When HBO announced a new series from David Simon and George Pelecanos, the focus would be on the fight against drug trafficking and police corruption in Baltimore. Comparisons to The Wire were inevitable. The show, a landmark project from two veteran showrunners, first aired two decades ago and quickly climbed to the top of many lists of the greatest television series of all time. It arrived with the summer timing of June 2, and there was speculation that it could act as a hidden sixth season of The Wire, though in the end that idea was not pursued. While The Wire remained fictional, this new work builds on a real case of a corrupt police unit that targets drug dealers while extorting protection money from citizens. The title becomes a rallying cry for a group that believes it operates above the law, bolstered, some would say, by the atmosphere of immunity associated with a controversial administration.
Even with a few outliers in the squad, The Wire’s protagonists carried a spark of idealism as they confronted the system to take down the city’s drug networks. The refrain “follow the money” echoed through the series, and Jimmy McNulty’s arc intersected the most powerful circles. In the later seasons, the pursuit faced twists as false claims came to light and lawful edges were tested. Years later, Simon and Pelecanos returned to Baltimore, much to the disappointment of local tourism officials, presenting a bleaker portrait that underscored a warning: the war on drugs appears doomed when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable layers of society.
Jon Bernthal shines as Wayne Jenkins in The City Is Ours, the leader of a special police unit who eventually hides behind the badge and becomes part of a criminal enterprise, acting with near impunity. This dynamic aligns with a system that benefits from such corruption, as the unit boasted impressive arrest statistics while exploiting communities. The portrayal highlights the way some victims carried silent histories masking their mistreatment. Complaints about brutality were treated as ordinary risks, fueling distrust toward law enforcement on the streets. Bernthal’s performance stands out, drawing Emmy-worthy attention in multiple episodes. Josh Charles also contributes as Agent Daniel Hersl, a key member of the rogue unit whose role carries a foggier edge. The City Is Ours seems to reserve its most compelling work for the darker figures.
Across the series, time shifts complicate the narrative, creating a layered puzzle that can feel hard to pin down as the story moves through different moments. The tension begins with the disbanding and arrest of the corrupt unit, then reverses as investigations uncover earlier successes and continual wrongdoing. The efforts to dismantle the operation reveal how money and power blur lines, making it easy for a single misstep to vanish amidst the larger flows of illegal cash and confiscated drugs. This approach drives the plot through a series of quick pivots, requiring close attention from the viewer to avoid losing track of the timeline.
In many ways, this Simon project can be read as a companion piece to The Wire, even though the settings unfold in different eras and cities. Simon’s background as a writer for Baltimore’s news scene shines through, lending the storytelling a kinetic realism that blends documentary heft with cinematic flair. The narrative surgery moves through New Orleans after Katrina and the early days of a booming yet shadowy industry in another city, reflecting the same core themes: inequality, power, and a system that often favors the powerful. The City Is Ours embraces a more visual, cinematic language than its predecessors, yet the underlying message remains a stark indictment of how institutions can perpetuate harm when accountability erodes.