Oscar Isaac's Overlooked HBO Series Is A Must-Watch For The Wire Fans

"Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy." Those are the words of a famous F. Scott Fitzgerald quote that gives the title of one overlooked HBO series that you might have missed. Following the conclusion of showrunner and journalist David Simon's era defining drama "The Wire," which started as a radically complex look at the drug trade in Baltimore and over its five seasons expanded outwards to encompass every aspect of life in the city, Simon at first attempted to bring a spin-off of the series to life before settling into the War in Iraq miniseries "Generation Kill" and the New Orleans-set drama "Treme."

The common thread across these shows, despite their radically different settings, is a unique, picaresque perspective, following disparate characters whose stories might not intersect directly, but the ramifications of their actions have far-reaching impacts that they might never even be aware of. When "Treme" concluded in 2013, Simon followed it up with another miniseries, this time bringing in his biggest A-list star to date: Oscar Isaac. Despite Isaac's star power, "Show Me a Hero" was overlooked, getting only one nomination and win for Oscar Isaac at the Golden Globes but no recognition at the Emmys. Still, it's a must-watch for fans of "The Wire" who want an on-the-ground look at a pivotal moment in American history they are probably not familiar with.

Based on the book of the same name by New York Times writer Lisa Belkin, "Show Me a Hero" tells the story of Yonkers, New York's youngest ever mayor Nick Wasicsko. Played with a textured and layered performance by Oscar Isaac, Wasicsko's tenure as mayor is defined by a federal judge ordering the city to be desegregated. The ruling requires the middle-class and predominantly white city of Yonkers to build 200 units of public housing on the east side of the city. Wasicsko won his election by vowing to fight the judge's order, but after the city loses its appeal to the Supreme Court and has to pay its $11 million legal bill, Wasicsko realizes that they have no choice but to comply.

Unfortunately for Wasicsko, not everyone in Yonkers agrees, and "Show Me a Hero" illustrated in excruciating detail the efforts of the city council to comply with the court order and the community's increasing hostility to it. Failing to build the housing risks bankrupting the city, as a $100 per day fine quickly balloons to nearly $1 million per day, forcing basic city services to shut down and hundreds of city workers facing layoffs.

To fill out the city of Yonkers, Simon cast his biggest ensemble yet. In addition to Oscar Isaac, Alfred Molina plays a member of city council who refuses to comply with the judge's (played by Bob Balaban) order to desegregate the city, while Jim Belushi plays Wasicko's opponent in the upcoming election. Winona Ryder and Catherine Keener play "concerned citizens" of Yonkers fighting Wasickso at every turn, while Jon Bernthal is one of his only allies, a civil rights attorney representing the local NAACP chapter. And "The Wire" fans out there will recognize Detective Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) as a local community organizer helping to bring the housing projects to life.

While "Show Me a Hero" failed to ignite a firestorm when it aired in 2015, Simon followed it up with three more HBO series, including the grimy '70s porn industry drama "The Deuce," and an adaptation of Philip Roth's alternate history novel "The Plot Against America" (read our review here). Simon returned to Baltimore with "We Own This City," which gave audiences a boots-on-the-ground look at modern-day American policing.