During filming, we hoped it would be nominated for an Emmy, especially when one reviewer said he couldn’t catch any of us acting. Highest praise. As for the “stevedores”, we had no doubt since we all hung out together just like a brotherhood on the docks. But David Simon, the show’s creator, felt its ratings were not high enough to even be considered. Of course, he was right.
Not until later, when the show was called out as being one of the ten best written TV shows of all time, did we came to realize that we might have been a part of a show that would not only be watched, over and over, but studied.
In 2014, I received an invitation from my alma mater, St. Joseph’s University, to speak to members of the Richard Johnson Center for Anti-Violence about my experiences on the series. I was gob-smacked to learn they were studying “The Wire” for its sociological implications!
Matthew Toffolo's Summary 