David Simon Begged to Keep The Wire on the Air
Despite critical success, The Wire didn’t achieve the same kinds of ratings as The Sopranos, and it was a constant battle for creator David Simon to keep the show on the air for six seasons.
He told Entertainment Weekly, “The Wire was canceled after season three, and The Wire was nearly canceled again—I had to grovel and beg and plead—after season four.” Despite that struggle, Simon did credit HBO will giving him creative freedom, saying the network was, “very liberal in terms of allowing the people involved in the production of these shows to find their own vision and try to execute.
