With the fall television season having a bevy of premieres, it’s hard to know which shows are actually worth your time and which are crap. Fortunately, I’m going to tell you about a show that not only is worth your time, but also is possibly the greatest television show ever created. You’re probably thinking that last sentence was hyperbole, but it honestly isn’t; The Wire is just that incredible and rewarding.

The show’s main character is Jimmy McNulty, a homicide detective in Baltimore. McNulty is a great cop, but gets himself into trouble when he goes around his superiors to get the job done. McNulty eventually gets shipped to the Major Case Unit, which is focused on taking down a drug dealer named Avon Barksdale. This may seem rather simple, but the amount of detail and attention paid to the every aspect of the drug trade is fascinating. Dealers, cops, addicts, and district attorneys are all presented, and not necessarily with the moral message you might expect.

Ostensibly, The Wire appears to be nothing more than a police procedural set in Baltimore. But the show is on a much grander scale than that. The show is about the city of Baltimore. With each of the five seasons, the show expands its focus while still maintaining many of the storylines started in earlier seasons. The first season deals with the drug trade, while the second is about the docks and longshoreman of Baltimore. Season three is about politics, mainly the mayoral race. Season four focuses on the school system, in particular the education of inner city kids. Finally, season five shows the impact the media can have on the police and political institutions.

The Wire is a show that is perfect for watching on DVD as opposed to weekly on HBO. With over forty characters (that’s right forty characters), it may seem hard to keep track. After the first episode, I was taken aback by how much I’d been introduced to in only an hour. However, after watching the second episode, I became immersed in this universe where the men at the top of the police chain of command aren’t necessarily looking to clean the streets permanently.

What is most fascinating about The Wire is each season (besides the disappointing fifth) tops the one before it. The broader focus of each season makes the show more ambitious and emotionally rewarding, leaving the viewer dying to start the next season. The surprising thing is that the writers are smart enough to make sure the long story arcs come to a satisfying conclusion, which is usually wrapped up with a season ending montage set to music.

The description of my experience with The Wire I always tell people is this; after finishing the 60 hours of this show, I sat in front of my television and said, “I would honestly sit down and rewatch all 60 episodes of this show again, it was that rewarding.”

Despite being gritty and slightly depressing at points, The Wire is the most worthwhile television show I’ve watched. Even the fifth season is better than every other television season. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Take the trip to Baltimore.