My best advise regarding The Wire would be to just borrow or buy the dvds. It is a series best viewed in as few sittings as possible. That said I find watching the The Wire in no way a hardship - but instead something of an obsession. I can pretty much guarantee that you will fall in love with many of the characters and become very nervous by the various storylines.

The same view-it-in-few-sittings advice goes to Band of Brothers actually. To be honest I sometimes feel like that series is better viewed as a very long film. ;)

BSG is watch at your own peril...