DOWN TO THE WIRE PREMIERE

(VIDEO) The premiere of the fourth season of The Wire features the theme of education in crime riddled inner city schools.

It’s down to the wire for the fourth season of The Wire and the premiere in New York attracted virtually everyone from the ensemble cast either returning or making their debut on the award winning drama. This season focuses on four young boys who negotiate the drug riddled streets of West Baltimore, the cops who protect the streets and the politics that govern them. Tristan Wilds who plays Michael Lee talks about his character.

Based on the true experiences of writer Edward Burns a Baltimore detective turned social studies teacher, the new episodes look at the world through education and how the system doesn’t always work when it comes to equal opportunities. Jim True-Frost returns to The Wire as Roland Prezbo, the teacher who tries to make a difference with his unruly students.

“Out of all the four boys Michael Lee is like the unspoken leader. He’s the protector of the boys. He’s like the backbone of the whole group. Randy will be the one who thinks of ideas and Michael’s the one who carries them all the way out.” Maestro Harrell: “He’s a foster child and everything he does is based on not wanting to go back to a group home. He had a bad experience and it’s his worst nightmare basically. You’ll see through the season that he makes decisions based on he doesn’t want to go back.”

Clarke Peters who plays Detective Lester Freamon whose beat takes on a much younger criminal clientele this season says the problems with inner city school kids featured in The Wire are a universal one.

“Prez becomes a teacher in the Baltimore public schools this season and he goes all over the map. Things are nuts there. He starts with a lot of craziness in the classroom and he ends with a lot of craziness in the classroom but in between he helps some kids on their way. They kind of help him out too and a lot of relationships are made and it’s a great story. It’s a great story for The Wire and a great story for teachers. I’m really proud to be playing a teacher.”

The fourth season of The Wire premieres Sunday at 10PM on HBO.rn

“I have to say as well that although this is set in Baltimore I suspect that this is pretty much inner city schools around America and not just in the black community. I think that what you will see sadly is something you may see in your own neighborhood if you’re not paying for education for your child.”