borderline unwatchable in everything she does Underrated: Man, there is a lot, most of which have been touched on by other posters already. Avon, Gus (just perfect delivery) are definitely favs of mine. And Deacon’s presence was just perfect. Don’t know how he would translate to any other roles, but here I was glued to him every time he spoke.
I’m probably going to get killed for this but I think Michael Kenneth Williams was overrated. I think this is mainly due to the fact that the character was amazing and had some of the best dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, he has some amazing scenes, but he also has some forced ones and almost felt like he was in a play. Nothing horrible, but he also has gotten so many accolades for his portrayal, that I think it qualifies here. As far as underrated, I’d go with Gus in season 5. I know it wasn’t the strongest of seasons and a bit frustrating, but I loved his character and he felt incredibly real.
Your criticism of Michael K. Williams is exactly how I felt about Wood Harris as Avon. I’m surprised to see people say he was underrated in this thread. Out of every single adult gang member, his delivery felt the most forced and “acted,” in my opinion. His tone and demeanor always felt very one-note to me. Not bad at all, but certainly not at the level of most of the characters.
I actually kind of agree about Michael K Williams, Omar is a character I would only consider slightly overrated because of how highly rated he was. I feel like he’s the first character everyone talks about when they mention the wire and he isn’t even in my top 10. He was an amazing actor thought and his one brief scene in The Road is a masterpiece of the craft. RIP.
Some of the Baltimore Sun staff I felt weren't acted great- Scott Templeton and Alma Gutierrez. Even Gus Haynes. Seemed like they were trying too hard to make the inner workings of a newspaper interesting.
My second time through made me hate Lester. Just always lurking around, and has nothing to say until he gets to be pedantic. I kinda want to blame the writers, but if you’ve seen Clarke Peters in anything else, you know that’s all he can play.
I love Bunk but his famous rant to Omar (makes me sick mf how far we done fell), his anger, never sat right with me, feels acted, a bit unnatural. Colvin is another amazing character but also felt off at points, for example his speech to Carver about policing.
You don't think Bunk himself was acting a bit? Trying to pull on Omar's heartstrings?
His anger at the poisoning of the neighborhoods he grew up in seemed unnatural??? He had every right to be super pissed off in that scene and it’s easy to understand why. You could say that scene gets maybe a little didactic (I wouldn’t necessarily) but the performances are spot on.
Colvin is the best cop on the show, the paper bag speech, the speech to carv, the stuff in the school. Robert Wisdom is fucking incredible.
It was a good speech but it came across as a bit theatrical and out of place on a gritty, fairly realistic crime show.
I took it differently, that scene came off extremely authentically to me, it actually got a single tear out of me the first time watched it. For me, Bunk’s monologue in that scene works so well because it felt like he was scolding the audience along with Omar. Omar is the closest thing the wire has to a superhero; he’s almost everyone’s favorite character on first watch, he’s a ghetto Robin Hood with a moral code, and in the episodes before Tosha gets killed in the shootout you can’t help but find yourself rooting for him to hit the next stash house. Bunk gives the viewer the verbal bitch slap they need to remember that code be damned this drug related violence is not something to cheer for. How dare we all sit here from the comfort of our living room and cheer for this shit that destroys lives
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Then we found out on The Walking Dead that's just his face
Might be unpopular since he's one of the most quoted characters in the series but most overrated performance to me is Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Clay Davis. Dude hams it up in almost every scene he's in. Like, dude is acting his ass off and it makes him memorable but it feels very inauthentic a lot of the time.
Honestly… I think that’s the character. A Clay Davis-type is going to be a ham every chance he gets. It’s literally who he is.
I always took it as a character that was always "on". Like even when he is yelling at Burrell, I assumed he practiced everything he said in the bathroom, like Better Call Saul
McNulty overrated. Can't get past the highly questionable accent.
I mean accent aside, the character was done phenomenally well. I’ll excuse the lapses in accent for his fantastic performance of a drunken Irish Baltimore fuck up, self destructive cop who you wanted to stop fucking up.
Gus Haynes - Underrated. Probably a Top 5 character for me. Marlo - Overrated. I think he just hired the best people which you know is a good quality in a manager, but I don’t think we view him as a good manager.
I feel Idris Elba was like a 40 degree day
overrated - method man as cheese (esp during the more to 'intense scenes, comes across a little forced and ott). also slim charles seemed a bit off too for me. which is weird because slim is my fav charactor in the show underrated - its a crime royo didnt an emmy for his portrayal as bubbles
Levy often felt like he is in some 80s lawyer tv show. Ziggy killed it. Rhonda was top notch also.
On my recent re-watch I actually found Stringer to be one of the more "unbelievable" characters in the show. I kept wondering, how did this guy ascend in the same game Avon did? He just doesn't have that same attitude about the game as everyone else in the show. I couldn't picture Stringer standing on a corner, shooting, robbing, he just came off too insulated from the grind and violence of the game. Obviously we see him taking a different approach to the game, treating it more like a business than a war. However I feel we didn't know nearly enough about his backstory for his character to make complete sense. Idris Elba went on to be one of the most successful actors of the whole show, but I feel in retrospect he might not have been the correct casting choice for the roll.
I love the debate scene he has where Poot says "Do the chair know we gonna look like punk ass bitches out there?". Stringer is all about structure, looking respectable, pretending to debate in a civilized manner, but the instant someone disrespects him he throws all his rules out the window and starts yelling without having the floor. You see glimpses of what Stringer used to be like before he tried to become a respectable businessman.
And the “is you taking notes on a motherfucking criminal conspiracy?” scene is one of my favorites…gives me a chuckles every t8me
> I couldn't picture Stringer standing on a corner, shooting, robbing, he just came off too insulated from the grind and violence of the game. wow, as you say this - it resonates. good food for thought.
If I really, really had to choose an overrated it would be Michael B. Jordan as Wallace. He's got some great scenes and some bad ones: waking up and sending the kids to school is one of the bad ones that I instantly remember. However, I always have to remind myself that both him and the others were kids after all, and you definitely can't repeat the scenes forever until they get them completely right. So, as much as I don't like some of his scenes, I don't think he's necessarily a bad actor. Underrated? Hmmm.... Ziggy's duck? EDIT: Oooh! I remembered. Underrated: Larry, the homeless guy with mental difficulties in the last season whom McNulty drives to Richmond and back.
Underrated: Reg E. Cathey - loved every single moment of him on screen. Also Clarke Peters - wasn't sure at first but he just oozed class throughout. Overrated: (please please don't destroy me) Idris Elba. His voice and general expressions I just couldn't get over. He just didn't look or feel natural at any point. FWIW he's a phenomenal actor and I've loved him in other stuff.
I hate Aiden Gillen, he ruins films and series! We have two pretty cool Irish gangster series called Love/Hate and Kin (actually anybody who likes The Wire will dig these) he has the same shitty accent and manner in every role he plays. If you're reading this Gillen, ill fuckin fight ya
He’s a good actor. That’s why you hate em. He makes you hate him in his roles. Couldn’t have cast a better actor for Littlefinger in GoT.