There’s an interview with David Simon on the New York Times website. I have the utmost respect for the guy, but this jumped out at me like a hoodlum in the low-rises:

The number of people blogging television online — it’s ridiculous. They don’t know what we’re building. And by the way, that’s true for the people who say we’re great. They don’t know. It doesn’t matter whether they love it or they hate it. It doesn’t mean anything until there’s a beginning, middle and an end. If you want television to be a serious storytelling medium, you’re up against a lot of human dynamic that is arrayed against you. Not the least of which are people who arrived to “The Wire” late, planted their feet, and want to explain to everybody why it’s so cool. Glad to hear it. But you weren’t paying attention. You got led there at the end and generally speaking, you’re asserting for the wrong things.

Am I crazy or is this a huge contradiction? People who critique a show before the end are ridiculous, but people who only watch it after the end aren’t paying attention. I’m so confused. When should I watch a series? From the beginning, middle or end? On cable, blu-ray™ disc, or DVR? When is it OK to talk about it?

Some guidelines might help. I just want to be in strict compliance here.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *