"You’re not the run-of-the-mill kind of asshole, are you, Jimmy? You’re the special kind of asshole."
The Wire is so good that it set my expectations so high and ruined my enjoyment of other series for a few months afterwards. I would compare all the other police procedurals to it and none of them even came close.
I like its show don't tell style of story telling. It doesn't have many scenes of characters giving long expositions for the sake of getting the audience to understand the plot. You either do or don't and that's what makes it so good for rewatching because you discover small details you missed before that makes it even better.
It's also the first show that made me realise I don't have a vitriolic hate for all gay characters just badly written ones. Omar and Kima are portrayed as complex people who happen to be gay and not two dimensional excuses to shove homosexual agendas down the audience's throats.
It's so good there are universities courses based on the show.