(S04E01) "Lambs to the slaughter here." -- Maria Donnelly.

During the opening credits the show's traditional theme song plays, but this time it's sung by a chorus of children. As in previous seasons, this is about the only soundtrack music we will hear until the final credits. The Wire doesn't use strings to tell us when to feel pathos, or synthesizers to build suspense. It trusts and depends on the drama and the truth of its characters to tell the story.

Welcome to The Wire: The Next Generation. Some old favorites are back -- though just as dispersed as we left them at the end of season three. We get to check in with some of them, but much of the focus is on new characters we meet for the first time and will be the heart of this year's story. This makes tonight's episode a pretty accessible place enter the story, even if you've never seen The Wire before.