Honestly, how many times have you talked with someone about the best TV shows of all time, and “The Wire” gets mentioned? Yes, the show is incredible, but it’s almost a cliche at this point to put it up there with the “BeSt Tv EvEr.” That said, it doesn’t matter who’s in the cast and what the story is about, but if you tell me that the team behind “The Wire,” David Simon, Ed Burns, and George Pelecanos are reteaming for a new show, I’m there. However, with the upcoming “We Own This City,” those gentlemen also have the beginnings of a great cast to work with, as well.
According to Variety, Jon Bernthal, Jamie Hector, and Josh Charles have been cast to star in the upcoming HBO drama series, “We Own This City.” The limited series is based on the book of the same name from Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton and details a story of corruption amongst the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force. Yes, it’s a new series from the guys behind “The Wire” about corruption in Baltimore. Go figure.
Kidding aside, these three actors are all great and seem like the beginnings of what is going to be an amazing cast for the HBO limited series. Bernthal should be the go-to actor for anyone looking to make a series about corrupt cops, right? He’s probably best known, recently at least, for his role in Netflix’s “The Punisher.” However, he’s also made memorable appearances in features such as “Ford vs Ferrari,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Baby Driver,” and “Wind River.”
Hector is probably best known for the aforementioned “The Wire,” where he played one of the most intimidating and scary crime bosses the series ever saw. (For my money, he was just as good, if not better, than Idris Elba.) More recently, he’s appeared in series such as “Bosch” and “Queen of the South.”
Charles is obviously the actor that everyone remembers from “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.” That comedy classic is unforgettable and Charles is great in it as the iconic film character, Bryan. Oh yeah, and he also appeared in projects such as Aaron Sorkin’s “Sports Night,” “The Loudest Voice,” “Masters of Sex,” and of course, “The Good Wife.” But to me at least, it’s always going to be “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.”
In the series, each actor will play a role in the Baltimore Police Department, with the story really focusing on Bernthal’s character of Sgt. Wayne Jenkins. No official release date has been set for “We Own This City,” but you better believe we’ll be following this one closely.