HBO's "The Wire" kicked-off its fifth season Sunday without much fanfare, and executive producer David Simon claims that the way he wants it.

The series has been acclaimed by critics and has a cult-like following—but has earned just one Emmy nomination in four seasons. Simon and George Pelecanos were nominated for writing in 2005 but lost.

"I don't give a (expletive) if we ever win one of their little trinkets," Simon told Newsweek. "I don't care if they ever figure out we're here in Baltimore. "Secretly, we all know we get more ink for being shut out. So at this point, we wanna be shut out. We wanna go down in flames together, holding hands all the way."

Each season of "The Wire" has focused on a different aspect of an American city going downhill. Simon feels the show doesn't get credit for its diverse cast, nearly all of whom had no high-profile prior credits.

"Let me indict Hollywood as much as I can on this one," Simon said. "We have more working black actors in key roles than pretty much all the other shows on the air. And yet you still hear people claim they can't find good African-American actors. That's why race-neutral shows and movies turn out lily-white."