The Shield

It started slow for me.... i had to force myself to watch the first 5 - 6 chapters, there was something wrong with the show, it just didn't click... but after those initial chapters y spend every single free time i had to watch all 7 seasons!!.



AMAZING TV SHOW. With an ending like i have never seen before. Not even Lost came this close.

love this programme! plenty of dry humour, very dark, raw and ugly and very realistic! like nypd blue mixed with oz! first of all the lead vic mackay crosses the line in order to get results while captain acevada is hellbent on bringing him down! excellent storylines about racism, ***phobia and morals season 5 changes everything when investigator jon kavanaugh played by the excellent forest whittaker uses team member curtis lemansky to bring vic to justice, what's clever is that people actually hate this guy, the finale of season 5 was an excellent shakespearian piece of writing! personally my favourate season oddly enough is 6 because it felt like a different show, vic and shane becoming enemies, julien lowe joining the strike team, and my favourate scene at lems murder scene where vic and shane square off! and season 7 was fantastic pure genious in the interview room between vic and claudette and also the dutchman and billings!!

This show is not the normal police vs baddies kind of story and it is different it is approach to Police work. It is one of the shows that i can say never had a bad moment and the characters are so realistic and amazing in the way they are portrayed. Most of the time and tensed watching an episode of the shield and i know the photography (the way the series was filmed) gets lots of criticism but it makes it more real to me.



The show follows the escapades of the Strike team of the LAPD lead by Detective (Vic Mackey) who are corrupt in their dealings with major notoroius gangs of LA and have their own kind of rules regarding how the law works.



Interesting performances from main cast and a must watch for all lovers.

this show has it all great story amazing charaters and it well written its crazy how good its is i think the fact that its only 13 or so episodes per season help alot you were always left wanting more and unlike most shows with 20 plus episodes there no crap in there just to get the episode numbers up everyone ive lent this to has love it and im sure u will be the same



i highly recommend this show

I'm not sure how realistic it is but it's certainly made me want to be a big city cop (although without the corruption). The relations between the characters are touching, the show is intense, gripping and the characters extremely likeable. Seeing the way the Strike Team are like brothers makes me crave being part of such a close-knit team who are always watching out for eachother. You also end up loving and supporting a team of corrupt cops who you should see as heartless criminals, but you can't because they're deep-down nice guys looking out for their families. This odd combination is similar to that in 'Dexter'.



There are also various sub-plots such as Acevada's political campaign, Vic's marriage breaking down, Julian's conflict between his strong Christian views and his homosexuality. This show does not get for one second boring, unlike CSI which is 95% police procedure which can get a little dull and repetitive, The Shield has gripping characters and a great storyline, a must watch!

The shows which made Hollywood blockbuster action thrillers looked like chick flicks compared to it. The Shield is one of the few shows were you love the bad guy( bad in one way) and you're getting pretty attached to their characters. Who didn't feel sad when Lem was killed by Shane? Who didn't hate Shane all seasons long? Who didn't almost smashed the screen when Kavanaugh (brilliant acting from Forest Whitaker) appeared and issued "theories" against Vick. The ending was a bit strange, from all that catchy soundtracks during all episodes to the final 5 minutes when all was completely silent. A big silent and mysterious ending

Easily the best cop drama ever made. The characters are extremely likable and the plot never sways from it's main theme. Based on the real LAPD corruption scandal of the 1990s. The Series Finale itself is must see TV. You will not be disappointed.

This show is often compared to The Wire (another fantastic show worth picking up) but other than being cop shows they really have little in common. Whereas The Wire gradually built its story and developed its characters over the course of its five seasons The Shield starts quickly and never lets up.





That's not to say the story is lacking though and, alongside the ongoing story of Vic Mackey, many of the episodes do have individual cases that need solving. Often considered controversial during its lifespan The Shield never holds back on showing and tackling subjects that most shows fear to discuss. It is however the questionable tactics deployed by Vic Mackey and his strike team, a theme that runs throughout the course of the show, that will really have you coming back for more. It is testament to the quality of the writing and acting that most viewers will never make up their minds as to whose side they are really on. I can't recommend this show highly enough.

What can you say about this show and Vic Mackey and his unorthodox strike team that hasnt already been said.





I have watched alot of tv shows (sopranos, the wire, Oz etc) and the shield eclipses them all. No tv show i've seen before or since grabs you by the throat and slaps you around whilst you watch it - the shield does.





The writing in this show is top notch bordering on genius, every episode is a story in its own right but the overriding arch story of the strike team and their past endeavours catching up with them is always going on throughout, from the unforgettable epsiode one. The characters in this show are of course wonderful and in Vic Mackey, Shane Vandrell, Dutch and Claudette you have 4 of the greatest tv characters ever created, you will be gripped and taken in by all of them.





The other thing the shield has over its elite competitors is IMO - not only the greatest tv tale ever woven(across 7 seasons) but that is doesnt have one weak season. What i mean by that is I couldnt even seperate one season and say it was better than another, they are all equally sublime and brilliant.





Just do yourself a favour and watch this unforgettable show.

CSI is absolute garbage. I wouldn\\\'t line my birdcage with it if I could. The Wire is quality, but it is way too slow. Maybe cop work is like that, sure. I can accept that The Wire is the most realistic cop show. But when it comes to watchable television, nothing even approaches The Shield. Nothing on cable tv, nothing on pay tv, nothing before and nothing since. The new Battlestar Galactica is the only exception that I might be willing to accept. It approaches the level of excitement that The Shield delivers. But it does not match it. No, sir, it does not. How can it? The Shield is THE best show, ever. Yes, ever. Even if Mike C. did Fantastic Four (everything shot in Canada should be boycotted as union-busting slurry), and even if Mike C. believes that Osama did 9-11 (building seven), this show is la merde! The absolute SH e IT baby! It is rock and roll clown on cocaine good, ye-ye-ye-yeaaaaah! It smokes everything else in a glass pipe, sucka! It is the best, ever. EVER!__________________ THE (cotton-pickin, itsybitsyspider stomping) END

The most intelligent, well written, finely directed & exceptionally acted cop show so far.





Every season gets better & one of the most important things is that they "do" follow up on every character; I mean, not only the main characters but also the supporting & recurring characters which gives the show a great pacing & a more realistic mood.





Shooting the series on 16mm film in order 2 give it a "documentary" look was great so I'd like 2 congratulate Shawn Ryan as well as the late Scott Bazil (rip) 4 making that decision. Michael Chiklis' performance is one that every aspiring (and many "consumed") actor should watch; I mean, the truly good actor is the one that quite simply: DOESN'T ACT & Mr. Chiklis' performance is so natural that he does exactly that; so I don't know what were the "selective" people of the Golden Globes & Emmys doing when they completely ignored both Glenn Close's (season 4) & Forrest Whitaker's (seasons 5 & 6) exceptional performances but I just hope that they come 2 their senses & reward those who really deserve it as I'm certain that this next upcoming final season will the best.





At the moment I have mixed emotions as I'm eagerly awaiting the premiere of the 7th season but I'm also sad as it will be it's last.





I'm sure that when it goes...it'll go out with a bang !!!

This has got to be the lamest thing since prechewed gum. It is so boring and stupid, it makes me wanna puke and fake a heart attack to get away from it. This is not a show worth watching. Instead, read a book or watch something wat better than this. The Shield is LAME!

"Vic Mackey isn't a cop he is Al Capone with a badge." Captain Acevedo. What more can I say this is some cop drama where everyone is perfect and only the criminals have problems. All the characters don't have struggles going on in their own lives. The show leads you around twist and turns that you would predict and they are afraid to deal with subjects that that other shows will not even address. The Strike team will make you hate them but wonder why they are doing the things that they are. It is dumb watching them try to get out of the situations that they get in.

The Shield is simply hardcore television. From the end of the first episode you are pretty much already a fan, and if you aren't you probably watched the wrong show. This is an extremely gritty cop drama that blurs the lines about what is right and what is wrong. The central characters, the strike team, are extremely likable despite being very morally questionable. Each episode there will be a few crimes committed and the Police will go about solving them. All of this will be set against several people trying to lock up the strike team and the strike team doing something suspect to get the bad guy. There are major arcs that carry through each individual season as well as over longer time periods. All of this is compelling drama, and after the end of the fifth season, nothing is safe an secure anymore. With the tension of the situations that the characters are put into turning them against each other, the last two seasons are probably the best of the lot. Overall, this is a great cop show with a solid soundtrack and should be seen by many, many people.

This show is honestly the best hour of television I have ever watched. If you have not watched it before, do yourself a favor and go pick up the entire series on dvd. Everything about this show is done perfectly! From the gritty, realistic look of the show, to the extremely deep and complex portrayal of each and every one of the characters. This is, and will always remain one of the greatest shows on tv. The show follows Detective Vic Mackey and the people in his life. The main focus is on a special police unit known as the "Strike Team" which Mackey leads. The first episode ends with a shocking "BANG!" and things slowly spiral out of control from there. This is not a show where things always turn out in the end for the "Good Guys". This is drama at it's best and it is frequently able to shock you, worry you, and suck you in to this world that it has created. Going through life without seeing this show from start to finish is a terrible crime, and we all know how Vic Mackey likes to deal with criminals.

Police brutality is wrong, just so you know.





There is a difference between bending the rules and snapping them off, tossing them to the floor and jumping up and down on them. I *don't* want law enforcement to have to sink this low to do their jobs. I know it's an ugly world out there, but it's one thing to struggle against the darkness, quite another to become part of it. This person is not an antihero. He is evil. Beating, extortion, you name it, this guy does it--and he's the cop. Even though Glenn Close was really good in her supporting role, that's not enough to save the show for me. Seriously awful.

My opinion is based on watching the first 5 episodes of season 1. It's clearly a good show. The episodes have continually gotten better. However, the 9+ rating is inflated. It ought to be more like 8. Now HBO's The Wire, that's a 9+ cop show! Putting The Shield in the same league as The Wire is a major insult to The Wire, whose production values are far higher. Not to say The Shield isn't a good show, but we need to keep our perspective straight. By the way, if you like The Shield and haven't seen The Wire, you're definitely missing out on an incredible show that you'll probably enjoy.





Two things about the Shield really annoy me: the spastic camera work and the grating music. They aren't enough to chase me away, but they certainly present major "opportunities" for improvement.

"The Shield" is definitely a far cry from Michael Chicklis' previous cop show "The Commish." Vic Makey could not be any more different from Anthony Scali. That fact is a good part of the reason why "The Shield" was such a terrific show. Another reason was the well written scripts and the terrific performances by everybody in the cast. Chicklis certainly deserved the Emmy he was awarded for his performace on the show. Walton Goggins was just as excellent as Vick's good friend and fellow detective who struggled with his corrput ways. "The Shield" deserves to be remembered. Excellent show.

I will not ruin a moment of it for you, but I will say that this is the best drama I've ever seen on TV. I will let you know that the themes and often the content are VERY adult (put the little ones to bed) and could offend some sensitive viewers. Lastly, I will also let you know that this series does have a conclusion (unlike so many shows I like that get yanked by the network).





The show is character-driven and the acting is first-rate. Chiklis is amazing as Vic. Claudette is one of the most believable characters and is superbly and powerfully portrayed by CCH Pounder (I can't believe that Hollywood hasn't snatched up this great actress and used her EVERYWHERE - she is incredible). All the actors are phenomenal, but I have to say that if Walton Goggins is not like Shane in real life (and I imagine he's not) then Walton deserves an Oscar or twenty - he has me totally sold.





This is not your typical cop show. If you are not a typical viewer you really should try the shield.

The Shield is one of the greatest cop shows ever produced. It takes high-flying risks in terms of violence, sex, and moral ambiguity and has changed the TV landscape for the better.





The Shield asks a lot of its audience. Many times, if you miss even one episode, you will be lost due to its labyrinthine plot. However, with greater investment in the series comes greater rewards as the show pays off its storylines in ways that often make my jaw drop.





Above all, this is a show about characters. In The Shield, we are given the opportunity to get to know a group of people over 7 seasons. These people are not static: events have consequences for them, and by the end of the show, it is hard to believe how greatly some of these fallible and flawed human beings have changed. While other programs have the tendency to maintain the status quo, The Shield lets its characters get knocked down, damaged, and in some cases, killed. There is no "reset button." It plays hard and it plays for keeps.





This show is not for everyone. As I've said before, it pushes the boundaries in terms of content for a non-premium cable network. Some will no doubt be offended by this. Others will be unwilling to take the time to sort through the complicated plotlines and the alliances struck between the various characters. That's all good and well: this show wasn't made for you.





It was made for people who are bored by episodic television in which characters are not allowed to be alive and where events do not impact the protagonists. It was made for people who are tired of shows that pull punches and lack the bravery to make something really grand. In short, it was created for people who hate shallow entertainment. I have yet to mention the cast, which is uniformly strong. Michael Chiklis' performance in the final 2 episodes is some of the strongest acting I've ever seen. If there's any justice, he'll get an Emmy for his work in the 7th season. However, this show has never been about getting recognition. Its makers have been content to keep pounding out great television while lesser shows soaked up the critical accolades.





In conclusion, The Shield, and shows like it, are the cure for what ails television today. Its willingness to be real and treat its fans with respect make it one of the best programs in recent memory.

If you haven't seen The Shield, do yourself a favor and watch it from the beginning. You will be richly rewarded. This is TV at it's best. The characters are strong and complex. Their world is dark, dangerous and messy. Detective Vic Mackey, brilliantly played by Michael Chiklis, will leave you breathless. **sigh**





It was so good the first time through, now that I know how it ends, I'm will probably never watch it again.





Don't let anyone spoil it for you. Experience it for yourself.





Sublime, perfect, wonderful, satisfying, marvelous, extraordinary, brilliant, flawless, exciting, excellent, awesome, breathtaking, breathless, superb, ultimate, supreme, majestic, astonishing, et cetera, et cetera… **sigh**

The Shield is the best show ever. What I will say to everyone first is try to watch a full season within a few days of starting it. you'll get much deeper into the story. I have to confess that i didnt watch the last 4 weeks of the show until I could make the time to watch it knowing I wouldn't be interupted and it was worth it.





I was lucky enough to have watched this on UK tv from the very first episode (despite absolutely no adverts leading up to it). I got hooked straight away and how couldn't I? The last minute of the first episode shows the lawless environment that these characters lived in. Watching that first episode, I would never have guessed that I would be taken on such a rollercoaster ride. This show brought out every different emotion, many times.





The storyline is so simple but the way it was put together, the writing, the music, the camerawork etc, is what made this my favorite Drama.





I miss The Shield already.

The Shield was a really solid show packed with drama, action, and compelling storylines with some great twists and turns. I can't recall a boring moment while watching the show because there was something happening at all corners. The show had great acting, great characters, good storylines, nice plots, and good suspense. My favorite parts of the show had to be the last 2 seasons, especially with Anthony Andersen as a lead villain. I think that he added a good sense of charisma to the show and a much need breath of fresh air. Overall, this was a solid show. Thank you.

This show was one of my favorite TV shows. I really liked all the characters and side stories very much. Not having Lem around was sad because next to Vick he was my favorite, but the show carried on well and still made him relevant to the story line all the way to the conclusion. I kind of wish Shane would have gotten away, or at least his wife and kid, but then again that would have been expected. The murder/suicide was shocking but it was also realistic for television. There can't always be happy endings. I feel bad for Ronny that he gets pinned with all the crimes while Vick gets immunity, but somebody had to go to jail. I wish they would have developed Ronny a little better as a character earlier on, he always had a mysterious nature about him. I thought that after Lem died he would be more developed, they tried but I think the story line had to revolve more around Shane and Vick, and that worked out well. The ending was interesting, Vick is in this dead-end job filing paper work day to day, kinda of the anti-Vick, stuck behind a boring old desk. However, when he grabs his gun and heads out the door I kind of wonder what he plans on doing or where he's gonna go. Looks like Vick might've not been entirely neutralized, yet they leave this to our imagination. Great show!

Found the murder suicide disturbing, maybe because I have a child Jackson's age. Other wise it was all I have come to expect from the show. Everyone got what they deserved and I like how Vic had the worst thing that could happen to him, he spent all the time and effort to save himself so he could be around for his family and that is taken away from him. Also like how ICE "desked" him, he has always been a street cop and it is fitting justice that he will rot behind a desk. GREAT SHOW wonder what's next??

Wow! What a gripping finale to what has become my favourite ever show.





When I first stumbled across the Shield a few years ago, I was blown away by the first episode and have been gripped since. This finale surely left viewers with mixed emotions around the outcome of characters who were superbly portrayed by a top notch cast who deserve to scoop whatever awards will surely come their way.





The series closed things up in a way which meant their was no way back and as sorry as I am that is the case, it's refreshing to see a series wrapped up and all the major loose ends tied up.





Great characters all round, felt sorry for Shane which I never thought I would, gutted for Ronnie and you just know how much it would hurt Vic to be left in the position he is in.





Claudette and Dutch played off each other superbly. The way Julian looked out of the car at the 'open' lovers on the street subtley reminded you of all the inner torment that characters on the Shield had throughout every season. Sad to see the end but what a ride!

Wow. What a final FINAL episode. Sorry to see it all go. Love to see a sequel with Vic hitting the streets once again, finding his family and trying to regain his life BUT NOT. I guess the real turning point was when he chose to kiss a fellow officer in the first season. Guess it was a long, but slow, downfall from that point on. Seven seasons worth but what a ride. You know the oldest daughter was really his real daughter in real life. Good her dad was "acting" in all this. But again, seven seasons of pure police drama as good as HBO's The Sopranos, although they had a happier conclusion. Thank you FX. It was a great ride.

First thing. If you haven't watched The Shield go out now and get series 1. Start from the begginning and go all the way through. You life will be sucked up for a while but it's worth it and the only way to get the best out of The Shield.





Reading this will really truly spoil it, so leave if you haven't seen it.





Wow. Just wow. My all time favorite TV show. Without even a close comparison. And it ended in the perfect way.





The good guys aren't always good, the baddest guys don't always get caught and you can never trust what you believe.





I like to think of Vic stewing away in that purgatory with nothing else in his life, sinking deeper and deeper into a bottle until one day he walks off and goes to jail or can't face that prospect and eats his gun.





Its a fitting ending for him to be stuck there, but 3 years is not a shade on what he deserves. But the spirit of the show is he'll do his 3 years and go into a security job and get his hands dirty again and keep shading out of going down.





He's always only been a level above the scum he deals with. He started out with the right reasons but they just allowed him to slowly release his true self and bury his conscience. I think the last 2 or 3 series as slowly eroded away all he had left to identify with and like. It's dragged him down so he can be despised and so we'll want him out of our lives. Let the bastard rot. Selling out Ronnie was the final scrap of his goodness being stripped away. We must leave, nothing left to like or sympathise with, he's now with the pondlife he's bent all the rules to bust.





Ronnie, well, I think he got what he deserved. He was often up there with Vic directing the violence, and never far behind him. And other than his strike team buddies he had no consideration for anyone else. He was never doing the wrong things for the right reasons, he was always doing them because he could, he left moralising and self justification to the others.





Absolute shocker with Shane but. I didn't see that coming. Harrowing. Same as The Shields always been. Shane's always blunderred from error to error since meeting Vic and he finally pushed him into the ultimate act of selfish evil doing possible whilst believing it was the right thing.





I never really liked Shane. I always thought he was too willing to be dragged down with few redeeming features. But despite what he did I think he always had an underlying simpleness and even a little naivety. I didn't think he was ever a truly bad person, and in the end he was fighting for his family not himself. In his belief system willing to forgo his family and go downstairs to the fiery place to make sure they both go upstairs together, never parted.





Very wrong, but Shane all over. Doing very wrong things for the right reasons. But far too wrong for his reasons to make up for it.





And as for open endings....well....it's a cop station. We're watching the station from outside, it doesn't stop because we stop to view. It all carries on inside and it would make no sense if all ends were tied up neat. None at all.





Still thinking about it, still a little upset. Almost feel grief over the end of the characters and the end of the show. Especially Shane, the one I never liked but who in the end proved to be the least selfish of them all. Just in a really screwed up way.





Mighty powerful storytelling, and I think I must get the DVD's to watch them all again. A truly emotional rollercoaster which challenges all your beliefs.





It's a pity he's not making another deep show. The Unit is OK, but it's not a patch on The Shield. And I don't think it's really meant to be, it's light entertainment. Perhaps he doesn't find it any easier to live with his characters than we do?

Been watching for years. This show stands out in many different ways. 1. acting was top notch 2. story lines were never ever dull. 3. production was completely over the top. 4. But best of all in my humble opinion was the ending that made more sense and was totally believable.So unlike the Sopranos! This show never made or tried to make a hero out of anyone. It showed how people, both good and bad, would react to the worst of all possible situations and the suffering they would endure later. One of the best cop shows ever shown on cable TV. Vic Mackey now lies with sleeping dogs. KC

This wasn't just the perfect ending, it was essentially the only proper ending.





Shane died, Ronnie went to prison, and after a few sporadic moments of reflection and a little remorse the old Vic Mackey bounced back and regained that doggedly determined expression to persevere.





Vic's always been the bad guy. We just wanted to believe he'd redeem himself somehow over the course of the show's run but in the end the bad guy won. Though at the cost of his family and 3 of his best friends lives.





Some reviewers seem to feel he suffered a fate worse than death or prison but I don't think that was the case.





I have a feeling that in the world of The Shield, Vic will eventually find a way to get his juice back and become a player with ICE. Either by dredging up dirt on his new co-workers or using Mayor Aceveda as he'd used Councilman and Captain Aceveda.





1 great show down and 2 (LOST & House) to go...