The Wire is the greatest television series of all time. No other show has been so unflinchingly real in it's depiction of the decay of American institutions. No one matches The Wire for its nuances of characterization, the strength of its cast, and the slow burn revelation of the plot.

All the Pieces Matter is a fantastic oral history of the show, from its birth by David Simon and Ed Burns to create a true masterpiece to follow Homicide and The Corner, through all five seasons, and the enduring impact of the show on its cast and the city of Baltimore.

Some of the material I knew. The story of Andre Royo's "Street Oscar", when a junkie passed him a vial of heroin because 'you need it more than me', is legendary. Omar is Barack Obama's favorite character. Felicia "Snoop" Pearson was cast five days after leaving jail for Murder 2. Some of it, I had to be reminded of. At the time, The Wire was far from a critical darling. Simon had to fight for every season, and it won no awards.

And some of the stories were quite new. Many of the cast lived in a sprawling five bedroom house owned by Clarke Peters (Lester Freamon). Dominic West (McNulty) was unhappy having to spend so much time away from his family, and agreed to come back for Season 5 on the condition he direct an episode. Idris Elba had to talk the producers out of having Omar piss on Stringer Bell's body. Ed Burns handled story, and George Pelecanos handled the most pivotal moments, and both of they were gone for Season 5, which may explain why it lacks the greatness of the first four seasons. And my favorite WTF is that Chris Bauer (Frank Sobotka) auditioned for McNulty, which would have made for a very different show.

Since the last season in 2008, The Wire has become a touchstone of popular urban sociology. Some of the cast (Michael K. Williams, Idris Elba) have become international stars. Many of them stay involved in activism in Baltimore. Abrams has put together a great companion piece for fans of the show.