One of the reason’s that HBO’s The Wire (my latest obsession) stands out from other television shows (beyond relevant plot and the best character development I’ve ever seen) is the way they really place the viewer in Baltimore (where the show is set). They work hard to make the dialogue “Baltimore dialogue”, using slang that is native to the city - like calling the young kids that are starting to sell drugs “hoppers”.

NPR has some great interviews with two of my favorite characters from the show, Dukie, a 9th grader trying to overcome a school system that doesn’t care and an awful home life, and Omar, an entrepreneur of sorts who makes his money holding up drug dealers while presenting a very nuanced portrait of homosexuality (if you haven’t started watching The Wire yet, click on those links with caution - spoilers are in the character descriptions).

Actor Jermaine Crawford (Dukie) talks with NPR specifically about how the creators of the show work hard to make the show as real as possible:

“It’s not filmed on a set. It’s filmed right on the streets of Baltimore. As it’s filmed, they [street kids and drug dealers] are on the streets watching,” he says. “You just try to reflect what you see. Not mimicking, but envisioning what you see and trying to do your best.”

While filming in the school, where much of the action takes place, Crawford says he encountered kids who were going through a similar situation as his character.

“They have such great hearts and you would never know unless they told you. It was kind of painful for me as well,” he says.

The experience left him wanting to do something to help, beyond just reflecting a tortured reality on a fictional series. With the conviction that it’s his duty to be an advocate for these people, he says, he began working on a documentary on teenage homelessness

“We have got to give a wake-up call to America. We need to do something about it, to show what’s going on.” [NPR]

To listen to more of Crawford’s interview, and listen

To listen to NPR’s interview with Michael K. Williams who plays Omar, again and listen

And finally to learn more about the political undertones of The Wire from creator David Simon.