While others have celebrated The Wire‘s 10 year anniversary with, say, a fantastically in depth oral history of the show by its creator, production crew and stars (or you can just check out the Cliff Notes), Funny or Die has created a four-minute preview for a musical version of the series that includes such hits as “I Got the Shotgun, You Got the Briefcase.”

Scoffing at the amateurs involved in the production? Think again – Michael K. Williams (Omar), Andre Royo (Bubbles), Sonja Sohn (Kima Greggs) and, yes, Felicia “Snoop” Pearson (“this is some Cinderella bullshit”) all make appearances. After the jump see the video that “explores the realistic portrayal of the decay of America’s inner cities through the magic of song!”

Up until the past 15 years or so, television series were firmly episodic.  Serialized TV (outside of mini-series) risked alienating viewers since it stopped anyone from coming in mid-season.  However, with the rise of DVDs, OnDemand, and digital downloads, serialized TV series have become firmly established.  Some shows still retain an episodic nature, but some series—particularly dramas—have been built around telling one long story over the course of an entire season.  Our new feature, Seasoned, will review a TV series by season rather than by episode.

Hit the jump for my review of the fourth season of The Wire.  Click on the corresponding links for my reviews of Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3.

Up until the past 15 years or so, television series were firmly episodic.  Serialized TV (outside of mini-series) risked alienating viewers since it stopped anyone from coming in mid-season.  However, with the rise of DVDs, OnDemand, and digital downloads, serialized TV series have become firmly established.  Some shows still retain an episodic nature, but some series—particularly dramas—have been built around telling one long story over the course of an entire season.  Our new feature, Seasoned, will review a TV series by season rather than by episode.

And we couldn’t think of a better kick-off to this feature than HBO’s The Wire.  Hit the jump for my review of the groundbreaking drama’s first season.