The Wire Had a Character Based on a Real Cop Who Watched Himself on Screen and Said "That's Exactly Right"
2026/07/08
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The Wire Had a Character Based on a Real Cop Who Watched Himself on Screen and Said "That's Exactly Right"
Ed Burns is the other half of The Wire. David Simon gets the bylines and the interviews and the public arguments about art and politics. Burns — former Baltimore homicide detective, former Baltimore public school teacher, co-creator and writer — is the half of the partnership that made the show's police proceduralism feel like it was filmed inside actual case files.
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Burns has spoken in interviews about the specific experience of watching the show and recognizing the decisions he made as a detective — the case-building logic, the frustration with politically motivated department leadership, the grinding patience of a good investigator working inside a system that didn't particularly want good investigation.
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