The Wire: Season 3
- 2004
- 12 episodes
The heat is on in Baltimore. The drug war is being lost, bodies are piling up, and a desperate mayor wants the tide turned before the election. But the police department hasn't got any answers. Wiretaps haven’t worked. Neither have stakeouts or street busts. With the demolition of the Franklin Terrace towers, Stringer Bell and the Barksdale crew have been forced to improvise. But no matter how hard McNulty and the detail try, the dealers always seem to be one step ahead of the game. It’s time to change the rules.
Season 3 of The Wire premiered on September 19, 2004 and has 12 episodes, from "Time After Time" to "Mission Accomplished". The last episode aired on December 19, 2004.
Where to watch The Wire
In the United States, you can stream The Wire on HBO Max. You can also buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and Fandango At Home. It is on streaming services in 97 countries.
Episodes
Episode 1Time After TimeAired September 19, 2004
"Don't matter how many times you get burnt, you just keep doin' the same." -- Bodie A wave of urban reform brings down the notorious Franklin Terrace public housing towers, forcing the Barksdale drug crew to find a new home. Stringer Bell uses a new sales strategy as he awaits Avon's return. McNulty and the Detail look to make a case against Stringer with a wiretap on a drug ring run by Proposition Joe.
Guest stars
- Jamie Hector Marlo Stanfield
- Glynn Turman Clarence Royce
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Callie Thorne Elena McNulty
- Method Man Melvin 'Cheese' Wagstaff
- Rick Otto Kenneth Dozerman
- Brandon Fobbs Fruit
- Leo Fitzpatrick Johnny Weeks
Episode 2All Due RespectAired September 26, 2004
"There's never been a paper bag." -- Colvin Omar continues his bold strikes on Barksdale stash houses, now heavily guarded. Under orders from Stringer Bell, Bodie faces a critical test against Marlo, a fierce young dealer with lucrative corners. As the wire on Proposition Joe continues to yield little, McNulty launches his own reinvestigation of last year's prison suicide of D'Angelo Barksdale.
Guest stars
- Jamie Hector Marlo Stanfield
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Method Man Melvin 'Cheese' Wagstaff
- Rick Otto Kenneth Dozerman
- Ernest Waddell Dante
- Brandon Fobbs Fruit
- Melanie Nicholls-King Cheryl
- Lizz Robbins Pretty Lesbian (uncredited)
Episode 3Dead SoldiersAired October 3, 2004
"The gods will not save you." -- Burrell Colvin feels the sting of Burrell and Rawls during a Comstat assessment of his district's felony numbers; a blown wiretap forces Daniels's detail to turn to a new target; Proposition Joe cautions Stringer Bell that the police have been tapping phones. Carcetti continues to curry favor in Mayor Royce's inner circle.
Guest stars
- Jamie Hector Marlo Stanfield
- Glynn Turman Clarence Royce
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Delaney Williams Jay Landsman
- Ernest Waddell Dante
- Leo Fitzpatrick Johnny Weeks
- Robert Neal Marshall Comstat Police Major (uncredited)
- Benjamin Busch Anthony Colicchio
Episode 4AmsterdamAired October 10, 2004
"Why you got to go and fuck with the program?" -- Fruit West Baltimore residents get surprising straight talk at a community meeting from Major Colvin. Bubbles finds gainful employment; Stringer lunches uptown; and Bunk dangles the promise of immunity to a group of corner boys, in exchange for help. Greggs learns how Marlo takes care of business as Bubbles instructs her on the next big thing: disposable cell phones.
Guest stars
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. Clay Davis
- Michael Kostroff Maury Levy
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Delaney Williams Jay Landsman
- Callie Thorne Elena McNulty
- Clarence Clemons Roman
- Brandon Fobbs Fruit
- Brandy Burre Theresa D'Agostino
Episode 5Straight and TrueAired October 17, 2004
"I had such fuckin' hopes for us." -- McNulty Frustrated in his grass-roots reform efforts, Colvin arms himself with intelligence from Daniels's detail and personally delivers a message to the next level of corner management. McNulty sees Stringer Bell's legitimate business dealings as a sign that he is now unreachable as a drug target. Bubbles shakes the tree for Johnny one more time.
Guest stars
- Jamie Hector Marlo Stanfield
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. Clay Davis
- Michael Kostroff Maury Levy
- Gbenga Akinnagbe Chris Partlow
- Glynn Turman Clarence Royce
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Delaney Williams Jay Landsman
- Callie Thorne Elena McNulty
Episode 6HomecomingAired October 31, 2004
"Just a gangster, I suppose." -- Avon Barksdale Stringer Bell gets an education in construction management; Bunk uses shoe-leather to catch up with Omar and deliver a searing message; a frustrated Colvin unleashes the troops on the corner boys, ignoring his new edict; Avon sends Cutty and Slim Charles against Marlo; Bubbles refocuses the picture for Greggs.
Guest stars
- Jamie Hector Marlo Stanfield
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. Clay Davis
- Gbenga Akinnagbe Chris Partlow
- Glynn Turman Clarence Royce
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Delaney Williams Jay Landsman
- Ernest Waddell Dante
- Brandon Fobbs Fruit
Episode 7Back BurnersAired November 7, 2004
"Conscience do cost." -- Butchie Herc discovers a blast from the past, which he belatedly reveals to his ex-colleagues. Daniels blows a gasket over the real reason the detail was reassigned from an investigation in Pimlico to the Western District. Stringer Bell learns from Donette that she's told Brianna about McNulty's visit and that Brianna is likely to talk to him.
Guest stars
- Jamie Hector Marlo Stanfield
- Michael Kostroff Maury Levy
- Gbenga Akinnagbe Chris Partlow
- Glynn Turman Clarence Royce
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Delaney Williams Jay Landsman
- Robert X. Golphin Crackhead (uncredited)
- Felicia Pearson Felicia 'Snoop' Pearson
Episode 8Moral MidgetryAired November 14, 2004
"Crawl, walk, and then run." -- Clay Davis With Amsterdam running full-tilt, Carver and Truck discover there really is no honor among thieves. Prez impresses the detail with what he's found out from Bodie's cell phone, information that sends McNulty and Greggs on a road trip. Colvin sees the benefits of his plan working but has overlooked the human toll, until the Deacon points out the deficiencies.
Guest stars
- Jamie Hector Marlo Stanfield
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. Clay Davis
- Gbenga Akinnagbe Chris Partlow
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Ernest Waddell Dante
- Felicia Pearson Felicia 'Snoop' Pearson
- Clarence Clemons Roman
- Brandy Burre Theresa D'Agostino
Episode 9SlapstickAired November 21, 2004
"...while you're waiting for moments that never come." -- Freamon Responding to an officer's call for help, McNulty and Prez turn down the wrong alley, with unanticipated results. A Barksdale crew violates the unspoken Sunday truce with gunplay, increasing discontent among the New Day Co-op members. Stymied in his effort to open a gym, Cutty is surprised to find help from within Baltimore's power structure.
Guest stars
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. Clay Davis
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Delaney Williams Jay Landsman
- Ernest Waddell Dante
- Brandy Burre Theresa D'Agostino
- Mike D. Anderson Ghost (uncredited)
- Benjamin Busch Anthony Colicchio
- Keith Johnson Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Episode 10ReformationAired November 28, 2004
"Call it a crisis of leadership." -- Proposition Joe Brother Mouzone returns to Baltimore on a mission of revenge and casts a wide net in his search for Omar, who has his own plan. Colvin manages, for now, to put off a 'Sun' reporter inquiring about Amsterdam. Carver learns how much he doesn't know about good policing, while Pearlman and Daniels plead their case for a new kind of wiretap to Judge Phelan.
Guest stars
- Jamie Hector Marlo Stanfield
- Gbenga Akinnagbe Chris Partlow
- Glynn Turman Clarence Royce
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Felicia Pearson Felicia 'Snoop' Pearson
- Peter Gerety Judge Daniel Phelan
- Kahil Dotay Undercover Street Cop (uncredited)
- Brandy Burre Theresa D'Agostino
Episode 11Middle GroundAired December 12, 2004
"We ain't gotta dream no more." -- Stringer Bell The wire begins to yield information about the Barksdale organization, while Stringer and Avon reminisce on how far they have come.
Guest stars
- Michael Kostroff Maury Levy
- Glynn Turman Clarence Royce
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Peter Gerety Judge Daniel Phelan
- Leo Fitzpatrick Johnny Weeks
- Kahil Dotay Undercover Street Cop (uncredited)
- Brandy Burre Theresa D'Agostino
- Doug Olear Terrance 'Fitz' Fitzhugh
Episode 12Mission AccomplishedAired December 19, 2004
"...we fight on the lie." -- Slim Charles In the Season Three finale, a reticent Avon readies his troops for a war against Marlo. Meanwhile, as the detail works towards the top rungs of the Barksdale organization, McNulty reassesses his pursuit of Stringer Bell and the path he's chosen for himself. While Royce continues to grapple with Amsterdam, Burrell offers a deal to minimize the fallout.
Guest stars
- Jamie Hector Marlo Stanfield
- Amy Ryan Beadie Russell
- Michael Kostroff Maury Levy
- Gbenga Akinnagbe Chris Partlow
- Glynn Turman Clarence Royce
- Chad L. Coleman Dennis 'Cutty' Wise
- Ernest Waddell Dante
- Felicia Pearson Felicia 'Snoop' Pearson
Season cast
Dominic WestJimmy McNulty
Lance ReddickCedric Daniels
Sonja SohnKima Greggs
Wood HarrisAvon Barksdale
Wendell PierceBunk Moreland
Michael Kenneth WilliamsOmar Little
Deirdre LovejoyRhonda Pearlman
Idris ElbaStringer Bell
Andre RoyoBubbles
J.D. WilliamsBodie Broadus
John DomanWilliam Rawls
Clarke PetersLester Freamon