Wire - (Cultural History of Television) by Ben Lamb (Hardcover)

About the Book

An engaging and timely account of the groundbreaking show The Wire, this book examines the show's realism, representations of race, multifaceted characters, influence on international perceptions of American policing, and role in informing twenty-first-century drug policy.

Book Synopsis

An engaging and timely account of the groundbreaking show The Wire, this book examines the show's realism, representations of race, multifaceted characters, influence on international perceptions of American policing, and role in informing twenty-first-century drug policy.

Review Quotes

Combining incisive detailed analysis with wide-ranging knowledge of the TV industry and the crime show genre, Ben Lamb's study of The Wire makes the case for the series' importance and shows why it became compelling must-see TV.

In The Wire: A Cultural History, Lamb achieves that rare feat of writing a highly readable and accessible study of the show that also has genuine mainstream appeal. Opening with an account of the show's origins and casting of the main characters, Lamb brings an interdisciplinary approach to bear on discussion of the show's debt to classic American cop shows, its roots in Greek mythology, its groundbreaking representation of racial inequality in American society and its lasting social impact. Combining academic rigor with a fan's passion, this book is a must for television scholars, media criminologists, and devotees of The Wire.

About the Author

Ben Lamb is the world's leading expert on British television police series. He is a corresponding editor for Critical Studies in Television: The International Journal of Television Studies and the author of You're Nicked: Investigating British Television Police Series.