The WORST episodes of The Wire

Every episode of The Wire ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Wire!

Follows one single drug and homicide investigation throughout the length of an entire season. Centered on the drug culture of inner-city Baltimore, the series' storyline unfolds from the points of view of both the criminals lording the streets and the police officers determined to bring them down.

Last Updated: 2/14/2024Network: HBOStatus: Ended
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The Target
star
7.49
7211 votes

#1 - The Target

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/2/2002

Baltimore detective Jimmy McNulty gets assigned to a new task force.

Directors: Clark Johnson
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Detail
star
7.58
5350 votes

#2 - The Detail

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/9/2002

McNulty feels the heat when a witness who testified against D'Angelo is killed.

Directors: Clark Johnson
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Ebb Tide
star
7.60
3529 votes

#3 - Ebb Tide

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/1/2003

Det. McNulty—exiled to police-boat duty—makes a shocking discovery in the Baltimore harbor.

Directors: Ed Bianchi
Writer: David Simon
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Old Cases
star
7.64
4287 votes

#4 - Old Cases

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/23/2002

Greggs and McNulty try to get Hardcase to turn informant.

Directors: Clement Virgo
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Buys
star
7.65
4586 votes

#5 - The Buys

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/16/2002

The early-morning "field interviews" by Herc, Carver and Prez result in a minor riot.

Directors: Peter Medak
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Refugees
star
7.65
2857 votes

#6 - Refugees

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/1/2006

A major case gets a new detective; Marlo is burned in poker; Colvin and Cutty get new jobs in the school system.

Directors: Jim McKay
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Time After Time
star
7.65
3335 votes

#7 - Time After Time

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/19/2004

A wave of urban reform brings down the notorious Franklin Terrace public housing towers.

Directors: Ed Bianchi
Writer: David Simon
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
All Due Respect
star
7.66
3173 votes

#8 - All Due Respect

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/26/2004

Omar continues his bold strikes on Barksdale stash houses, which are now heavily guarded.

Directors: Steve Shill
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Dead Soldiers
star
7.67
3197 votes

#9 - Dead Soldiers

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/3/2004

Colvin feels the sting of Burrell and Rawls during a Comstat assessment of his district's felony numbers.

Directors: Rob Bailey
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Boys of Summer
star
7.68
2914 votes

#10 - Boys of Summer

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/10/2006

Four boys play out their summer; Royce and Carcetti hit the campaign trail.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Writer: David Simon
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Hard Cases
star
7.70
3475 votes

#11 - Hard Cases

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/22/2003

Sobotka reprimands his nephew Nick for stealing the cameras and orders him to bring the cargo back.

Directors: Elodie Keene
Writer: Joy Lusco
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
More with Less
star
7.70
2759 votes

#12 - More with Less

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/6/2008

Budget cuts hit the police hard; corporate downsizing frustrates the staff of a local newspaper.

Directors: Joe Chappelle
Writer: David Simon
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Amsterdam
star
7.71
3254 votes

#13 - Amsterdam

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/10/2004

West Baltimore residents get some surprising straight talk at a community meeting from Major Colvin.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Collateral Damage
star
7.71
3455 votes

#14 - Collateral Damage

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/8/2003

Major Valchek gets back at Sobotka for the church gift fiasco and a feud begins.

Directors: Ed Bianchi
Writer: David Simon
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Pager
star
7.71
4278 votes

#15 - The Pager

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/30/2002

McNulty's detail finally gets "clone" pagers to track Barksdale and his gang.

Directors: Clark Johnson
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Hot Shots
star
7.72
3472 votes

#16 - Hot Shots

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/15/2003

Bunk and Freamon chase their crime scene, a container ship, to Philly.

Directors: Elodie Keene
Writer: David Simon
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Alliances
star
7.74
2886 votes

#17 - Alliances

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/8/2006

Burrell feels the heat from Royce; Marlo tries to enlist Michael; Dukie debunks Randy's 'special dead' theory.

Directors: David Platt
Writer: David Simon
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Home Rooms
star
7.74
2954 votes

#18 - Home Rooms

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/24/2006

Royce takes extreme measures; the detail gets a new boss and agenda; Prez survives his first day at school.

Directors: Seith Mann
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Undertow
star
7.75
3596 votes

#19 - Undertow

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/29/2003

Ziggy loses his prized Camaro to drug dealers who aren't buying his alibis about not paying up.

Directors: Steve Shill
Writer: Ed Burns
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Soft Eyes
star
7.78
3057 votes

#20 - Soft Eyes

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/17/2006

Pearlman is on thin ice; Marlo plays Robin Hood; Prez preps for school; Carcetti drops a bombshell on Royce.

Directors: Christine Moore
Writer: David Mills
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Straight and True
star
7.78
3149 votes

#21 - Straight and True

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/17/2004

Frustrated in his reform efforts, Colvin delivers a message to the next level of corner management.

Directors: Daniel Attias
Writer: Ed Burns
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Corner Boys
star
7.78
2563 votes

#22 - Corner Boys

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/5/2006

Carcetti makes the rounds; Colvin uses corner logic in class; Daniels sees his stock rising.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Know Your Place
star
7.79
2935 votes

#23 - Know Your Place

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/12/2006

Bubbles fingers a witness for Herc; Colvin offers an incentive; Andre turns to Proposition Joe for help.

Directors: Alex Zakrzewski
Writer: Kia Corthron
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Unto Others
star
7.79
2789 votes

#24 - Unto Others

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/29/2006

Royce and Carcetti make their peace; Prez has a good day; Greggs uses 'soft eyes' at a crime scene.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Wire
star
7.80
4326 votes

#25 - The Wire

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/7/2002

McNulty and Greggs ask for a delay in a murder bust in order to preserve the wiretap.

Directors: Ed Bianchi
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV