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I love both shows, and I think its silly to suggest that either is the best show ever. One thing that strikes me about comparing the two is how the shows' creators wanted you to feel about their characters. It always seemed to me that Chase and Co. despised the characters, and wanted you to despise them -right down to Dr. Melfi and the Soprano kids. With the Wire, it seems to me that it was all about shades of grey. The cops were never that good, and the bad guys were not without their redeeming features. Stringer Bell is hands down one the best criminal characters i've seen on TV or film, just as McNulty, Kima and Daniels were equally flawed protagonists. Both shows tried to show how complicated people are; I just think The Wire did a better job at it.
As for the argument that Hill Street Blues was better; sorry, I watched every episode of that show as well, and i'm not buying it. Homicide, maybe.
