Cheers & Jeers: Lights Out Connects with The Wire

Cheers to Lights Out for hooking up with a pair of veterans from The Wire.

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FX's hard-hitting boxing drama costars Pablo Schreiber — best known as disaffected dock worker Nick Sobotka from Season 2 of HBO's inner-city masterpiece — as Johnny Leary, the ethically shady manager of Holt McCallany's "Lights" Leary. Think Christian Bale's Dicky from The Fighter, without the crack. And Schreiber (Liev's younger brother) is every bit as good as heavyweight Oscar contender Bale.Meanwhile, the always-cagey Reg E. Cathey, who joined The Wire in Season 4 as canny mayoral campaign manager Norman Wilson, is once again lighting up the small screen as flashy boxing promoter Barry K. Word. Think Don King without the electrified coif. Schreiber and Cathey may not have shared any scenes on The Wire, but the sparks that fly when they're on screen together make Lights Out well-worth turning on.Do you think Lights Out could be the next Wire?

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