The Wire can be enjoyed as a mini series as each season focuses on a different portion of Balmer e.g. the war on drugs, the docks, the educational system. Although there are recurring characters, each season of The Wire can stand on its own.

The Sopranos conversely focus on the issue of family and what it means to be a man in every season. Six seasons of Tony Soprano existing, which is precisely why critics refer to the series as the longest movie ever. More than the length, the show was shot like movie giving it a film like quality which a lot of other shows have followed i.e. The Wire, Lost. Sopranos in essence gave birth to these shows because networks realized a well developed story a larger than normal budget for television could flourish.

In this way, The Sopranos is a far more important show than The Wire.

But is it better? They are both classified in the new canon of quality television and debating art is for the coffee houses in New York, probably in Williamsburg Brooklyn. That, however is a cop out answer.

Having seen both in their entirety the better show is The Sopranos. Tony's character is one of the most complex, most interesting, and most developed to ever grace the tiny screen. “What fucking kind of human being am I, if my own mother wants me dead?” Not going to get that dialogue from any other show on television, network or cable.

P.S. if the Bioshock 2 teaser trailer doesn't haunt your dreams, you're probably a cold blood killer (at least 93 kills to your name). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj2hewPBQh0

P.S.S. For my senior thesis (a fiction piece obvi) I intended to model the tone and mood after BioShock but later realized I'd have a better chance of emulating Hemingway.

P.S.S. Mitch, how dare you post the ending to The Sopranos. I almost threw a controller at my computer like it I the first time I watched it three years ago.

Anyone out there seen both start to finish and have a take?