I am – Hercules!!

It’s the return of McNulty, Greggs, Daniels, and the Barksdales! It’s like “The Sopranos,” only maybe better, and with more black people!

10 p.m. Sunday. HBO.

The Hollywood Reporter says:

The detail, texture and nuance that made the first season of "The Wire" so demanding on viewers and such a hit with critics hasn't changed, though many of the settings in the second season have. … By shifting scenes to the harbor, creator and teleplay writer David Simon gets to explore new and fascinating patterns of cozy and criminal relationships between the bureaucrats and the outlaws, keeping the show as fresh as it is challenging. … Early episodes for the new season from Simon and company indicate there will be no letdown in the exquisite storytelling and fine character development. If anything, there will be even deeper pleasure in watching these characters evolve into a chorus of strangely harmonious and cacophonous voices.

The Los Angeles Times says:

Television's most undersung series in 2002 was "The Wire," a deluxe cops-and-crooks hour that opens its second season on HBO Sunday night as brainy and irresistible as ever. Anyone who doesn't watch should be arrested. … complex, densely written characters, first-class acting and measured storytelling so seductive that one critic (blush) pops in videocassettes of one episode after the other without a break. What? HBO sent only a few? Bummer. … What provocative, achingly good, high-achieving television. Pay attention this time, Emmy voters.

Entertainment Weekly says:

… the wry, nuanced cop show … pays off immediately. … it’s a contender – for one of the year’s best series. … Get hooked now.

I am – Hercules!!

Looking for bumper stickers, plush toys and girls’ underwear covered with cartoon double-amputees? Visit The Herc Store!