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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - HBO has renewed the drama series "The Wire" for a fourth season.

The premium channel ordered 12 more episodes after months of indecision following the finale of "Wire's" third season in December; previous seasons were greenlighted immediately.

Production will resume in Baltimore -- on the inner-city streets where the story is set -- in late 2005, with plans to return the show to the schedule next year.

Although the death of a pivotal character in the penultimate episode of the third season could have brought "Wire" to a close, executive producer David Simon sent HBO executives a story bible last week for a fourth season that gave the series a fresh angle, according to HBO president of entertainment Carolyn Strauss.

"We spent the weekend perusing, and as always with David, his story wins the day," Strauss said. "His writing is so amazing that it was impossible to say no."

Strauss would not specify what the new story lines were, but she alluded to the fictional mayor and educational system of Baltimore coming to the fore.

HBO still has deals with all key cast members to return for the fourth season but made no specific announcements. Sources say one of "Wire's" lead actors, Dominic West, was reluctant to return to the series.

"Wire" is coming back despite taking a tumble in the ratings during its third season, its first in the fall -- opposite the likes of ABC's "Desperate Housewives" -- as opposed to the less competitive summer. Strauss said no decisions have been made as to what time slot "Wire" will get.

The future of "Wire" looked shaky before the third season even aired because of the death last year of one of its executive producers, Robert Colesberry. Although his passing shocked Simon, Strauss believes the producers rallied in his absence. "Everyone else really stepped up and filled in," she said. "Bob was irreplaceable, but he trained a great team."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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