TV Reactions: The Wire 

It basically WAS a book first. So many characters and situations are thinly disguised versions of the real life versions described in David Simon's epic nonfiction book Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets. Some aren't even disguised, like Detective Sergeant Jay Landsman, who was a Baltimore homicide detective, appears on the show as a named character and also the real life Jay Landsman appears as a different character. He was also the inspiration for the character Detective John Munch, played by Richard Belzer who first appeared in the show Homicide: Life On The Street. Since then Detective Munch has been a character in an insane number of crossover shows from the Law and Order franchise to the X - Files to the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to Sesame Street and even cameos on The Wire. So many real life Baltimore cops, criminals and politicians appeared on this show, including former Mayor Kurt Schmoke, former Police Chief (and felon) Ed Norris, former drug dealer Melvin Williams who was brought down by a wiretap investigation into his multiple hundred million dollar drug empire linked him to many murders. The character Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, contract murderer, was played by actor Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, who in real life was convicted of murder at age 14 (and who went back to prison on drugs charges after the show's run.) Many minor roles are played by locals, which is why their accents are authentic. It's hard to call this show fictional. It's basically heightened reality.

This, The Sopranos and Breaking Bad top 3 shows imo, in whatever order

seems deliberate. either because it's simply colloquially accurate or Simon was deliberately trying to get us to draw comparisons between how the Barksdale crew as an organisation (and by extension gangs in general) and how many of our institutions and companies are run.