Season 3 returns to the Barksdale gang active on the streets, while also expanding its perspective into the political sphere. In addition, the new subplot of Hamsterdam is introduced this season to explore the potential positive effects of the "de facto" legalization of illegal drug trafficking and prostitution in some sparsely populated neighborhoods. This approach has achieved positive results in Amsterdam and other European cities, reducing street crime in the city. These are all continuations of earlier plots.