I’m surprised no one has mentioned The Wire. A TVshow taking place in Baltimore about intricate relationship between drug dealers, police and politics. Love every part of it!
It’s shot in 4:3 aspect ratio despite 16:9 starting to become the standard for tv at the time. It’s has since been “remastered” and adjusted to 16:9 aspect ratio. I was worried it would ruin an already perfect show but I actually liked it. It’s an HBO show.
Long episodes (60min?) and might take a few episodes to get into as there are many characters and storylines that interlace.
I think the creator and writer of The Wire based the characters and plot in his experience as a journalist working for Baltimore Sun. Some characters are less fictional than others, but I think he wanted to depict and emphasize how the city works. So maybe not too far from the real Baltimore.
I think while some characters are plain shit persons, many characters have a lot of depth in them, making you feel and root for them despite being the “bad guys”.
It also shows that doing what would be considered “right” will not always
work out for you.