The Wire is the best motion picture media ever created, and it’s not even close. The fact that you’re trying to compare it to “cops and crime” shows means you didn’t even come close to engaging with it. The Shield was decent for its time, but is really just a fantasy show. Breaking Bad has interesting character studies. The Wire is about everything: race, class, criminality, labor, urban blight, politics, education, the fourth estate, hate, love, and on and on. It swings bigger than any other show or movie, and hits it out of the park.