I watched episode 1 of season 1. It was boring. I didn't finish it.
It's a deep show, and the whole is definitely greater than the sum of it's parts (and there are still some pretty great scenes). There are always multiple storylines going and the beginning of the each season tends to be a bit slow since each character might only get 10 minutes screentime per episode.
That said if you're only willing to give the consensus best show on TV 30 minutes to catch your interest, then you're crazy and there probably isn't too much point in discussing it further.
Ryan -
The Wire is incredible. I doubted when Jeremy kept raving, but now I'm hooked (and I'm not the only one apparently - the hype surrounding the 4th season has been amazing ... I've seen it called one of the best shows in TV history in multiple places). You should really give it another chance. If you still don't like it after 3 or 4 episodes, then give it up, but I've yet to find anyone who has watched more than 2 episodes who doesn't love it...
I'd also like to add - Jeremy's taste in TV rocks. Every show he's recommended to me (The Wire, Lost, Six Feet Under, Arrested Development, even The Sopranos back in the day) has been awesome. The only show I can think of that we disagree on is Alias (which I love). In Jeremy I trust (except when it comes to movies, because he never likes anything).
Except for Akeelah and the Bee. He loved that.
For the record, Akeelah is 84% positive on rotten tomates; 7/10 average rating. It's a good movie with a stupid title. Deal with it.
Or better yet write your own reviews and then I can nitpick about things I haven't bothered to watch.
Well I also hated AD and Six Feet Under, so I doubt I'll come around here and I feel more justified quitting instead of watching a whole fucking boring season like I did with those 2. At any rate, the main reason I was excited is that the Sports Guy said he was hooked in the first ten minutes. It's definitely a boring show, even when I finished the first episode.
I just don't get the boring thing, but I suppose anyone can think one episode is boring especially when there aren't a lot of points of reference on TV for the Wire. I can see people not liking AD and 6 Feet. They're both quirky, and require a certain sense of humor. The Wire isn't like that; it's just so ... true. If you watched a whole season and didn't enjoy it, you would literally be the only intelligent, politically aware person I know of who doesn't like the show. Still, it's your free time so I won't criticize if you decide not to continue. Still calling the whole show boring after one episode is silly.
How about this, I'll give you (Ryan) 5 bucks if you finish the first season and don't at least appreciate, if not love, the show. Like I've said before, the first and 3rd seasons are spectacular. I'd give both 9.0s and the 4th season is supposed to be even better (http://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/wireseason4?
q=wire). It's a remarkable, unique show, but it requires a little more effort than most throw-away entertainment on TV today.
Well - if you get me the dvd set, I'll give it a try then... not because of $5, but because you called me intelligent and politically aware 
And I assume you don't care now Jon, but I did find a way to convert that weird bit torrent of Season 1 - it just was a little fuzzy here and there and takes a while.
I just looked at the metacritic link Jeremy posted. Here's a summary:
TV Guide, Newsday, SF Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Daily News, USA Today, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, NY Post, NY Times, and the Washington Post (among others) all called The Wire the best show on TV right now and many of them said it is one of the best shows of all-time. Add that to me, Jeremy, the Sports Guy, Stephen King, and every other person I've ever known to watch it, it seems this is a show that would deserve more than 1 episode before giving up on it.
With that said, it's your loss Ryan - I just wish more people would watch this show because then maybe someone other than HBO would realize that making good TV (really really good TV) can also be popular. More quality dramas and less American Idol, Deal or No Deal, The Bachelor, etc, etc would be great.
But sadly, The Wire will always suffer ratings wise because the cast is mostly black (obviously not saying this is why you don't like it Ryan). It is telling that Season 2 of the Wire, the season that dealt with dock-workers and had by far the most white people in the cast, also had the best ratings; and it seems like most fans of the Wire agree (I know at least Jeremy and I do) that Season 2 was much weaker than 1 and 3 (though it was still great and better than 99.9% of shows on television).
Anyways, Jeremy gave The Wire 1 and 3 9/10. I say bullshit, if those two seasons don't deserve 10/10, I don't know what does. (for the record, the only other seasons of TV I would give 10/10 are The Sopranos 1 and 2 and Lost 1 - Lost 2, Sopranos 3, Alias 1, Six Feet 1, Wire 2 are all a step below IMO).
btw - that was my post above...
I also posted earlier that Akeelah and the Bee is great, but I don't see it now. Did Jon use his powers to destroy my post?
I THOUGHT THIS WAS A DEMOCRACY
Hm ... I'm the only one allowed to edit comments, and I never have (hell, i need all the Akeelah backup I can get) so I am guessing there was a technical difficulty.
Heh heh heh Akeelah backup...
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