Description: 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.
Brief description: Ben Lamb is a Senior Lecturer in Media at Teeside University. A leading expert on British television crime drama, he is the author of You're Nicked: Investigating British Television Police Series (2021). His research focuses on modes of realism, genre theory, ideology, gender politics, and social class representation.
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.