'The Wire' First Season, list price $59.98, on sale for $40.99

The Daily Deal for July 15

The Wire First Season on DVD, Tower.com, list $59.98, is on sale for $40.99 (32% off) with free shipping.

In case you haven't noticed, the television doldrums have arrived, and if I have to watch one more 'reality' show, I'm going to scream like William Hung (and trust me, you don't want that). Fortunately, my fallback plan is to kick back and enjoy the first season of the ground-breaking HBO series, The Wire. At $40.99 for 13 hours of entertainment, I can even afford to enjoy a cold one as I watch.

I avoid watching serial dramas as they are released because, inevitably, I miss a crucial hour of 24 or the episode of The Sopranos where some key character whacks some other key character. Besides, I enjoy watching these at any pace I damn well please.

This series especially intrigues me. Friends whose judgment I trust are in agreement with many critics that this is one of the most powerful television series ever. So if the thermometer is creeping up toward 100 degrees, don't look for me outside. I'll be on the mean streets of Baltimore, dodging bullets with my boys.