The series is entirely linear with no flashbacks or other devices

There’s one flashback in The Wire in the very first episode:

Simon has complained about the flashback at the end of the pilot, the glimpse of William Gant testifying against D’Angelo. HBO made him insert it, he said, because they were afraid that people wouldn’t understand the significance of the dead body and why it upset D’Angelo so much.

(More here)

“it delivered with a delicious joke on the show’s fans’ endless theorising from the writers – if they want purgatory, we’ll give them purgatory. Smarting from this, fans and detractors alike have been quick to register their disappointment at a “cop-out” ending”

This show was only successful because of its fans, to laugh at them, to suggest they are in some way stupid for expecting a “proper” ending means it deserves nothing less than to be relegated with other numerous, silly shows that have disappointed generations.

See to me, the difference between Lost and the Wire is that – although all the types above are unlikely-according-to-stereotype – any time spent reading the crime news (Reuters’ “weird news” section is particularly likely to throw this up) will conjure up far odder things that actually happen in real life all the time, whereas Lost is just impossible/’magical realism’/whatever.

The Wire is brilliant because you know that for all its implausibilities in the face of stereotype, you could dig out a mayor/copper/drug-lord/hit-man who was actually weirder (Christopher Dudus Coke?). And that Burns and Simon have probably met such people in all camps. The concept that all of them would be in play in the same district & city at the same time is unlikely, but it’s plausible-unlikely.

I was always totally cold to Lost because it seemed to just be silly for the purposes of being silly. Maybe this is because I’ve read too much Ayer and Dawkins, and so think that metaphysics is uninteresting and the amazingness of what does actually happen in real life is what’s interesting.

(on the other hand, I’m currently reading HP Lovecraft for the first time and quite enjoying it; maybe that’ll convert me to mystical non-worlds…)

In hindsight this works well and feels right, during the shows broadcast though i’m pretty sure 99% of people were watching to have WTF questions answered rather than enjoying character development – which lets face it was pretty thin over six series.

People watched to have questions answered and ultimately a lot of the plot now seems like nothing more than constructs to give people that WTF moment, the killer hook that kept people watching.

If i was being very cynical i’d say the final episodes massive character love in was merely to plant the idea that we gave a damn about them over the last six years. Personally, when i talked about Lost it was about the WTF questions, not about how i wished Jack and Sawyer could get along etc.