Watchmen and The Wire
The Line is Canadian cable’s answer to the HBO cult hit The Wire.
Normally, this sort of comparison tends to be derogatory or dismissive. It is, in this case, quite the opposite: The Line is in every best possible sense a very Canadian take on similar settings, story elements, characters and themes.
This is the opinion of columnist Rob Salem, whose article in The Toronto Star is clearly enthusiastic about this new Canadian series. Without directly speaking to it, Salem evokes memory of an article in Maclean’s magazine (that quoted yours truly) about the gender gap in The Wire.
I haven’t seen The Line, and I can’t speak to whether or not it lives up to Salem’s enthusiasm. Comparing a cop drama to The Wire, and daring to suggest it measures up, is no small claim. The genius of The Wire is evidenced on multiple levels, and for me the list of American actors who people the cast of The Line doesn’t make me any more inclined to trust the conclusions. As I’ve said, I haven’t seen it, so the conclusions might very well be warranted.
But a big part of the genius of The Wire was in the vision and the writing, and there are few with the creative genius of David Simon, and few writers with the talent of Pelecanos, Lehane and Price.
That said, given the typical mediocre crap on television, if The Line is even half as good as The Wire it will still be better than most shows in production today, so if you get a chance to check it out, be sure to let me know what you think.
Meanwhile, I’ve posted my views on The Watchmen over at Bookspot Central, and while die-hard fans of the graphic novel might not share my opinion, I’ve tried to avoid spoilers and plot dissection and focus on my impressions. If you’re looking for a two word summary, I’d declare it f***ing awesome.
March 16th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Nice review of Watchmen! I’ve yet to see it, although I am one of the afore-mentioned rabid fans of the comic. The funny thing is, I’ve had no trouble seperating my expectations for the movie from my love of the comic, but I HAVE had a hell of a time finding reviewers who could tell me, on the merits of the movie alone, whether it was any good. Sounds like you went in cold and really dug it.
March 16th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Yeah, I liked it. A lot. Saying much more would mean giving things away, and I don’t want to do that. I hope people go see it and view it on its own merits, because it’s a great story. Really well worth the price of admission, and then some.
March 20th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Sandra, I’ve nominated your blog for a Sisterhood Award. Details can be found at http://pkmadsen.blogspot.com/2009/03/sisterhood-awardwatchmen.html. BTW, Watchmen and The Wire — both excellent.
Thanks for being a great place to visit.
March 21st, 2009 at 11:39 am
“The Line” was created by George F. Walker who is probably best known as a playwright in Canada (Suburban Motel) and for the last TV show he created, “This is Wonderland” set in the criminal courts (though it mostly dealt with mental illness). I haven’t seen “The Line” but I hope it’s a great show.
The other original show that The Movie Netrowk is running in Canada is called “ZOS: Zone of Seperation” about peacekeepers trying to enforce a UN-brokered ceasefire in “Jadac” a fictional city divided between Christians and Muslims.
I may have to break down and get The Movie Network in my cable package.
And, how often do you think “The Wire” comes up in the writers’ room I’m working in now?
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:16 am
Thanks PK! That’s a nice surprise.
John, I hope The Line is great as well. Maybe I’ll actually get to see it one of these days. Haven’t even heard of ZOS. I’m just glad we should be able to check out your show this fall!
March 24th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I haven’t seen ZOS yet, either.
The show I’m working on, The Bridge, will debut on CBS on Thursday, July 9th at 10:00. This seems incredibly soon to me. The episode I’m working on right now is scheduled to be filmed in June and air in early September.
Meanwhile, I book I finished writing last June will be published in April of 2010…..