Crew David Simon is the series' creator and
head writer,
showrunner and
executive producer. Alongside Simon, many of the creative team behind
The Wire are alumni of
Homicide and
Emmy-winning miniseries
The Corner.
The Corner veteran,
Robert F. Colesberry, was also executive producer. Colesberry is credited by the rest of the creative team as having a large creative role for a producer, and Simon credits him for achieving the show's realistic visual feel. He also had a small recurring role as
Detective Ray Cole. Colesberry's wife
Karen L. Thorson joined him on the production staff. A third producer on
The Corner,
Nina Kostroff Noble, also stayed with the production staff for
The Wire rounding out the initial four-person team. Pelecanos has commented that he was attracted to the project because of the opportunity to work with Simon. Staff writer
Rafael Alvarez was a colleague of Simon's from
The Sun and a Baltimore native with working experience in the port area. Another city native and independent filmmaker,
Joy Lusco Kecken, joined the writing staff and served as the
script coordinator. David H. Melnick and Shamit Choksey complete the writing staff. who directed several acclaimed episodes of
The Shield, directed the pilot, the second episode, and the fifth episode (Johnson later had a starring role in the fifth season).
Cast The major characters of the first season were divided between those on the side of the law and those involved in drug-related crime. The starring cast comprised characters from both groups. The investigating detail was launched by the actions of Detective
Jimmy McNulty (
Dominic West), whose insubordinate tendencies and personal problems overshadowed his ability. The detail was led by Lieutenant
Cedric Daniels (
Lance Reddick), who faced challenges balancing his career aspirations with his desire to produce a good case.
Kima Greggs (
Sonja Sohn) was a capable lead detective who faced jealousy from colleagues and worry about the dangers of her job from her domestic partner. Her investigative work was helped by her confidential informant, a drug addict known as
Bubbles (
Andre Royo). These investigators were overseen by two commanding officers more concerned with politics and their own careers than with the case, Major
William Rawls (
John Doman) and Deputy Commissioner
Ervin Burrell (
Frankie Faison). Assistant state's attorney
Rhonda Pearlman (
Deirdre Lovejoy) acted as the legal liaison between the detail and the courthouse and also had a casual relationship with McNulty. In the homicide division,
Bunk Moreland (
Wendell Pierce) was a gifted, dry-witted detective partnered with McNulty. On the other side of the investigation was
Avon Barksdale's drug empire. The driven, ruthless Barksdale (
Wood Harris) was aided by business-minded
Stringer Bell (
Idris Elba). Avon's nephew
D'Angelo Barksdale (
Larry Gilliard Jr.) ran some of his uncle's territory, but also possessed a guilty conscience. The first season featured several significant characters in recurring roles. Like Detective Greggs, partners
Thomas "Herc" Hauk (
Domenick Lombardozzi) and
Ellis Carver (
Seth Gilliam) were reassigned to the detail from the narcotics unit. The duo's initially violent nature was eventually subdued as they proved useful in grunt work, and sometimes served as
comic relief for the audience. Rounding out the temporary unit were detectives
Leander Sydnor (
Corey Parker Robinson),
Lester Freamon (
Clarke Peters) and
Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski (
Jim True-Frost). Sydnor was a rookie detective with a reputation for solid undercover work. Though not initially important players in the operation, Freamon proved a quietly capable investigator with a knack for noticing tiny but important details, and Prez, while a liability on the street, turned out to be a natural at his desk job. McNulty and Bunk served in a homicide unit squad led by
Sergeant Jay Landsman (
Delaney Williams), the jovial squad commander.
Peter Gerety had a recurring role as Judge Phelan, the official who started the case moving. Working under D'Angelo were
Poot Carr (
Tray Chaney),
Bodie Broadus (
J. D. Williams), and
Wallace (
Michael B. Jordan), all street-level drug dealers. Wallace was an intelligent but naïve youth trapped in the drug trade, Bodie a violent and determined young dealer, and Poot a lascivious young man happy to follow rather than lead.
Omar Little (
Michael K. Williams), a notorious Baltimore stick-up man robbing drug dealers for a living, was a frequent thorn in the side of the Barksdale clan.
Main cast •
Dominic West as
James "Jimmy" McNulty (13 episodes), an intelligent but egotistical
BPD homicide detective whose defiant attitude inadvertently creates an investigation into a drug organization. •
John Doman as
William Rawls (8 episodes), a BPD major who loathes McNulty's behavior. •
Idris Elba as
Russell "Stringer" Bell (13 episodes), Avon's intelligent and business-minded
underboss. •
Frankie Faison as
Ervin Burrell (11 episodes), the BPD's
deputy commissioner who tends to prioritize the department's image over solving important cases. •
Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as
D'Angelo Barksdale (13 episodes), Avon's sensitive nephew and a lieutenant in the
Barksdale Organization. •
Wood Harris as
Avon Barksdale (12 episodes), a drug kingpin and the most powerful criminal force in West
Baltimore. •
Deirdre Lovejoy as
Rhonda Pearlman (9 episodes), an assistant
state's attorney who both helps McNulty and has frequent trysts with him. •
Wendell Pierce as
William "Bunk" Moreland (12 episodes), McNulty's good-natured, equally intelligent partner. •
Lance Reddick as
Cedric Daniels (13 episodes), the lieutenant of the BPD's narcotics unit who is tasked with heading the investigation into the Barksdale Organization. •
Andre Royo as
Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins (11 episodes), a friendly
heroin addict who acts as a civilian informant for Greggs. •
Sonja Sohn as
Shakima "Kima" Greggs (12 episodes), a BPD narcotics detective assigned to work under Daniels. ==Reception==