Has a single network ever had as many amazing shows running simultaneously as HBO does right now? The Sopranos, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm... television really is in the middle of a golden age. Enjoy it while it lasts. One of HBO’s best shows, if not its most popular, is The Wire, which may be among the smartest police dramas ever made for TV—or any medium, for that matter.

This show really deserves a larger audience. Set on the streets of Baltimore, the show deals with the intricacies of police work from the ground level up, giving equal time to drug dealers, politicians, federal agents, and of course the detectives themselves. It’s always impressively intelligent and it rewards attentive viewing.

The third season arrives on DVD this week, in anticipation of season four’s September debut. Season three returns to the first year’s focus on the city’s drug trade; the set includes commentaries by the show’s writers and producers on five of the episodes, and a Q&A with series creator David Simon, as well as a conversation with him filmed at Eugene Lang College. —Mark Slutsky