Barack Obama has hailed US gang drama The Wire as 'one of the greatest pieces of art in the last couple of decades ' during an interview with its creator . The President told David Simon he was a huge fan of the hit HBO series about life in drug-plagued Baltimore , during a chat about criminal justice reform . A video of the 12-minute conversation , about the need to reduce the incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders , was shown at the Bipartisan Criminal Justice Summit in Washington . Meeting : President Barack Obama talks to The Wire creator David Simon about the war on drugs . The president said people looking for solutions to the drug war need to 'humanize what so often , on the local news , is just a bunch of shadowy characters and tell their stories . ' 'That 's where the work you 've done has been so important , ' he told Mr Simon . 'There is an increasing realization on the left , but also on the right , politically , that what we 're doing is counterproductive , ' he said . Fan : President Obama hailed The Wire , starring Dominic West , Larry Gilliard Jr. and Wendell Pierce ( pictured ) as a great 'piece of art ' High praise : President Obama said he was 'huge fan ' of The Wire , starring officer James 'Jimmy ' McNulty ( Dominic West ) and Detective William 'Bunk ' Moreland ( Wendell Pierce ) pictured . 'Either from a libertarian perspective , the way we treat non-violent drug crimes is problematic , and from a fiscal perspective , it 's breaking the bank , that you end up spending so much more on prison than you would with these kids being in school or even going to college , that it 's counterproductive ' . He spoke of people being turned into 'hardened criminals ' while in prison , which created a cycle of them returning to jail . Disaffected : Obama said solutions to the drug war needed to 'humanize what so often , on the local news , is just a bunch of shadowy characters and tell their stories ' which The Wire had helped with . Discussions : Barack Obama meets The Wire creator David Simon at the White House to discuss incarceration of drug offenders . 'When you break down why people are n't getting back into the labor force , even as jobs are being created , a big chunk of that is the young male population with felony histories . The Wire , which looked at the dark underbelly of the city of Baltimore , ran for five seasons on HBO . Each season focused on a different facet of the drugs trade in the Maryland city : the drug trade on the streets , the seaport system , corruption within the city government and bureaucracy , the school system , and the print news media . The series , which ran from 2002 to 2008 and became a huge cult hit , being hailed by many critics as the best television programme of the last decade or even of all time . 'So now where we have the opportunity to give them a pathway toward a responsible life , they 're foreclosed . And that 's counterproductive . ' The Wire chronicled the effects of the drug war as it was waged in Maryland 's largest city in the early 2000s , showing how both drug use and the heavy-handed response of the law enforcement devastated communities . Mr Simon , an outspoken critic of the federal government 's drug policies , did not hold back as he spoke with the President . 'What the drugs do n't destroy , the war against them tears apart , ' he said . Obama once again mentioned his favorite 'Wire ' character Omar Little , a stick-up man who would make a living by targeting drug dealers . The President had previously revealed the character , played by Michael K. Williams , was his best-liked star of the show .
President talked about criminal justice reform with SimonDavid Simon . Said The Wire had helped 'humanize ' people in the drug war . Co-writer David Simon said war against destroyed what drugs had n't already . 12-minute broadcast played at Bipartisan Criminal Justice Summit .