This show is an amazing achievement. For sheer narrative pace, momentum, intricacy, everyone interested in creative writing or writing for the screen should watch it. For social relevance alone, I genuinely think it's unsurpassed. As far as police procedurals go, its authenticity is unsurpassed. Gritty, realistic and utterly compelling; watch it also if you're a fan of court cases, political hierarchies, capitalistic institutions and urban structures, the decay of the working classes, chain of command bullshit and the drug runners (sellers, addicts, kingpins, dealers, etc.).

As far as portraits of failures in grand policies and the destructive process(es) of capitalism (degradation of human life, people treated en masse and not individually, the impossibility of chasing a career without some sort of compromise in day-to-day honesty) go, I can't think of anything more devastating or convincing.

Without doubt, the greatest thing I've seen so far this year (that includes films, too; each season here is like a long film, and the series itself constitutes a coherent, 60-hour epic). Inspirational isn't the word.

I fired through seasons 2-5; for those who are thinking of watching the show, do not hesitate. Seasons 1 and 2 are gripping, but it's seasons 3 and 4 that takes it to the highest levels of artistry.

This should definitely be moved to the general Film/TV forum.