I’m midway through the final season of The Wire, and if you have talked to me in the past couple months you’re most likely annoyed with hearing about it. But, it’s worth repeating that it is one of the best television shows I have ever watched. I think for me, it comes down to realism. Not the realism where I feel like I’m there in the moment, but the realism that comes when creative people get together and create a fictional version of something they truly know. Something they’ve researched heavily, have experienced first hand, have immersed themselves in. When I read interviews with David Simon or watch the behind the scenes on the DVDs I quickly realize that the writers and creators of The Wire take their jobs extremely seriously. The time and thought and careful execution that infiltrates my TV screen as I watch is transparently apparent. I’m not going to say much as not to ruin anything, but after finishing the fourth season, realizing I’m one season away from the end, I had a true bout of depression.

Enough. Watch it. I can’t wait to start it all over again.

SXSW is only a couple weeks away and this year I’m attending as Press! I will be covering the film section of the fest for Slant Magazine and will be spending most of my time drinking beer and watching movies at The Drafthouse. Austin, as always, brings me overwhelming joy. Plus there won’t be three feet of snow everywhere, all the time.

I leave you with this great and creepy Liars music video: