Snowfall Vs. The Wire

The last time that we had a debate with Snowfall as one of the subjects, the hit FX series was going up against Power and it seemed that the people had spoken and had favored Snowfall over the latter.

As a quick review for people that have not seen the show, Snowfall is a show on FX set during the infant stages of the crack cocaine epidemic. The story follows a group of people on a drug-fueled and violent collision to money, greed, and riches. Franklin Saint is a young drug dealer and street entrepreneur who is on a desperate journey for money and power. Season 2 followed the series and its characters just as they were entering 1984.

The Wire was an HBO crime-drama, which ran from 2002 to 2008 and was about the inner-city drug scene that took place in Baltimore. The show begins as a mid-level drug dealer D’Angelo Barksdale was acquitted for murder and Detective James McNulty is assigned a narcotics team to help bring down notorious drug kingpin Avon Barksdale.

Much like the Starz show Power, the shows focus on the elements of wealth, money, power, and gain. It’s all about who is on top and who is the true drug kingpin because whoever controls the drugs controls the city. There are also some stark similarities between the two shows. They have a lead character whose motivations are to get out of a precarious position and earn the respect of others around them. Franklin Saint is a young man who is less experienced in the details of a crime, while D’Angelo Barksdale is well-experienced in the business of drugs and just got off for a murder charge.

Both characters have admirable traits of working their way up the ladder of crime and use their knowledge of the industry to make more profits.

But what do you think? Are these shows too similar or are they plenty différent? Which do you prefer?