We Own This City
We Own This City
Now Showing

We Own This City

"In a war, you count the bodies and call them victories."

7.1
Yr 2022
Status Ended
Crime Drama
Your Verdict

Rate this show to unlock picks like it. Create a free account.

Back
Series Brief

Overview

The story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force — and the corruption and moral collapse that befell an American city in which the policies of drug prohibition and mass arrest were championed at the expense of actual police work.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 88 /100

We Own This City is widely lauded as a blistering, serious examination of institutional decay within the Baltimore Police Department. Critics frequently compare the series to David Simon’s The Wire, noting that while it shares a similar gritty DNA and commitment to dense, socio-political storytelling, it stands apart as a more humorless, focused exploration of true-life mass corruption.

Reviews are generally glowing, with particular praise directed at Jon Bernthal’s magnetic performance and the show’s unwavering commitment to systemic critique. While some critics feel the series occasionally retreads themes covered in previous iterations of Simon’s work, the consensus is that the show’s rigor, intellectual depth, and journalistic approach to criminal justice make it a standout piece of modern prestige drama.

“A brilliant, blistering cop show about the corrosion of American law enforcement and America itself.”

“A stand-out mini-series in one of the most crowded periods of Prestige Drama in years.”

“Its arguments are bold and impossible to miss.”

“We Own This City has no humor, and that’s not a negative.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

HBO Max
UK • US
Crave
CA
HBO Max Amazon Channel
UK • US
Show 1 more
Crave Amazon Channel
CA
Why fans love it

The 2022 miniseries We Own This City examines the disintegration of the Baltimore Police Department through the lens of the Gun Trace Task Force. The drama dissects how a focus on mass arrests and drug prohibition replaced investigative police work, creating a vacuum where corruption and violence flourished among those sworn to maintain order.

Jon Bernthal leads a cast that portrays the stark contrast between departmental policy and the fallout on city streets. The narrative moves through drug markets, police precincts, and the periphery of local nightlife to illustrate how institutional failure impacts an entire urban ecosystem. By showing the mechanics of systemic collapse, the show frames a specific case of organized crime as a symptom of a broader struggle with accountability.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 22
Longest run 6 eps
Jon Bernthal
Jon Bernthal
as Sgt. Wayne Jenkins
6 episodes
Wunmi Mosaku
Wunmi Mosaku
as Nicole Steele
6 episodes
Jamie Hector
Jamie Hector
as Sean M. Suiter
6 episodes
Josh Charles
Josh Charles
as Daniel Hersl
6 episodes
McKinley Belcher III
McKinley Belcher III
as Momodu 'G Money' Gondo
6 episodes
Rob Brown
Rob Brown
as Maurice Ward
6 episodes
David Corenswet
David Corenswet
as David McDougall
6 episodes
Darrell Britt-Gibson
Darrell Britt-Gibson
as Jemell Rayam
5 episodes
Show 67 more
Dagmara Dominczyk as Erika Jensen 6 episodes Don Harvey as John Sieracki 6 episodes Larry Mitchell as Scott Kilpatrick 6 episodes Delaney Williams as Kevin Davis 6 episodes Lucas Van Engen as Leo Wise 6 episodes Jermaine Crawford as Jaquon Dixon 4 episodes Domenick Lombardozzi as Stephen Leary 4 episodes Tray Chaney as Gordon Hawk 5 episodes Anwan Glover as David Baker 1 episode Bobby J. Brown as Thomas Allers 4 episodes Nathan Corbett as Tariq Touré 4 episodes Chris Clanton as Brian Hairston 5 episodes Melvin T. Russell as Aaron 'Black' Anderson 1 episode Seth Hurwitz as Donald Stepp 4 episodes Michael Salconi as ADA Drummond 1 episode Kevin Murray as Gary Proctor 2 episodes Ken Arnold as Charlie Gibson 4 episodes James Lewis as Judge Franklin Moore 1 episode Shaun Woodland as Walter Collins 1 episode Ian Duff as Ahmed Jackson 5 episodes Joe Medina as Diego Richardson 1 episode Victor Dobro as John Clewell 1 episode Sylvester Lee Kirk as Glenn Wells 2 episodes Paige Carter as Stephanie Rawlings-Blake 1 episode Jesse Milliner as Ed Zoller 1 episode Dwayne Alistair Thomas as Kevin Haughton 1 episode Terry O'Neill as Linda Nelson 1 episode Dave Johnson as Brad Rosenthal 1 episode Donnell Johnson as Jimmie Griffin 1 episode Lorenzo D. Mathis as Driver 1 episode Marcellus ''Bassman'' Shepard as Gordon Johnson 1 episode Dawn A. Douglas as Woman 1 episode Daniel Martin as FBI TAC Officer #3 1 episode Lyon Beckwith as Booth 1 episode Dominic Jackson as Bystander #1 1 episode Gabrielle Carteris as Andrea 'Andi' Smith 2 episodes Leah Pressman as Kristy Jenkins 2 episodes Thaddeus Street as James Otis 2 episodes Joey Palestina as Michael Fries 1 episode Noah Silas as Jonathan Jones 2 episodes Christopher R. Anderson as Dean Palmere (uncredited) 2 episodes Bru Ajueyitsi as Stanley Willis 1 episode Jeremy Gabriel as Pete Gallagher 1 episode David Hammond as Ed Barber 1 episode Young Moose as Young Moose 1 episode Mark McKinnon as Officer Miles 1 episode Aristeo F. Kardi as Ryan Guinn 1 episode Shalèt Monique as Te'ana 1 episode Kenneth Wayne as Det. Michael Sylvester 1 episode D'Angelo Rashad Woods as Snell 1 episode Scott Charles Blamphin as Bill Burns 1 episode Paul Wang as Tim Yang 1 episode Vincent Sistrunk as Jaylin 1 episode J. Shawn Durham as Officer #2 1 episode William L. Thomas as Customer 1 episode Wadi Jones as Patrolman #4 1 episode Mike D. Anderson as HCDC Officer #2 1 episode Joe Pistone as Det. Jason Giordano (uncredited) 1 episode Treat Williams as Brian Grabler 1 episode Benjamin Bass as James Kostoplis 1 episode Joy Jones as Tisha Edwards 1 episode Antoinette Greene as Catherine Pugh 1 episode Mike Sutton as Rod Rosenstein 1 episode Brian Anthony Wilson as Andre Davis 1 episode Michael J. Lyons as Jim Smith 1 episode Steve Polites as Unit Leader 1 episode Jermel Wilson as Car Smasher (uncredited) 1 episode
Production Board

Crew

Director
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Executive Producer
Reinaldo Marcus Green George Pelecanos Ed Burns Nina K. Noble
Consulting Producer
Karen L. Thorson
Art Direction
Grant M Guilliams
Original Music Composer
Kris Bowers
Producer
John Mabry
Second Assistant Camera
Jason Hochrein
Casting
Pat Moran
Costume Design
Dona Adrian Gibson
Stand In
Chad Tyler
Set Decoration
Paige Mitchell Deanna Simmons
Creator
George Pelecanos
Writer
George Pelecanos Ed Burns William F. Zorzi D. Watkins
Makeup Artist
Sabina Edin Lowe
Co-Executive Producer
William F. Zorzi
Foley Artist
Jay Peck
Special Effects Coordinator
Hank Atterbury
Second Assistant Director
Lisa Mall
Director of Photography
Yaron Orbach
Editor
Joshua Raymond Lee
Post Production Supervisor
Jason Fournet
Production Design
Valeria De Felice
Associate Producer
Mara Goldman
Signal Match

Similarity

Where We Own This City overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

robbery detective police brutality based on novel or book drug dealer baltimore, usa wiretap strip club murder organized crime miniseries police corruption fbi agent
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
April 25, 2022
Status
Ended
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
286