Top 25 Characters from The Wire
Published April 14, 2008
First appearance: Season one
4. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) - The city of Baltimore is the main character of the show, but Dominic West is the lead performer on the show, as evidenced by the fact that his name leads the credits while the rest follow in alphabetical order. But that lead role wouldn't be enough to crack the top five by itself; instead it's McNulty's role as the straw that stirs the drink though most of the series that puts him up here. In most cop shows, McNulty would be the passionate alpha dog type who always Takes! It! Personally! McNulty is passionate enough, but it has nothing to do with empathy for the victims of Baltimore. Nope, McNulty is consumed by his overwhelming need to prove himself the smartest guy in the room, and he'll fuck anyone over that he needs to in order to do it. Which makes him a good detective, but a rather wretched human being, and a much more interesting character.
First appearance: Season one
3. Russell "Stringer" Bell (Idris Elba) - The man who tried to change the game. The top three characters on this list are three of the most unique characters I've ever seen on television, and three of the strongest African American characters ever. There have been African American criminals on television before, there have even been African American kingpins, but they were all closer to Avon Barksdale than Stringer Bell. Suave and deductive, Bell was the mastermind of the Barksdale organization, always staying one step ahead of the game as one of the smartest people on the show. He made for a seductive villain, but Elba always made sure to mix in enough menace with his sophistication so we never forgot that he was more than simply a worthy adversary.
First appearance: Season one
2. Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) - Stringer was one of the smartest guys on The Wire, but Cool Lester Smooth is the undisputed smartest. When we first meet him, Freamon seems like just another mope brought in to fill out Daniels' unit. It doesn't take long to realise that he's the key to the whole operation. Only in a place with institutions as messed up as Baltimore could a man of Lester Freamon's talent and integrity be pushed down for 13 years and four months. Of course, Baltimore being Baltimore, and The Wire being The Wire, his talent and integrity only matter for so much once he works his way back up, constantly banging into departmental barriers to get the job done. Despite those barriers, Lester was always able to keep his cool, always ready to put anyone in their place with a fiery diatribe, or, more likely, a disappointed look.
First appearance: Season one
1. Omar Little (Michael K. Williams) - Of course it's Omar. The only reason to keep him out of the number one spot is to be contrary for its own sake. There's never been a character like Omar Little, a stick-up boy who robs drug dealers, then gives out money around the community like Robin Hood. He's the fiercest person to ever appear on the show, yet he never puts his gun on people who aren't in the game, and doesn't even swear. Oh yeah, he's also gay. Yet he's almost universally the most popular character on the show. In a series that examined each side of the game from top to bottom, the guy who didn't play for either side ended up being the most interesting. Yet, despite his place as beloved anti-hero amongst fans, the series didn't let us forget that Omar was both a symptom of, and a contributor to, the problems of the streets of Baltimore. He was as fresh and exciting a character to come along in the history of the medium, but in a better world, he wouldn't exist.
Andy Sayers is a technical writer from Canada, which automatically makes him funnier than people from other countries. When not writing about pop culture, he is consuming it alongside his loving wife.
- Top 25 Characters from The Wire
- Published: April 14, 2008
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Crime, Video: Drama, Video: Television, Video: Urban
- Writer: Andy Sayers
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Comments on this articleComments
How in the world did you manage not to include Bunny Colvin on this list? He is a top 5 character for me. He created the brilliant idea of Hamsterdam, was able to send the corner kids out so the stoop kds could learn, and generally spoke his mind without fear. He represents the brutal honesty which is needed to make real change. Unfortunately he is forced to fall on his sword and shut up because he is believed to be too much of a radical. What a show
Rawls and Colvin were two characters I expected to hear about leaving out, and believe me, it wasn't easy. Rawls probably missed out due to my desire to fit in personal favourites. Rawls is too much of an asshole to be a favourite, even though he's the best asshole on the show. I'm guessing if Colvin would have had more of a role in season five, he'd have made it for sure.
For the record, if the list were bigger Rawls would come in at #27, and Colvin at #28 (with Prop Joe at #26). Not that this list isn't plenty big as it is.
Taken the series a whole, I don't see how Rawls is an asshole. Please give an example. He's the smartest guy in the series. He always moving on and moving up. Don't hate the playa, hate the game.
The fact that he'll always step on others to help out himself makes him an asshole. A politically-wise one, no doubt, but he's still the guy who will pass the buck at Com Stat to dress down a Major.
That said, he had his moments; particularly when he refused to let McNulty beat himself up at the hospital in season one, or when he offered to transfer Freamon after tearing apart the MCU (that said, he still tore up the MCU... just as he was ready to tear up the Barksdale investigation just to get four murders to black a few weeks early).
"The fact that he'll always step on others to help out himself makes him an asshole."
You have identified nearly every character on the show.
I disagree. In fact, I'd say that only describes 6 out of my top 25 characters.
Who would Daniels step on to get ahead? Kima? Bubbs? McNulty? Carver? Freamon? That doesn't even identify Bodie, Omar, or Sobotka.
Are we talking about the same show? That's all McNulty did. Forget the women in his life, he didn't care who got in his way and what rules he broke to get what he wanted. Just because the viewer usually rooted for him to succeed doesn't mean he didn't act like an asshole, according to your definition.
And you can't really be claiming Omar didn't step on anyone. Sure, it was only people in the game, but that don't change a thing. Just because characters we don't like or root for are the ones who get stepped on doesn't mean the result isn't the same.
I am out the door, so I can't deal with any others right now.
I don't think McNulty stepped on others though, and not to get ahead. He certainly fucked people over, but that was more out of an obliviousness to the consequences of his actions (which makes him a different kind of asshole). He pursued what he thought was right, consequences be damned. When did Bill Rawls ever do what he thought was right?
McNulty never shoved anyone under the bus to move ahead; in fact, getting ahead wasn't anything he was ever concerned about. Being right is what drove Jimmy McNulty, and if it meant someone looking bad, then so be it.
As far as Omar goes, I admit, I messed up when I typed the original sentence about Rawls and forgot to recheck it. Going by "The fact that he'll always step on others to help out himself makes him an asshole", then of course, that's Omar's M.O. What I meant to say was ""The fact that he'll always step on ANYONE to help himself GET AHEAD makes him an asshole". That's what I was getting at with Omar, that he proved that there are some people he won't push down so that he can rise up. So I guess I was arguing a completely different point there, my bad.
In any case, I can't believe I'm trying to defend the position that William Rawls is an asshole. Here's a good reason why I think that: every character on the show that's ever dealt with him thinks he's an asshole. I'd say that the onus is on you to prove that he wasn't one.
The Cheese stands alone.
A great list. I guess we all have our favorite characters, a couple of mine that were left off the list would include Brother Mouzone and Bunny Colvin. I still hope that one of these days they will announce plans for a season six
Prez is higher on the list than Avon?
You trippin
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You could have everyone tied for first. Great job--wait a sec...no Rawls? Come on. Compared to everyone else, he may have been the smartest in dealing within the system, and that includes Clay Davis. Everyone else bucked the rules, but he masterfully worked within them.
Plus, one throwaway moment in a scene forever changed his character for the audience without any predictable heavy-handedness that would have plagued any other drama. Keep your johnny cakes, David Simon. I'll take Rawls flipping through Landsmann's girlie magazine.
Thanks for reminding me I have nothing to watch on Sunday nights.