"A historical deep dive into the systemic corruption of the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force through the lens of David Simon."
Released two decades after The Wire, We Own This City serves as a grim postscript to the American urban police drama. This HBO miniseries chronicled the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force, exposing a culture of systemic corruption that thrived without oversight. Its legacy lies in how it stripped away the traditional procedural veneer to reveal the rot within law enforcement institutions. By focusing on the real-life exploits of Wayne Jenkins, the show challenged audiences to confront the consequences of the drug war. It remains a definitive piece of television history that bridges the gap between fiction and investigative journalism. As the landscape of media evolves, set a digital reminder for any future announcements regarding spin-offs or news.
| # | Air Date | Episode Name | Watched? |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 | Apr 25, 2022 | Part One | |
| E2 | May 02, 2022 | Part Two | |
| E3 | May 09, 2022 | Part Three | |
| E4 | May 16, 2022 | Part Four | |
| E5 | May 23, 2022 | Part Five | |
| E6 | May 30, 2022 | Part Six |
Production Type: Limited Series
We Own This City is a standalone Limited Series that concluded its 6-episode run in May 2022. Developed by David Simon and George Pelecanos, the production returned the creative team behind The Wire to the streets of Baltimore to chronicle the corruption within the Gun Trace Task Force. This high-profile HBO project focused on the systemic failures and criminal actions of a specific police unit, utilizing a non-linear narrative to detail the rise and fall of Sergeant Wayne Jenkins and his associates.
The series was designed from its inception as a closed-ended narrative based on the non-fiction reporting of Justin Fenton. Because the story tracks a specific federal investigation and the subsequent legal proceedings that resulted in the dismantling of the task force, there is no narrative room for a continuation. The production serves as a complete document of a specific era in Baltimore law enforcement, ensuring that the six episodes provide a definitive and final account of the events portrayed.
It’s the foundational masterpiece from the same creator, offering deeper insight into Baltimore’s systemic decay.
Both shows masterfully explore the gritty, systemic corruption inherent in law enforcement and power.
You will love its gritty, high-stakes exploration of systemic police corruption and internal investigations.
Both shows masterfully depict the gritty, complex corruption inherent in high-stakes criminal investigations.