HBO's The Wire came out 23 years ago, but I've just watched it for the first time and I noticed these four big features of the acclaimed crime drama. Since it debuted in 2002, The Wire has gained almost universal acclaim and often features on lists of the best TV shows ever made . Still, I was just two years old when The Wire debuted, so I never got around to watching it until this year.

There are a lot of things you're able to recognize about The Wire by watching it two decades after everyone else has. Without the lens of nostalgia to distort things, and with another 23 years of television, current events, and comparisons to draw from, The Wire is basically a different show. These are the four biggest realizations I've had about The Wire with that perspective in mind.

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