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The Wire’s Creators Return With Generation Kill

After filming five seasons of The Wire on Baltimore’s killing streets, David Simon and Ed Burns have a new war zone. Their latest creation, the seven-part HBO miniseries Generation Kill, follows U.S. Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The show, which premieres this Sunday at 9 p.m., is based on reporter Evan Wright’s fascinating book Generation Kill, which detailed his experiences riding with First Reconnaissance Battalion Marines during the assault.

Simultaneously hilarious and disturbing, the miniseries shows a new generation of soldier who was raised on violent video games and Internet porn and is well aware that he’s risking his life and taking other people’s lives for oil. Like The Wire, which unapologetically put B-more on blast with its realistic depiction of life in the inner city, Generation Kill is honest about the ugliest aspects of the war, from one young soldier’s misguided blood lust to the incompetence and/or career consciousness of superior officers. After years of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, you may be inclined to ignore another show about the conflict, but Generation Kill is a worthwhile glimpse at the madness of modern warfare. Plus, unlike the war in Iraq, the series won’t go on indefinitely. Watch the trailer below.