‘The Wire’ and Handsome Furs

UNDERRATED

Season 2 of ‘The Wire’: Mostly removed from the drug-slinging street corners at the series’ heart, this “chapter” from 2003 seemed like the odd duck of David Simon’s crime drama. But the tales of the stevedores caught in the urban decay around the Baltimore docks can’t be overlooked. It’s where the show first transcended its genre.

Handsome Furs: We’re often suspicious of husband-wife duos (call it scarring from the Captain & Tenille days), but the indie-rock pairing of Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner and spouse Alexei Perry exceeded our expectations with the album “Face Control.” Electronic beats and synths backed by growling guitar while Boeckner yelps? Oh yes, love will keep us together.

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OVERRATED

Travel hosts as cautionary examples: We sort of get the multicultural understanding engendered by the Travel Channel’s digestive daredevil Andrew Zimmern, but we’re at a loss after catching the promos for “Bite Me With Dr. Mike.” The premise? Guy goes to exotic locales and gets attacked by exotic creatures. Isn’t this just “Jackass” with a thicker passport?

‘The Goode Family’: We’re carrying some serious love for Mike Judge’s track record, but we finally decided to set his latest series aside for a while. It’s not that the overly global-conscious aren’t ripe for satire -- they are -- it’s just much funnier when it’s delivered by nuanced animated characters. Even stoic Hank Hill was much more than a Texas stereotype.