Save The Wire

I’m a sucker for a good cause, and doing my bit to ensure that HBO’s THE WIRE gets renewed for a fourth season certainly counts.

The show’s been on the bubble for a number of reasons, most notably because viewership was cut in half from 3 million to about 1.6 million subscribers. Never mind that because the third season aired in the fall (instead of the summer) it was up against the surprise success of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and the stalwart Sunday night football on ESPN, the latter especially taking a toll because of demographic similarities (i.e. younger males.)

Last week, just before the season finale aired, creator David Simon went on something of  a media blitz, talking to papers like the LA Times, the New York Daily News, the New Jersey Star-Ledger and the Baltimore Sun about the show’s chances of survival, why even if it does go off the air he’ll be proud of the work that was created, and what cancellation might mean for the city of Baltimore:

[…] that’s cold comfort for a local economy that could be $17.5 million poorer next year if the series is canceled. Jack Gerbes, director of the Maryland Film Office, confirmed that the series spends at least half its $35 million budget locally.

"So, first and foremost, yes, there would be a huge economic impact if it were not renewed," Gerbes said.

"But, with `The Wire,’ the impact extends even beyond the normal spending on production, because they have given so much to local schools and charities — like 500 backpacks to an inner-city school last week and after-school bus service to another school that couldn’t afford buses. How do you measure that? I don’t even want to think of this series getting canceled. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed and hope."

The edict comes down from HBO in mid-January. Let’s hope they decide in the favor of Simon, his writing and producing staff (including crime writers George Pelecanos and Dennis Lehane) and the cast and crew.