Fifth season of 'Wire' will be its last

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The fifth and final season of HBO's celebrated Baltimore-set cop drama, "The Wire," is slated to begin airing next month.

Creator and former Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon said the stories this season will still revolve around police and the criminals they are trying to put away, but will also explore problems the traditional media face in covering the issues depicted on the show, Zap2it.com said.

"It made sense to finish 'The Wire' with this reflection on the state of the media, as all the other attendant problems of the American city depicted in the previous four seasons will not be solved until the depth and range of those problems is first acknowledged," Simon said. "And that won't happen without an intelligent, aggressive and well-funded press."

"The Wire" season premiere is set for Jan. 6.