This is the epitome of good tevlevision. Much like a novel on film, it unfolds slowly and meticulously, drawing a picture of the far-reaching effects of drugs and corruption in the Baltimore slums. The season begins when Detective Jimmy McNulty visits a district judge and tells him about Avon Barksdale, a drug kingpin in the slums of Baltimore. This leads to the judge barking up the trees of a lot of police higher-ups and politicos, who are extremely displeased, but who respond by putting together a unit, led by Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, who are charged with making arrests of Barksdale's crew. Everything about this show is exactly as it should be. The pacing's a bit slow, making it less addictive initially than some of HBO's other shows, particularly The Sopranos, but if you give it a chance, you will find yourself watching one of the rawest, best written, most intelligent shows ever made. If you haven't gotten into it yet, now is the time.