Way down in the hole.

My interview with Tray Chaney who played Poot on “The Wire” was so much fun, I wanted to keep it going. See, I’ve caught some flack from a couple friends over my enthusiasm for the show… and you know, I wear that as a badge of honor.

I do like a number of other shows, though (ask K about my borderline obsessive knowlege of all things “Simpsons”). As it turns out, some of those shows have writers who share my feelings for “The Wire”, and quite casually work them into their episodes. So off the top of my head, here’s some I’ve spotted over the last few years. If you can think of more, please comment below.

Speaking of “The Simpsons”, in a season 23 episode, “The Ten-Per-Cent Solution”, Krusty lands a new adult-themed show on “HBOWTime” thanks to his new (and former) agent Annie Dubinsky (voiced by the late Joan Rivers). While the show airs, things go awry, and Moe, watching it live at the bar is left wondering why he pays extra for the channel.

(Cred for top photo, Simpsons Wikia; bottom, screenshot from episode)

Moe: “I’m paying extra for this channel? It hasn’t been good since ‘The Wire’. Eh, who am I kidding, I never watched “The Wire”. I had to bluff my way through so many conversations…”

Oh, Moe. I’m sure there are many others who fake it to seem relevant. Or at least, have it on their perma-To-Watch list, along with “The Walking Dead”, “Breaking Bad”, “Mad Men” and a bunch of other shows they’ll probably never actually watch. Which brings me to this “Portlandia” skit from their third season, “Spoiler Alert”, which actually contains a lot of real spoilers, including a major one for “The Wire”:

 Omar and Lily (Cred for Omar here; Lily, screenshot from episode)

Then there are those who throw out “Wire” references not to seem in-the-know, but to give them some edge. Check out Lily (Alyson Hannigan) channeling Omar on this season eight episode of “How I Met Your Mother”:

Recently, I caught a couple blink-and-you’ll-miss it shoutouts on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”  and “Parks & Rec”.

 (Both pics are screenshots from episode)

In last month’s “Stakeout” episode, Detectives Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) sign up to do a, you guessed it, stakeout together, and almost immediately drive each other crazy. They decide to make a “No-No List” to set down rules to help things go smoothly, only the list grows exponentially, managing to include “No comparing yourself to Idris Elba” who played Stringer Bell, and “No complaining about ‘not seeing The Wire'”. It’s a two-for!

Over in Pawnee, a recent trip to the William Henry Harrison Museum by Leslie (Amy Poehler) and crew included a hilariously bizarre display of how different history would’ve been if Harrison, who had the misfortune of catching pneumonia during his Inaugural Address and dying thirty-two days into his presidency, had worn a coat and lived. According to the exhibit, The Great Depression would’nt have been so great (or long), Kennedy would not have been assasinated, and:

 (Pics are screenshots from episode)

Why, of why did he not don a coat (said dramatically while shaking fist in air)? Anyway, I’m in good company, tripping over “The Wire”.