Dominic West

Question: I'm so excited for The Wire to start, I can barely stand it. I'd cancel my own wedding if it conflicted. Any scoop?

Answer: The first four episodes are better than ever (or so TV Guide's Bruce Fretts tells me). Here's some scoop: Dominic West's Jimmy (who is still working as a beat cop) has settled down and is living with Beadie (Amy Ryan) and her two kids. Prez (Jim True-Frost) takes a job teaching at a rough inner-city middle school. Herc (Domenick Lombardozzi) is working as a driver for the mayor and walks in on Hizzoner in a very compromising (and very explicitly depicted) position. And Michael K. Williams (Omar) goes full-frontal in the opening minutes of Episode 3. BTW, if you have yet to jump on The Wire, now's the time. Per Fretts, the new season — beginning Sept. 10 — read more

Question: When will The Wire return?

Answer: I'm hearing mid-2006 at the earliest. Production got under way at the end of September, right around the time I received an anonymous tip from a reader that "Dominic West is off The Wire." An HBO rep, however, insists he'll be back in some capacity, so I guess we'll find out in mid-2006 who the lyin' dog is.