The Wire is routinely called the best TV show ever by critics. Dip your toe into the murky waters of Baltimore's underworld, as depicted by its creators David Simon, a former crime reporter, and Ed Burns, a former homicide detective, and you'll see why.

It's a powerful, utterly absorbing urban drama ranging across class, crime, policing and politics.

Season 1 started on the streets — showing the battle between the cops and the drug dealers — then went inside the organisations to show how politics plays a part on both sides. In season 2, the action expanded to take in the workers on the docks. Season 3, now screening on Fox8 and on DVD along with season 4, takes us inside City Hall, where the waters prove no less murky than those at street level. Season 4 follows the sons of the addicts and dealers as they grow up and face the possibility of going into the family business or breaking free.

The show's rich cast of characters (many based on real people) shows humanity in all its forms, from the powerless addict Bubbles to the self-serving deputy commissioner Rawls to the flawed vigilante hero Omar (Michael K. Williams, pictured) — and everything in between.

It's authentic and at times bleak, yet it's also eye-opening and entertaining.

These DVD sets come with a slew of extras: a handful of audio commentaries from Simon and the show's writers, including novelist George Pelecanos, as well as invaluable "making of" documentaries that add yet another layer to what is already a complex show.