Sometimes a show brings so much baggage with it that you almost feel safer just ignoring it entirely. There's a bit of a pantheon out there, largely comprised of very wordy dramas that ran for multiple seasons and that require full and diligent attention to really get, with HBO producing far more than its fair share of them (no surprise from one of the best streaming services ever).
Right up near the top of most people's lists of the best TV shows ever, there are two huge names: The Sopranos and The Wire. I'm finally embarking on the latter, years after bouncing off it as a low-attention teenager, and the way I'm watching it basically says everything about modern streaming.
Depending on where you live, there are probably quite a few ways to watch the show, but I've indulged in two of the most contrasting. I've just finished The Wire's first season, and to begin with, I watched it on Now, which has the show in its catalogue thanks to the longstanding agreement between HBO and Sky here in the UK.
To be honest, the main reason I started on the streaming side was because I watched the first episode directly after watching some football on Sky Sports through the same service, and convenience was too much to ignore. Only when I was halfway through the season did I remember that a few years ago I got the whole box set on Blu-ray as a gift, though.
So, to end the season, I've swapped to physical media, which means lugging my heavy PS5 Pro through from my office to the living room whenever we want to use it. That's not all that convenient, but the uptick in quality is hard to argue with. I've got the Boost add-ons to ensure that Now doesn't lump with 720p quality shows, but there's no comparing a physical disc with almost any streaming option.
On a show this old, it's particularly distinct, and the biggest upgrade has been in the sound department. I have a 5.1 setup comprised of a Sonos Beam (Gen 2), two Era 100 surrounds and a Sub Mini, and the Blu-ray's surround sound is simply far more detailed and obvious than the streaming version of the show.
In a series that involves plenty of background traffic, chatter, helicopter rotors and more, this really does make a difference to the sound experience, and when you add in the more stable picture quality and deeper blacks, there's no going back.
In many ways, this does feel like it encapsulates everything about the streaming market. It's great, in isolation, and works so easily that you can see why untold millions of people are completely abandoning physical media. That said, once you actually compare it to that physical media, you don't have to be a huge expert to hear and see the compromises being made.
When a show is as good as this (and the first season has blown me away with its pacing and sophistication), it makes sense to watch it in the best quality you can get access to. If that's through Now or HBO Max, fill your boots, but if you can get hold of a Blu-ray, I'd give that route a more fervent stamp of approval.
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