Why The Wire is the best TV show ever

It's over. I've spent 50 hours of my life on it and now it's done. But I just can't let it go.

When I watched the last episode of The Wire last week, I felt like I was losing a dear friend, someone who I'd come to know so well over the past winter.

If you haven't yet seen this amazing five-series US show, I suggest you start now - 50 hours is a long time!

Here's why you should give it a go:

1. The writing. This is a show written by an ex-journalist, David Simon, and a former police officer, Ed Burns - it doesn't follow any cliched formulae and it always, always surprises.

2. It takes patience. In today's times of being spoon-fed culture bites, it's great to know that if you invest your time in a show, it will pay off further down the line.

3. It breaks all the rules. With a huge cast, there isn't any one particular star but instead there's a host of characters in differing shades of grey, from the crooked cops to the honourable thieves.

4. Omar. As my columnist icon Charlie Brooker says, if The Wire is a cult then Omar is a cult within a cult. He's like the Robin Hood of Baltimore, except he has a trenchcoat and a sawn-off shotgun instead of a green jacket and a quiver full of arrows. Did you know the actor who plays Omar, Michael K Williams, is also the cop in R Kelly's hilarious mini-opera 'Trapped in the Closet'?

5. It's genuine. The show uses many local actors and non-actors too; the man who plays Proposition Joe who's actually a theatre teacher to kids on the street, and Bubbles' AA sponsor is singer-songwriter (and former addict) Steve Earle. And there's Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, who was born to drug addicts, raised in foster care and sentenced for murder at the age of just 14, who plays Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, a fearsome killer who lives and breathes life on B-more's corners.

6. The risks. Without dropping any spoilers, I think it's fair to say the writers certainly aren't afraid to kill off a much-loved character if the storyline merits it.

7. It doesn't take sides. As is evident from the beginning, the police and the justice department are just as corrupt as the gangs. Okay, there may be a few less head shots but there is just as much backstabbing.

8. The acting. In an ensemble cast like this there are bound to be a few weak links, but every single actor deserves top billing. Me, I had special love for detectives Shakima Greggs (Sonja Sohn) and Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce), as well as assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman (Deidre Lovejoy).

9. It's funny. And sad. And sexy. And cool. And heartbreaking. And heartwarming. And exciting. And terrifying. And sometimes you have to rewind it just to catch what has been said.

10. The scale. Each season encompasses a different aspect of life in the city, from the street dealers and the police department to the docks, the schools, City Hall and the Baltimore Sun.