Sometimes though a lot of us guys on here, our judgement is clouded because we are all interested in the Mafia. I agree that the wire is a far more sprawling, and deeper show compared to the Sopranos, but personally I prefer the Sopranos.
A guy who I was debating the two shows with over on the Real Deal years ago accused me of this very thing - Mafia bias. But what made The Sopranos so good (and popular with many besides us OC buffs) went far beyond the typical mob stuff. The Sopranos really put HBO on the map in a lot of ways. Without the success of The Sopranos, shows like The Wire may never have even happened.
