Representations in The Wire

Kima Greggs Kima Greggs was a capable lead detective who faced jealousy from colleagues and worry about the dangers of her job from her domestic partner. She challenges stereotypes of a female character as she is a positive and strong lead detective, as opposed to a weak victim. She is also an unconventional and innovative character as she is openly a lesbian, which is an often uncommon thing to see in crime dramas.

Although as is traditional in crime dramas the detectives and their superiors hold the majority of power in The Wire there are occasional moments in which the hierarchy reverses and the criminals are holding the majority of the power.

The major characters of the first season were divided between those on the side of the law and those involved in drug-related crime. The investigating detail was launched by the actions of Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), whose loose cannon tendencies and personal problems played counterpoint to his ability as a criminal investigator but can sometime help to shift the balance of power in his investigations.

I think that representations featured in the wire are designed to fit typical stereotypes, and that unconventional stereotypes play the part of helping to keep the narrative fresh and believable as the real world contains a mix of all different types of people.

Detective Jimmy McNulty