Roland “Wee-Bey” Brice (Hassan Johnson)

Loyal and mad brutal with an excellent rasping intonation, Wee-Bey is the crew’s top enforcer, murdering to order without remorse and generally getting his hands dirtier than David Blunkett’s diaries. His no-questions tactics make sure the Barksdale outfit are the most feared in the city.

 ‘For another beef sandwich and potato salad, I’ll go a few more. Medium rare, lot of horseradish.’

Detective William “Bunk” Moreland (Wendell PIerce)

McNulty’s drinking partner and no stranger to a fat cigar or a one-night stand with an ugly stranger, if Bunk isn’t talking shit down the local whisky establishment he’s dishing it out on the street. A good cop.

‘Jesus fucking Christ, Jimmy. I told you. I fuckin' told you it was gonna come to this. You played with fire, didn't you? And now we're all getting burned.’

Preston “Bodie” Broadus (JD Williams)

A product of the Baltimore high-rises Bodie is corner boy personified. He knows nothing else and doesn’t much care for anything else. And won’t give his corner up lightly. Unswerving drug pusher, but a decent fella.

‘Yo man, I ain't never left Baltimore except that Boys Village shit one day, and I wasnt trying to hear no radio up in that bitch.’

Omar Little (Michael Kenneth Williams)

Baltimore’s most infamous stick-up artist, Omar robs from players in “the game” as they’re not the sorts who’ll go running to the police. A big fan of the three-quarter length jacket and shotgun combo, Omar is to Baltimore what Robin Hood was to Nottingham. But gay. And just a little bit more violent.

‘It ain’t what you takin’, it’s who you takin’ from, ya feel me? How you expect to run with the wolves come night when you spend all day sparring with the puppies?’

Russell “Stringer” Bell (Idris Elba)

Avon’s right-hand man, and the most trusted soldier in the Barksdale crew. Is totally obsessed with “product”, goatees and economics. One of the smartest, and definitely the smoothest, man in Baltimore.

‘You know, Avon, you gotta think about what we got in this game for, man. Huh? Was it the rep? Was it so our names could ring out on some fucking ghetto streetcorner, man? Naw, man. There’s games beyond the fucking game.’

Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West)

McNulty is insubordinate, sexually promiscuous and borderline alcoholic. He cannot deal with chain-of-command. He is also one of the best Detectives in Baltimore. It is McNulty’s suspicions of the emerging Barksdale crime crew that lead to the formation of the Major Crime Unit.

“They can chew you up but they gotta spit you back out.”

Detective Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters)

Lester is perhaps the most intelligent and tenacious of all the Detectives in the Wire, but also stubborn: he spent thirteen years in a tedious desk job after disobeying his homicide boss. Brought into the MCU, Lester in the brains behind the actual wire-tapping. Makes dollhouse furniture as a sideline.

“You follow drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers. But you start to follow the money, and you don't know where the fuck it's gonna take you.”

Sergeant Jay Landsman (Delaney Williams)

Landsman’s job is to maintain the chain-of-command. He passes shit down the line to McNulty et al from above, but only to stick to what he sees as essential hierarchy. Landsman is, though, on the side of the good, constantly trying to find a balance between rules and loyalty to his troops.

“Jimmy, I say this seriously. If I was laying there dead on some Baltimore street corner, I'd want it to be you standing over me, catching the case"

Reginald ‘Bubbles’ Cousins (Andre Royo)

Bubbles is first seen as a homeless drug addict, working scams with his buddy Johnny to get money to buy heroin. Over the course of the series we see Bubbles as much more: a tragic character with real heart, an unhappy prisoner to his terrible addiction.

“Tomorrow, man. What kind of dope fiend be talking about tomorrow? Tomorrow ain't shit. Today, Johnny, today.”

Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris)

Top drug dealer on Baltimore’s West Side. Assisted by the more businesslike Stringer Bell and the slippery attorney Maurice Levy, Barksdale is pure street: smart and ruthless, he rules by fear and cunning. He never touches the drugs, only the money, and keeps a very low profile.

“ What am I? Just a gangster I suppose.”