HBO to finally re-release 'The Wire' in HD format after Christmas

I don't know your life, but if you haven't watched The Wire, you should probably re-evaluate your choices. It's the greatest television show of all time, and if you somehow think The Sopranos or Breaking Bad or Mad Men is better, then you need to sit down and give The Wire, America's greatest televised novel, another run-through. And now that HBO is finally re-releasing the show in HD, you can.

Starting at 12 p.m. on Friday, December 26, HBO will make new-and-improved versions of the show's 60 episodes available for streaming on HBO GO and marathon viewing on HBO Signature. (You can check out the schedule for HBO Signature here; it looks like they're going to air the episodes in season-long blocks starting on Friday.) No news yet on whether the HD versions of the episodes will be available on Amazon, where the show is already streaming as part of HBO's deal with the shopping website, but let's hope that happens soon so even more people can enjoy the greatness and perfection and heartbreaking wonder of this show. (And theoretically, this also means that the full series will also eventually be available on Blu-ray ... which means I know exactly what I want next Christmas.)

To prepare yourself, watch this short teaser HBO released as an announcement. It is excellent, and every line should give a Wire fan chills - especially "We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy's pocket." Holy shit, this show was good. I know where I'll be Dec. 26, and where you should be, too.

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'The Wire' Writer David Simon to Lead Martin Luther King Miniseries for HBO

After years of Martin Luther King projects falling by the wayside due to one reason or another, suddenly there are a handful that are moving all at once. Paul Greengrass is still putting together Memphis, and there's another that once had Oliver Stone in the director's chair. Last week Oprah Winfrey put her producing power behind Selma, which has Ava Duvernay attached to direct. But Oprah has another MLK project brewing with HBO, and she's just landed one of the network's heavy-hitters to lead it.

Deadline reports that David Simon, the big brain behind The Wire, Homicide: Life On the Street, and Treme, will "spearhead" a six-hour miniseries for HBO, which Oprah is producing. The series will chronicle King's entire life and most important relationships, based on the acclaimed book trilogy America: In the King Years by author Taylor Branch. Simon will write the first episode and oversee the entire project with Treme co-creator Eric Overmyer.

Exciting? Definitely. This is immediately one of those watershed series that HBO seems to come up with more than the average network, and now it'll be interesting to see who gets cast in the lead role. Perhaps Oprah can lure in David Oyelowo, who has been connected to the role of King in Duvernay's film? Or perhaps Simon will turn to one of his old TV regulars, like Idris Elba?

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