With critical acclaim for "The Wire" at a fever pitch, HBO has renewed the gritty Baltimore drama for its fifth and final season. The renewal comes despite a weak debut for the show's fourth season.
Sunday's premiere was seen by about 1.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. That figure is down from last year's premiere, which was seen by 1.8 million viewers. Such figures are
very low for an HBO drama, but the critical response from the preview DVDs has been amazing.