WARNER BROS. INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION'S ACCLAIMED DRAMA SERIES "THE WIRE" RENEWED FOR FIFTH AND FINAL SEASON BY U.S. NETWORK HBO

 Burbank, California -- The critically acclaimed, Peabody Award-winning drama series "The Wire," distributed globally by Warner Bros. International Television, has been renewed for a fifth season by its U.S. network, HBO, it was announced today. Created and executive produced by Emmy® winner David Simon, the show just kicked off its 13-episode fourth season in the U.S. last Sunday, 10 September.

Having depicted an American city over the course of 50 episodes, "The Wire" will use its fifth and concluding season to examine the role of the mass media within that city.

The new fourth season of "The Wire" centers on the lives of four young boys as they traverse adolescence in the drug-saturated streets of West Baltimore. The new episodes of the series examine their world through the theme of education, asking viewers to consider the world that awaits these boys, and to consider further the American commitment to equal opportunity.

The debut of the latest installment of the series has already prompted resounding critical praise. The New York Times said the show "is the closest that moving pictures have come so far to the depth and nuance of the novel." Daily Variety observed, "When television history is written, little else will rival 'The Wire,'" hailing the show for its "extraordinary depth and ambition." Entertainment Weekly called the series "a staggering achievement," while The Washington Post described it as "electrifying and disturbing...a gripping saga," and the New York Post termed it "the single finest piece of work ever produced for American TV."

"The Wire" was created by David Simon. Fourth-season credits: executive producers, David Simon and Nina Kostroff Noble; co-executive producer, Joe Chappelle; producers, Edward Burns and Karen Thorson; consulting producer, Eric Overmyer.