NBC's Classic 5-Part Action Thriller Breaks All The Rules Of Storytelling

With antiheroes like Tony Soprano, blockbuster spectacles like Band of Brothers, and self-aware single-camera sitcoms like 30 Rock, the Golden Age of Television broke all the rules of the stiffest, stuffiest, most formulaic medium for storytelling. The Golden Age upended all the rote traditions; The Wire eschewed the time-tested case-of-the-week cop show format and replaced it with a more nuanced, realistic portrayal of police procedures.