The Wire: Where are they now?

HBO

The Wire showed many parallels and story arcs that inform the viewer where characters might be had The Wire kept airing.

The situations the characters faced shape their future selves. In inner-city Baltimore during The Wire, options were limited but anything could happen. The Game was out there. It was either play or get played.

McNulty, if he ever rises out of the ashes of The Wire, may have had his mess kept so low that some po-dunk, po-lease department in a small town hired him as a cop. Baltimore did report McNulty put down almost all assigned cases.

It’s also possible that he is a drunk private investigator. Either way, Beadie kicked him out and he only sees his kids when he wants to force money on them, or they want it to goof off.

Lester Freamon is old, working on a hobby, and thankful he sent his wife through nursing school. Lester really thought it all out.

Daniels took that easy gig that Colvin passed on at Hopkins. He has a nice stash from the dirty days, a law degree, and got to keep that pension. Rhonda Perlman enjoys coming home to him when she is done working the circuit court bench.

Mahone, Santangelo, and Polk are all dead of a heart attack suffered while being retired. The movie store went out of business when the internet became popular.

Signor and Dozerman made rank. Some rookie with a compass is still messing with that ladies’ coupons.

Prezbo is still teaching, maybe even became an authoritarian vice principal.

The politicians were shown how they all failed up. It was when Norman presented Rawls with his come to Jesus moment. Rawls got to be the head cop of the state and kept quiet. The same perpetual cycle keeps dredging up the old types going from City Council to Congress.

Another dirty cop was found to smuggle drugs into prison. Bunk got sick of it all and went to New Orleans where he got back into music and teaching following Prezbo’s advice. Kima Greggs is retired and drunk in The Chi but did marry a man.