HBO Limited Series WE OWN THIS CITY Debuts April 25
Developed by George Pelecanos and David Simon, and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, WE OWN THIS CITY chronicles the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption and moral collapse that befell an American city in which the policies of drug prohibition and mass arrest were championed at the expense of actual police work. Starring Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector and Josh Charles, WE OWN THIS CITY debuts MONDAY, APRIL 25 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT) and is executive produced by George Pelecanos, David Simon, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Nina K. Noble, Ed Burns, and Kary Antholis.
For WE OWN THIS CITY, acclaimed director Reinaldo Marcus Green (“King Richard”) joined a team who twenty years ago created HBO’s groundbreaking series “The Wire.” Along with executive producers Pelecanos, Simon, Noble and Burns, and co-executive producer William F. Zorzi, WE OWN THIS CITY brings together much of the talent from that iconic series, both on the crew and on screen, where viewers will recognize numerous “The Wire” cast, led by Jamie Hector, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Domenick Lombardozzi, Trey Chaney, Delaney Williams, Jermaine Crawford, Anwan Glover, Chris Clanton, Nathan Corbett, Maria Broom, Susan Rome and Michael Salconi.
Other lead cast, previously announced, includes McKinley Belcher III, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rob Brown, Don Harvey, David Corenswet, Larry Mitchell, Ian Duff and Lucas Van Engen. Character descriptions can be found HERE.
This reunion first started when Pelecanos was approached by Antholis who described the basic premise of the Gun Trace Task Force scandal and the possibility of adapting Justin Fenton’s non-fiction book WE OWN THIS CITY for television. After reading the manuscript, Pelecanos invited his longtime partners, “The Wire” creator, David Simon, and executive producer Nina K. Noble to the project. It would mark their first return to Baltimore filmmaking since that series.
As WE OWN THIS CITY depicts the Baltimore Police Department, the connective tissue between the shows goes beyond the creative teams and the city of Baltimore. While “The Wire” was a fictional story, it was speaking to the issues in policing stemming from the drug war heading into the turn of the century and the 2000s. But WE OWN THIS CITY deals with the next generation of the drug war.
In the 2000s, the Baltimore Police Department struggled to respond to crime with meaningful police work, giving itself over to mass arrest and drug warring instead. WE OWN THIS CITY shows how the department’s desperate reliance on statistics over substance eventually led to the inability of department officials to supervise the Gun Trace Task Force and the further inability of the department to discipline rogue police. At the time of the GTTF scandal in 2017, though there were numerous indications of corruption within several plainclothes units going back almost a decade, Baltimore police commanders held to the belief that any street unit that could bring in guns and drugs consistently had to be championed and protected. WE OWN THIS CITY depicts the inevitable corruption of a unit given this carte blanche.
Episodes include:
Episode 1 “Part One”
Debut Date: MONDAY, APRIL 25 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
Momodu Gondo (McKinley Belcher III) finds himself in an interrogation. A detective in a nearby county traces a string of overdoses to Baltimore.
Written by George Pelecanos & David Simon; Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green.
Episode 2 “Part Two”
Debut Date: MONDAY, MAY 2 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
Jenkins (Jon Bernthal) learns stark truths about policing as a new officer. Rayam (Darrell Britt-Gibson) opens up about the GTTF. Suiter (Jamie Hector) is assigned to a new murder case.
Written by Ed Burns & William F. Zorzi; Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green.
Episode 3 “Part Three”
Debut Date: MONDAY, MAY 9 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
Despite numerous complaints, Hersl (Josh Charles) is placed on the GTTF. Jensen (Dagmara Domińczyk) monitors Gondo’s (McKinley Belcher III) calls. Jenkins (Jon Bernthal) brings Suiter (Jamie Hector) along on a raid.
Written by D Watkins; Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green.
Episode 4 “Part Four”
Debut Date: MONDAY, MAY 16 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
Jenkins (Jon Bernthal) pivots after a high-speed car chase yields no drugs. During his interview with the Feds, former officer Maurice Ward (Rob Brown) recalls how Jenkins remained unscathed as the GTTF’s supervisor – despite a series of illegal incidents. Steele (Wunmi Mosaku) confronts Davis (Delaney Williams) about a list of cops who lied in court, and the city is rocked by the Freddie Gray protests.
Written by William F. Zorzi & Ed Burns; Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green
Episode 5 “Part Five”
Debut Date: MONDAY, MAY 23 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
Jensen (Dagmara Domińczyk), Sieracki (Don Harvey), and U.S. Attorney Leo Wise (Lucas Van Engen) prepare to charge the officers of the GTTF. Suiter (Jamie Hector) feels the distrust of Baltimoreans as he works a homicide scene and begins to sense that his past is closing in on him. Steele (Wunmi Mosaku) and Davis (Delaney Williams) seek support from Baltimore’s new mayor on the consent decree before the new administration takes over the DOJ.
Written by George Pelecanos; Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green
Episode 6 “Part Six”
Debut Date: MONDAY, MAY 30 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
After the arrest of several GTTF officers, Suiter (Jamie Hector) grows concerned about his grand jury subpoena. Jenkins (Jon Bernthal) learns his fellow officers are cooperating with the investigation as the full extent of his crimes comes to light. Davis (Delaney Williams) and the mayor’s office go head-to-head on funding for the consent decree, while Steele (Wunmi Mosaku) questions whether the U.S. justice system can ever be changed.
Written by David Simon; Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green
Developed and executive produced by George Pelecanos and David Simon; directed and executive produced by Reinaldo Marcus Green; executive produced by Nina K. Noble, Ed Burns, and Kary Antholis. Co-executive producer William F. Zorzi. Writers include Pelecanos, Simon, Burns, Zorzi and D. Watkins.