“You tell me that the riots are a good thing? F*ck you. Come to Baltimore and say that”: David Simon on police brutality, the legacy of “The Wire” and the future of American cities
The legendary showrunner David Simon isn’t so sure about his “legendary” status—as wide-ranging and influential as his masterwork “The Wire” has been, to his mind, it’s never quite enough. To wit: This month, HBO is debuting a six-part miniseries from Simon called “Show Me a Hero,” based on Lisa Belkin’s 1993 book of the same name, about real-life Yonkers Mayor Nick Wasickso (played by Oscar Isaac in the miniseries). Wasickso was an opportunist politician who ended up caught in the rancorous politicking around public housing that reveals an uncomfortable sticking point for communities the world over: Where do we house our poorest?
It’s a topic that reveals Simon’s passion for politics at the city level—zoning ordinances, federal funds, section 8 housing, property tax codes. Topics with a reputation for being boring—but Simon’s life work has been bringing the drama of civic politics to life. “Show Me a Hero,” like “The Wire,” is gutting: The title comes from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s line, “Show me a hero, and I’ll write you a tragedy.” It’s poised to be the next game-changing drama in the televisual canon—another show that transforms political consciousness for millions. I’ll be writing more about the miniseries as we approach the premiere; in the meantime, I sat down with Simon to talk about how he makes the mundane into the sublime, how “The Wire” has aged, and the rising profile of police brutality in America.
