"When we last saw the bedraggled Bubbles, he was shuffling through a drug-infested corner of Baltimore on the HBO crime drama ''The Wire,'' pontificating as only Bubbles can." The New York Times, August 28

"This season of 'The Wire' will knock the breath out of you." The New York Times, September 9

"One of television's most challenging series" — The New York Times, September 9

"If Charles Dickens were alive today, he would watch "The Wire," unless, that is, he was already writing for it." The New York Times, September 10

"'The Wire,' Rap That's Pure Baltimore" — The New York Times, September 10

Update: Joe Hagan has a theory about the Times' all-Wire-all-the-time coverage.