I am – Hercules!! “The Wire” doesn’t return to HBO until Jan. 6, but it hits HBO On Demand today. Or perhaps tonight; I see it's not available on my system yet in these early morning hours. There will only be 10 episodes in this fifth and final season, as opposed to the usual 12 or 13. A press release offers hints of what’s ahead for Barksdale, Marlo, McNulty, Daniels, Freamon, Beattie, Carcetti and the Greeks as well as the staff of a newspaper strikingly similar to the Baltimore Sun.

ACCLAIMED PEABODY-WINNING DRAMA SERIES THE WIRE KICKS OFF FIFTH AND FINAL SEASON JAN. 6, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO The Peabody Award-winning drama series THE WIRE launches its ten-episode fifth and final season SUNDAY, JAN. 6 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, with other episodes debuting on subsequent Sundays at the same time. In addition to resolving storylines that have continued throughout the previous seasons, the culminating narrative arc of THE WIRE will reflect on the media's role in addressing - or failing to address - the fundamental political, economic and social realities depicted over the course of the series. Explains series creator David Simon, "It made sense to finish THE WIRE with this reflection on the state of the media, as all the other attendant problems of the American city depicted in the previous four seasons will not be solved until the depth and range of those problems is first acknowledged. And that won't happen without an intelligent, aggressive and well-funded press." A 13-year veteran of the Baltimore Sun newspaper, Simon decries recent trends in the newspaper industry that have conspired to make high-end journalism vulnerable: out-of-town chain ownership, an economic climate in which the share price of media companies matters more to industry leaders than the product itself, and a newsroom culture in which prizes, personal ambition and the cult of the "impact" story has replaced consistent and detailed coverage of complex issues as the primary goal. Returning cast regulars on THE WIRE include Dominic West, Sonja Sohn, Lance Reddick, Wendell Pierce, Deirdre Lovejoy, Clarke Peters, Reg E. Cathey, Domenick Lombardozzi, Seth Gilliam, Aidan Gillen, Jamie Hector, Michael Kenneth Williams, John Doman, Andre Royo, Corey Parker Robinson, Tristan Wilds, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Jermaine Crawford and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. New cast regulars this season include Clark Johnson ("Homicide: Life on the Street") as city editor Augustus "Gus" Haynes, Tom McCarthy ("Year of the Dog") as ambitious reporter Scott Templeton, Michelle Paress as reporter Alma Gutierrez, Neal Huff ("Michael Clayton") as Michael Steintorf, Mayor Carcetti's chief of staff, and Michael Kostroff ("The Closer") as Maury. Supporting cast members this season include Steve Earle, Frankie Faison, Anwan Glover, Method Man, Felicia "Snoop" Pearson and Amy Ryan. Among the directors this season are series veterans Dan Attias, Joe Chappelle, Ernest Dickerson, Agnieszka Holland, Seith Mann, Anthony Hemingway and Clark Johnson (who directed the first episode of THE WIRE, and also directs its final episode). New directors this season include the husband and wife team of Joy Kecken & Scott Kecken and series regular Dominic West, in his directorial debut. The writing staff of THE WIRE includes David Simon, who penned two books of narrative nonfiction, "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets," which inspired the hit series "Homicide: Life on the Street," and "The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood," which inspired the Emmy(r)-winning HBO miniseries "The Corner"; Ed Burns, a former Baltimore police detective and Baltimore city public school teacher, who coauthored the book "The Corner" with Simon; William F. Zorzi, a former political writer and editor for the Baltimore Sun; and Chris Collins, an up-and-coming talent who served as staff writer last season and also wrote the award-winning documentary "Disarm." Also writing for the series this season are novelists Dennis Lehane ("Gone Baby Gone," "Mystic River"), George Pelecanos ("Hard Revolution," "Right as Rain") and Richard Price ("Lush Life," "Clockers"), as well as TV veteran David Mills, who was one of the writers and executive producers on "The Corner," and a writer for "NYPD Blue" and "Homicide: Life on the Street." Beginning Dec. 31 with the season premiere, weekly episodes of THE WIRE will be available on HBO On Demand the Monday prior to its Sunday debut on the main HBO channel. January's shows:

Episode #51: "More with Less" Debut: SUNDAY, JAN. 6 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) Other HBO playdates: Jan. 6 (10:30 p.m.), 8 (midnight), 9 (midnight), 10 (10:00 p.m.) and 11 (8:00 p.m.) HBO2 playdates: Jan. 7 (10:00 p.m.), 10 (2:35 a.m.) and 14 (9:00 p.m.) As McNulty (Dominic West) and the detail continue staking out Marlo's crew, recently promoted Sergeant Carver (Seth Gilliam) is welcomed by a cauldron of discontent from officers coping with unpaid overtime. Though he wants to keep his campaign promise to lower crime, Mayor Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) is strapped by his commitment to schools, and faces some tough choices. Col. Daniels (Lance Reddick) is forced to reallocate his resources, retaining Freamon (Clarke Peters) and Sydnor (Corey Parker Robinson) for the Clay Davis (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) probe. Meanwhile, city editor Augustus "Gus" Haynes (Clark Johnson) and the staff of a local newspaper are reeling from corporate cutbacks, losing key personnel from both the metro and international divisions. Still, with the help of reporters Alma Gutierrez (Michelle Paress), Jeff Price (Todd Scofield) and Scott Templeton (Tom McCarthy), Haynes is able to break a front-page story that links a politician to a co-op drug dealer. Proposition Joe (Robert F. Chew), Marlo (Jamie Hector), Fatface Rick (Troj Marquis Strickland) and others meet in a hotel conference room to discuss divvying up drug frontiers across East Baltimore's county line. Teleplay by David Simon; story by David Simon & Ed Burns; directed by Joe Chappelle.

Episode #52: "Unconfirmed Reports" Debut: SUNDAY, JAN. 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m.) Other HBO playdates: Jan. 13 (10:30 p.m.), 15 (11:30 p.m.), 16 (midnight), 17 (10:00 p.m.) and 18 (8:00 p.m.) HBO2 playdates: Jan. 14 (10:00 p.m.), 17 (2:00 a.m.) and 21 (9:00 p.m.) Although he tells Sydnor that the Davis investigation could be a "career case," Freamon keeps a wary eye out for Marlo, who takes care of some unfinished business and strikes a business deal with Barksdale (Wood Harris). Carcetti throws the police a bone by removing the cap on secondary employment, sending the detectives into fantasy-job reveries. With an eye on the state house, Mayor Carcetti's chief of staff, Michael Steintorf (Neal Huff), tries to find good news for the mayor while blaming the Royce administration for the Campbell revelation. Davis turns to Burrell (Frankie Faison) for help with his problem, but the commissioner's hands are tied. At the newspaper, executive editor James Whiting (Sam Freed) outlines a Pulitzer-worthy series in broad strokes, trumping Haynes while liberating the ambitious Templeton. Fed up with broken-down cars and unsolved serial murders, McNulty decides to take matters into his own hands. Teleplay by William F. Zorzi; story by David Simon & William F. Zorzi; directed by Ernest Dickerson.

Episode #53: "Not for Attribution" Debut: SUNDAY, JAN. 20 (9:00-10:00 p.m.) Other HBO playdates: Jan. 20 (10:30 p.m.), 22 (11:00 p.m.), 23 (midnight), 24 (10:00 p.m.) and 25 (8:00 p.m.) HBO2 playdates: Jan. 21 (10:00 p.m.), 24 (1:45 a.m.) and 28 (9:00 p.m.) Carcetti's master plan for the police department is leaked to the press, sending the brass into a panic. Marlo turns to Proposition Joe to help with an enviable problem. Whiting and managing editor Thomas Klebanow (David Costabile) drop a bombshell on the newspaper staff. Michael (Tristan Wilds) finds temporary respite from his life on the corner by taking Dukie (Jermaine Crawford) and Bug (Keenon Brice) on a trip. McNulty shares some inside info with Gutierrez, but her subsequent story doesn't cause the splash either envisioned. Undaunted, McNulty looks for a new ally in Freamon. Teleplay by William F. Zorzi; story by David Simon & William F. Zorzi; directed by Ernest Dickerson.

Episode #54: "Transitions" Debut: SUNDAY, JAN. 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m.) Other HBO playdates: Jan. 27 (10:30 p.m.), 29 (12:30 a.m.), 30 (12:30 a.m.) and 31 (10:00 p.m.) HBO2 playdates: Jan. 28 (10:00 p.m.) and 31 (3:10 a.m.) Campbell (Marlyne Afflack) tries to smooth out the transitions in the police department. The newspaper scramsbles to confirm surprising news from City Hall, but lose out to the TV media in scooping a high-profile grand jury appearance. As Marlo tries to win favor with the Greeks, Proposition Joe pays his last respects to a fallen colleague, and prepares to make himself scarce in anticipation of a showdown. Freamon enlists the help of a past partner to help with the investigation. Teleplay by Ed Burns; story by David Simon & Ed Burns; directed by Dan Attias.

THE WIRE's fourth season, which concluded in Dec. 2006, made many critics' "best of the year" lists. The New York Times said it "will knock the breath out of you... best season yet," while Entertainment Weekly observed that THE WIRE "has made the final jump from great TV to classic TV...the sort of dramatic cycle people will still be writing and thinking about 25 years from now...a staggering achievement." Daily Variety said, "When television history is written, little else will rival 'The Wire'...extraordinary," and the San Francisco Chronicle hailed it as "a masterpiece...must be considered alongside the best literature and filmmaking in the modern era." HBO Video releases the fourth season of THE WIRE on DVD Dec. 4. On Jan. 8, Nonesuch Records releases "Music from Five Years of The Wire," which includes performances of "Way Down in the Hole," the show's theme song, by the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Neville Brothers and DoMaJe, as well as the closing theme and numerous other tracks. THE WIRE was created by David Simon; executive producers, David Simon and Nina Kostroff Noble; co-executive producers, Joe Chappelle and Edward Burns; producer, Karen Thorson.

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