Creator and showrunner David Simon sold The Wire to HBO as “the anti-cop show, a rebellion of sorts against all the horseshit police procedurals afflicting American television.” Says actor Aidan Gillen, “It dealt with issues that no other shows would be interested in dealing with. It didn’t compromise in any areas. To get it, you had to watch and listen, and there was a risk that people might not have bothered, but they did.”