The Shield

Last updated

The Shield
TheShieldTitle.JPG
Genre
Created by Shawn Ryan
Starring
Opening theme"Just Another Day"
by Vivian Romero
Ernesto Bautista
Rodney Alejandro
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerMichael Chiklis
Production locations Los Angeles, California
Cinematography Rohn Schmidt
Running time41–75 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network FX
ReleaseMarch 12, 2002 (2002-03-12) 
November 25, 2008 (2008-11-25)

The Shield is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt police officers, it was originally advertised as Rampart in reference to the true-life Rampart Division police scandal, on which the show's Strike Team was loosely based. The series was created by Shawn Ryan and The Barn Productions for Fox Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

Contents

Several notable actors took extended roles on the show, including Glenn Close, who was the female lead during the fourth season; Michael Peña, in season 4; Anthony Anderson, in seasons 4, 5, and 6; Forest Whitaker, who guest-starred in seasons 5 and 6; Laura Harring, in season 5; Franka Potente, in season 6; and Laurie Holden, in season 7.

The Shield is a prime example of TV noir in that it focuses on moral ambiguity, a salient feature to the noir aesthetic. [2]

The series has received critical acclaim and is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time. [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama in 2002, and the final season won a 2008 AFI Award for best television series. [10] Chiklis won both the Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama in 2002.

Premise

The Shield follows the activities of an experimental division of the Los Angeles Police Department set up in the fictional Farmington district ("the Farm") of Los Angeles, a district rife with gang-related violence, drug trafficking, and prostitution. Operating out of a converted church ("the Barn"), they work to maintain the peace in the district and reduce crime.

At the center of the division is the Strike Team, led by Detectives Vic Mackey, Shane Vendrell, Curtis Lemansky, and Ronnie Gardocki. Mackey and the Strike Team use criminal methods to coerce information and stage arrests and take a share of various drug busts. Although the Strike Team's questionably high success rate leaves the division's head, Captain David Aceveda, suspicious of their methods, he values their success as they help his political efforts to become mayor of Los Angeles.

Attempts to place a fifth member on the Strike Team not in Mackey's circle go astray. The pilot episode concludes with Mackey, suspicious of the loyalty of the latest Strike Team recruit, Terry Crowley, fatally shooting him during an arrest and framing their suspect. This sets in motion events that loom over the Strike Team and continue throughout the series.

The show has an ensemble cast featuring the other officers in the Farmington district. This includes detectives Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach, Steve Billings and Claudette Wyms, uniformed officers Sgt. Danielle "Danny" Sofer, Julien Lowe, and Tina Hanlon. The series has a variety of subplots, notably Aceveda's political aspirations and his suffering a sexual assault; Mackey's struggle to cope with a failing marriage, two autistic children, and rebellious eldest daughter; Danny becoming a mother; Vendrell's rocky, new marriage; Lemansky's growing fear for the safety of the Strike Team; Claudette's battle with illness and Lowe's internal conflicts between his Christian beliefs and his homosexuality.

The Shield and the Strike Team were inspired by the Rampart Division Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) unit within the Los Angeles Police Department. [11] Rampart was seriously considered as the series' name and was even used in some early promotional ads for the series. [12] [13]

Characters are portrayed with vices and virtues; Vic's loving relationship with his children contrasts with his thuggish approach to police work. Two of the many examples of Mackey's criminal and sociopathic behavior include an attempt to rob the "Armenian Money Train", a money laundering operation of the Armenian Mafia in season 2 and having a police dog maul a rape suspect. [14]

The timeline of the seven seasons of the show covers approximately three years. [15]

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 13March 12, 2002 (2002-03-12)June 4, 2002 (2002-06-04)
2 13January 7, 2003 (2003-01-07)April 1, 2003 (2003-04-01)
3 15March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09)June 15, 2004 (2004-06-15)
4 13March 15, 2005 (2005-03-15)June 14, 2005 (2005-06-14)
5 11January 10, 2006 (2006-01-10)March 21, 2006 (2006-03-21)
6 10April 3, 2007 (2007-04-03)June 5, 2007 (2007-06-05)
7 13September 2, 2008 (2008-09-02)November 25, 2008 (2008-11-25)

Season 1

Season 1 premiered on March 12, 2002, and concluded on June 4, 2002, consisting of 13 episodes. The season deals with Mackey and Vendrell covering up their shooting of Terry Crowley, a plant on the Strike Team placed by David Aceveda and the Department of Justice who have been suspicious of the Strike Team's activities. Dutch believes a serial killer is targeting prostitutes. Lowe struggles with his sexual orientation and his Christian morals making him a target for blackmail. Sofer, who is having an affair with Mackey, finds herself both concerned and frustrated while training Lowe.

Season 2

Season 2 premiered on January 7, 2003, and concluded April 1, 2003, consisting of 13 episodes. The first half of the season deals with a new drug threat from Armadillo, a highly intelligent immigrant who has coerced the black and Hispanic gangs to work together, making it difficult for the Strike Team to charge him. The second half of the season deals with the Strike Team's discovery of the Armenian "money train" used to ship laundered money out of the United States. Mackey and the Strike Team successfully hijack the shipment, ending up with millions of dollars for themselves. Aceveda makes an agreement with Mackey to protect each other while Aceveda runs for city council. Claudette, whose own investigation into Armadillo is hampered by Mackey and Aceveda, is forced out of her passive role and prepares to take an active role as a moral leader. Dutch makes a major mistake in an investigation and begins second guessing himself. Lowe gets married but nearly gets outed to the department by a former lover. Sofer finds herself becoming a pawn in Barn politics and begins to question the Strike Team's ethics.

Season 3

Season 3 premiered on March 9, 2004, and concluded on June 15, 2004, consisting of 15 episodes. [16] The season deals with fallout from the money train robbery. Mackey learns that a portion of the money was marked by the Treasury Department, and the Strike Team figures out ways of diverting any federal attention to their activities. However, the tension of having the money gets to Lemansky, and in an off-the-cuff decision, burns most of the money before the others can stop him. This leads to the dissolution of the Strike Team. Dutch struggles to find balance while looking into both the money train robbery and a serial rapist. Claudette begins administrative duties in preparation to take over as Captain but her qualms over a potentially incompetent defense attorney put her career in jeopardy. After the fallout of nearly being outed in the previous season, Lowe starts taking on a tougher demeanor making Claudette question his future.

Season 4

Season 4 premiered on March 15, 2005, and concluded on June 14, 2005, consisting of 13 episodes. During this season, the members of the Strike Team become involved with the affairs of Antwon Mitchell, a highly respected drug lord who ends up blackmailing Vendrell to coerce his help. Mackey, with the help of the new Barn Captain, Monica Rawling, manages to help Vendrell out of his situation, reunites the Strike Team, and eventually ends up with sufficient evidence to send Mitchell to jail. However, Rawling finds herself dismissed as Captain due to her approach of seizing any assets tied to drug money. Claudette and Dutch continue to be shut out of meaningful cases by the DA's office, forcing Dutch to make a backroom deal to save his and Claudette's careers. A rift forms between Lowe and Sofer over the seizures policy. Aceveda uses the seizures policy to get more power on the city council and ultimately push his own agenda.

Season 5

Season 5 premiered on January 10, 2006, and concluded on March 21, 2006, consisting of 11 episodes. The LAPD's Internal Affairs Division opens an investigation led by Lt. Jon Kavanaugh against Lemansky, purportedly for not reporting a stash of drugs he had taken, but in actuality to find evidence of the Strike Team's misdeeds. Mackey learns of Kavanaugh's true intent, and tries to humiliate Kavanaugh to show the investigation is personal. Enraged, Kavanaugh puts on more pressure and charges Lemansky. The Strike Team attempts to smuggle Lemansky out of the country, but Vendrell, fearing Lemansky will talk, kills him with a grenade, ending the investigation. [17] Lowe trains Tina Hanlon but quickly believes she may not be cut out for the job. Dutch and Claudette focus on the serial killer they have no evidence against while it becomes clear Claudette's health is deteriorating. Billings' weak management coupled with Kavanaugh's strong-arm tactics force the LAPD chief to name a stronger and more independent Captain to the Barn, Claudette.

"Wins and Losses"

The producers of The Shield produced a 15-minute "promosode", which premiered on Google on February 15, 2007, to bridge the gap between seasons 5 and 6. The episode focuses on the aftermath of Lemanksky's death, including his funeral and flashbacks as co-workers reflect upon his life. [18] The episode was said to have cost between $500,000 and $1 million to produce. It was on bud.tv for four weeks and later released to AOL and other media outlets. [19] The "promosode" is also one of the special features included on the season 5 DVD set.

Season 6

Season 6 premiered on April 3, 2007, and concluded on June 5, 2007, consisting of 10 episodes. The Strike Team struggles with Lemansky's death, and suspect one of the gangs committed it, while Vendrell remains quiet regarding his role. Kavanaugh continues his investigation outside of Internal Affairs, but is eventually forced to admit to planting evidence and is arrested. Mackey learns he is being forced into early retirement and tries to fight back by proving his value. Tensions on the Strike Team led Vendrell to admit to killing Lemansky, and knowing that Mackey will likely kill him, he turns to the Armenian mob for protection, only to expose the team's role in the money-train heist, putting their families at risk. Vendrell writes up all their crimes and mails duplicates to use as blackmail against Mackey. [20] Claudette fights to keep the Barn from being shut down. Dutch tries to adjust to his new partnership with Billings and his crush on Hanlon. Sofer, recently promoted to Sergeant, tries to find balance being a working single mother. Lowe joins the Strike Team now under the command of Kevin Hiatt. Aceveda finds a strong financial backer who may be too good to be true.

Season 6 was originally intended to be aired as the second half of season 5, but FX decided to refer to these 10 episodes as season 6 instead. [21]

Season 7

Season 7 premiered on September 2, 2008, and concluded on November 25, 2008, consisting of 13 episodes. Mackey and Aceveda discover the Mexican cartel is looking to influence Farmington, and work with ICE to take them down. Mackey also uses the opportunity to secure a position at ICE in exchange for immunity for his crimes on the Strike Team. The Barn gains significant evidence to arrest the Strike Team. Vendrell attempts to kill Mackey, but it goes awry, making him and his family fugitives. With no hold over Mackey, he kills himself and his family. Mackey successfully busts the cartel for ICE, but betrays Gardocki, who is arrested for the Strike Team's crimes. Though given an ICE job, Mackey is left to run a desk lest he goes against his terms and be arrested as well. Dutch focuses on a kid he is certain will become a serial killer. Sofer attempts to keep Mackey out of their son's life. Corrine, scared when she finally realizes everything Vic is, asks for Claudette's and Dutch's help. Claudette and Dutch make one final attempt to get evidence to arrest Mackey and the rest of the Strike Team, though ultimately fail to prosecute Vic, who loses his family and his last remaining friend. The series ends as Mackey, hearing sirens in the distance, takes his gun from his desk and heads out, his destination unknown.

Cast and characters

CharacterPortrayed bySeasons
1234567
Vic Mackey Michael Chiklis Main
Danielle "Danny" Sofer Catherine Dent Main
Terry Crowley Reed Diamond Main [lower-alpha 2] Guest Does not appear
Shane Vendrell Walton Goggins Main
Julien Lowe Michael Jace Main
Curtis "Lem" Lemansky Kenny Johnson Main Does not appear
Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach Jay Karnes Main
David Aceveda Benito Martinez Main
Claudette Wyms CCH Pounder Main
Ronnie Gardocki David Rees Snell Recurring Also starring Main
Corrine Mackey Cathy Cahlin Ryan Recurring Also starring Main
Monica Rawling Glenn Close Does not appear Main Does not appear
Steve Billings David Marciano Does not appear Recurring Main
Tina Hanlon Paula Garcés Does not appear Recurring Main
Notes
  1. Known as Columbia TriStar Domestic Television for the first season.
  2. Diamond is only credited as a series regular in the pilot episode and is credited as a guest star in episode 2.

Development

The series was created by Shawn Ryan. Ryan served as an executive producer for all seven seasons and was the series head writer and showrunner throughout its run. Prior to creating the series Ryan had been working as a producer and writer for the supernatural detective series Angel . He began his television career as a writer for the crime drama Nash Bridges . Nash Bridges was a more up-beat show, and Ryan was required to write scripts that showed the hero succeeding in a positive way, and Ryan sought to write something far different to get that out of his system. [23] He had considered what a cop drama would be like on a premium cable network like HBO and Showtime, taking into account the edge that shows like Homicide: Life on the Street and NYPD Blue had brought to the genre. While trying to decide a direction, the Rampart scandal within the LAPD was exposed, and Ryan took inspiration from those events to craft out a pilot script. [13] He also recently became a father, and wrote into the script his concerns about raising a child in a crime-ridden world. [23] The pilot script had ended with Mackey shooting Crowley; Ryan had the idea of an alternate ending to Donnie Brasco , of where Al Pacino's mobster character would have shot Johnny Depp's undercover FBI character, revealing that the mobster had known his identity all along. He used this ending idea in the pilot for The Shield, not expecting to have to worry about any consequences as he was not sure the script would be picked up. [23] Ryan later commented in 2017 that if he had known how long The Shield would have run for, he would have had a few more episodes to help establish Crowley's character before having Mackey kill him off. [23]

Around 2000, the FX network was looking to find what would be the network's first drama series to help set the tone for their network, given the ongoing success of The Sopranos on rival network HBO. FX's Kevin Reilly wanted a show about an antihero but believed that the cop genre had become tired. However, Reilly was amazed by Ryan's script, and greenlit the show in mid-2001. [13] Reilly worked with Ryan to help determine how much violence and nudity could be used within the show, as unlike HBO, FX was an ad-sponsored cable channel and beholden to certain content considerations. [13] As they were working towards this, the September 11 attacks occurred, and in their aftermath, Fox was concerned if the show would be appropriate at this time, believing that audiences would not be receptive to seeing police officers portrayed in a negative light. [13] The situation changed following the theatrical release of Training Day in October 2001, a film centered around corrupt cops that was a financial success. Fox was assured by Training Day's reception from audiences that The Shield was allowed to continue, with the pilot first broadcast in March 2002. [13]

Ryan had written the part of Mackey for someone with a young Harrison Ford personality. [23] Due to the complexities of the character, he was uncertain they would have found a suitable actor for the role, and cast his own doubt on his writing. [24] During casting, Ryan had been surprised with Michael Chiklis's audition. Chiklis had gained a soft reputation within Hollywood based on his roles from The Commish and Daddio , and felt that he needed to have a change of pace in future roles, as he was finding himself cast for older, overweight parts. [13] Chiklis spent six months away from acting and losing a significant amount of weight, and for his audition on The Shield, had shaved his head. [13] Ryan was taken by this new appearance feeling it was not appropriate, but found that Chiklis had a certain charisma in his delivery that worked well into the Mackey character. This allowed Ryan to write Mackey as a compassionate figure, able to get away with certain improper actions through his charisma, which served to draw fans to sympathize with Mackey throughout the series. [23] Ryan recognized that with Chiklis as his star, it validated his success as a writer. [24]

Scott Brazil was a co-executive producer for the first season. He became an executive producer for the second season. He was a regular director for the series until his death during production of the sixth season. Brazil and Ryan had worked together on Nash Bridges.

Several of the series more junior writers became executive producers during its run. Glen Mazzara was an executive story editor for the first season and became an executive producer from the fifth season onwards. Mazzara had also worked with Ryan on Nash Bridges. Kurt Sutter and Scott Rosenbaum were staff writers for the first season and became executive producers for the sixth season onwards. Adam E. Fierro joined the crew as a co-producer and writer for the third season and was promoted to executive producer for the seventh season. Veteran television writer Charles H. Eglee joined the crew as a consulting producer for the third season and was promoted to executive producer from the fifth season onwards.

Emmy Award-winning The Sopranos veteran James Manos Jr. served as a consulting producer and writer for the first two seasons. He left the show to develop the Showtime serial killer drama Dexter . NYPD Blue veteran writer Kevin Arkadie was a co-executive producer for the first season only. Nash Bridges writer and producer Reed Steiner replaced Arkadie as co-executive producer for the second season only. Kevin G. Cremin was the series unit production manager throughout its run and became a co-executive producer from the sixth season onwards.

Angel writing team Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain joined the crew as co-producers for the third season and became supervising producers before leaving at the close of the sixth season. Dean White was a producer and regular director throughout the series run. Chiklis became a producer from the second season onwards and also regularly directed episodes. Post-production supervisor Craig Yahata joined the crew in the third season and eventually became a producer for the seventh season.

The series pilot and finale were directed by Clark Johnson; Johnson had previously starred in Homicide: Life on the Street and made his directing debut on that series. Guy Ferland directed episodes for all seven seasons of The Shield. Rohn Schmidt was a cinematographer for all seven seasons and made his television directing debut on the show. Stephen Kay was a frequent director for the series. Gwyneth Horder-Payton was an assistant director for the show's early seasons and made her television directing debut in the fourth season, she continued to regularly direct episodes thereafter.

Film director Frank Darabont directed an episode for the series. Darabont later reunited with several writers from The Shield for his television adaptation of The Walking Dead comics, including Charles H. Eglee, Glen Mazzara and Adam Fierro. Acclaimed playwright and film writer and director David Mamet directed an episode of the series. Mamet and Ryan collaborated as executive producers on military thriller The Unit . Screenwriter Ted Griffin ( Oceans Eleven ) wrote a single episode of the show. Griffin later created Terriers and was reunited with Shawn Ryan as a fellow executive producer. The series started with real Los Angeles Police Officers as Technical Advisors; Officers Pablo Vitar and Rafael Dagnesses. [ citation needed ]

Reception

Time magazine's James Poniewozik ranked The Shield #8 in his list of the Top 10 Returning Series of 2007 [25] and later included it in his list of the top 100 greatest TV shows of all time. [26] Entertainment Weekly named it the 8th-best TV show of the 2000s, saying, "Det. Vic Mackey didn't just clean up the streets—he cleaned up on the streets. Would he pay for those sins? This gutsy TV drama kept us guessing." [27] On the review aggregator website Metacritic, season 1 received high acclaim from critics, with a score of 92 out of 100, based on 28 reviews. [28] Season 7 also received high acclaim from critics, with a score of 85 out of 100, based on 14 reviews. [29] In September 2019, The Guardian ranked the show 77th on its list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century, stating that "a key part...of the golden age of antihero drama, this thriller about likable – and utterly corrupt – cops broke new ground for bold, risk-taking television". [30]

The premiere episode of The Shield had a 4.1 rating, at the time a record for a dramatic program on basic cable. However, The Shield lost advertising from Burger King, New Balance, Office Depot, and Tricon Global Restaurants, in part due to complaints from the Parents Television Council. [31]

Awards and nominations

Shawn Ryan with cast members at the 65th Annual Peabody Awards Shawn Ryan with cast members from The Shield at the 65th Annual Peabody Awards.jpg
Shawn Ryan with cast members at the 65th Annual Peabody Awards

The series received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations during its series run. For the first season, Michael Chiklis won for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and the pilot episode received nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, for Shawn Ryan and Clark Johnson respectively. Chiklis received a consecutive nomination Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the second season. For the fourth season, Glenn Close was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and CCH Pounder was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. [32]

For the Golden Globe Awards, the series received five nominations, with Chiklis receiving three consecutive nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama, and winning the award for the first season. The first season also earned the series the award for Best Drama Series. Glenn Close was also nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama. [33]

For the Satellite Awards, the series received seven nominations. CCH Pounder won two consecutive times for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama, [34] Chiklis received two nominations with one win for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama, and Forest Whitaker was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. [35] The series won the award for Best Television Drama Series and received a nomination for that category the following year. [36]

For the Television Critics Association Awards, the first season received nominations for Outstanding New Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Drama, and Program of the Year, [37] and Chiklis won for Individual Achievement in Drama. [38] The series received nominations again for Outstanding Achievement in Drama for the next two seasons. [39] [40] For the final season, it was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Drama and Program of the Year, as well as receiving the Heritage Award. Also, Walton Goggins was nominated for Individual Achievement in Drama. [41]

Other awards and nominations include a 2005 Peabody Award and Chiklis being nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for the first season. [42]

YearAssociationAwardNomineeResult
2002 Primetime Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Michael ChiklisWon
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Clark JohnsonNominated
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Shawn RyanNominated
2003 Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesCCH PounderNominated
Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama Michael ChiklisNominated
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama CCH PounderWon
Golden Globe Awards Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama The ShieldWon
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama Michael ChiklisWon
Primetime Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Michael ChiklisNominated
GLAAD Media Awards GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama SeriesThe ShieldNominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Michael ChiklisNominated
2004 Golden Globe Awards Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama Michael ChiklisNominated
Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Television Series – Drama The ShieldWon
Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama Michael ChiklisWon
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama CCH PounderWon
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesCCH PounderNominated
2005 AFI Award AFI Award for TV Program of the YearThe ShieldWon
Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Television Series – Drama The ShieldNominated
Golden Globe Awards Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama Michael ChiklisNominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Glenn CloseNominated
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series CCH PounderNominated
Peabody Awards Area of ExcellenceThe ShieldWon
2006 ALMA Awards ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesBenito MartinezNominated
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesCCH PounderNominated
Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic SeriesPhilip G. AtwellNominated
Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Forest Whitaker Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama Michael ChiklisNominated
2007 ALMA Awards ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesBenito MartinezWon
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesCCH PounderNominated
2008 ALMA Awards ALMA Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama SeriesBenito MartinezNominated
ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesPaula GarcésNominated
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesCCH PounderNominated
2009 AFI Award AFI Award for TV Program of the YearThe ShieldWon
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesCCH PounderNominated
ALMA Awards ALMA Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama SeriesBenito MartinezNominated
ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesPaula GarcésNominated

Other media

Comic

In 2004, IDW Publishing released a five-issue comic book limited series written by Jeff Mariotte and illustrated by Jean Diaz titled The Shield: Spotlight. [43] A controversial journalist is murdered and the Barn is under intense media scrutiny. Vic and the Strike Team find the murderer but uncover a bigger conspiracy which has Dutch enthralled. All the while, Shane is trying to keep his face out of the media when he accidentally sets up a chance to earn the team much money recovering stolen art, and Julien and Danny struggle to realize when is the right time to go "by the book" and when is not. When uniformed officers spot the Strike Team with the stolen art, they have no choice but to do things the right way. Aceveda is warned to drop the journalists investigation or risk losing political backing. He drops the case which leaves Dutch feeling disheartened.

Home media

The first five seasons were originally distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for region 1. However, in 2008, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment became the rights holders for the DVDs. [44] They released season 6 and re-released seasons 1–5 in slimmer packaging in 2008, and released season 7 in 2009. International releases have always been distributed by Sony, who have only ever presented the show in 16:9 (widescreen) format, as opposed to the Fox releases, which presented the show in 4:3. All the re-releases by Sony along with seasons 6 and 7, and the complete series box set are presented in widescreen. [45] The Sony region 2 release of season 5 has a shortened version of the season finale—48 minutes, as opposed to the regular 67-minute version. [46]

DVD titleRelease dates
Region 1 (Fox)Region 1 (Sony Pictures)Region 2Region 4
The Complete First SeasonJanuary 7, 2003March 25, 2008July 21, 2003February 11, 2004
The Complete Second SeasonJanuary 6, 2004March 25, 2008August 9, 2004April 5, 2005
The Complete Third SeasonFebruary 22, 2005March 25, 2008May 28, 2007May 11, 2007
The Complete Fourth SeasonDecember 26, 2005March 25, 2008July 2, 2007November 15, 2007
The Complete Fifth SeasonMarch 27, 2007March 25, 2008January 28, 2008March 10, 2009
The Complete Sixth SeasonAugust 26, 2008March 24, 2008August 18, 2009
The Complete Seventh SeasonJune 9, 2009June 8, 2009November 24, 2010
The Complete SeriesNovember 3, 2009June 8, 2009November 23, 2010

In November 2012, all seven seasons were made available for purchase on iTunes. [47] On February 26, 2013, Amazon.com announced the addition of the series to its Prime service, but the series is now only available for purchase. [48] The series is available for streaming on Hulu as part of FX's catalog. All seven seasons are available on Netflix throughout Latin America. [49]

On August 28, 2015, Shawn Ryan announced that he was revisiting the series for a 4K conversion. [50] In August 2017, Ryan announced the release had been delayed until 2018. [51] In July 2018, Mill Creek Entertainment announced it would be releasing the complete series of The Shield on Blu-ray and that it would include all the extras from the previous DVD sets and includes new, exclusive featurettes. [52] It was released on December 18, 2018. [53]

Soundtrack

On September 5, 2005, The Shield: Music from the Streets was released by Lakeshore Entertainment. The soundtrack features 19 tracks, including two versions of the theme song and tracks ranging from artists such as Black Label Society to Kelis.

Video game

After a rocky development cycle, The Shield , the video game, was released for the PlayStation 2 on January 9, 2007, and for the PC on January 22, 2007. It is a third-person shooter that bridges the gap between the third and fourth seasons by exploring the gang war between the Byz-Lats and the One-Niners. It received generally negative reviews. [54]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Chiklis</span> American actor (born 1963)

Michael Charles Chiklis is an American actor, film television director, film and television producer and musician. He is best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama The Shield (2002–2008), for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2002, and was nominated in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Zea</span> American actress (born 1975)

Natalie Zea is an American actress known for her performances on television. Zea began her acting career in theatre. Her first major role was on the NBC daytime soap opera Passions (2000–2002), where she played the role of Gwen Hotchkiss. Her breakout role was on the ABC primetime soap opera Dirty Sexy Money as socialite Karen Darling, where she starred from 2007 to 2009. Zea also has made many guest appearances on television, starred in a number of independent and made-for-television movies, and had recurring roles in The Shield, Hung, Californication, and The Unicorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic Mackey</span> Fictional character in the television show The Shield

Victor Samuel Mackey, played by Michael Chiklis, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the FX crime drama series The Shield, which ran for seven seasons. Mackey is portrayed as a corrupt and brutal detective in the Los Angeles Police Department. He leads a small anti-gang unit primarily tasked with curbing the rampant drug trade in the fictional Farmington district of Los Angeles. He commits several crimes throughout the series including drug dealing, extortion, police brutality, and murder. He is often depicted justifying his crimes as a means to an end. Despite his actions, Mackey considers himself a devoted father and family man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walton Goggins</span> American actor (born 1971)

Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. is an American actor. He has starred in various television series, including The Shield (2002–2008), Justified (2010–2015), Vice Principals (2016–2017), The Righteous Gemstones (2019–present), Invincible (2021–present), and Fallout (2024).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LAPD Rampart Division</span> Division of the Los Angeles Police Department

The Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) serves communities to the west of Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) including Silver Lake, Echo Park, Pico-Union and Westlake, all together designated as the Rampart patrol area. Its name is derived from Rampart Boulevard, one of the principal thoroughfares in its patrol area. The original station opened in 1966, located at 2710 West Temple Street. In 2008, the staff moved southeast to a newer facility located at 1401 West 6th Street. With 164,961 residents occupying a 5.4-square-mile (14 km2) area, Rampart is one of Los Angeles's most densely populated communities.

<i>The Unit</i> 2006–2009 US action-drama television series

The Unit is an American action-drama television series created by David Mamet that aired on CBS from March 7, 2006, to May 10, 2009 with the total of four seasons and 69 episodes. The series focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">54th Primetime Emmy Awards</span> 2002 American television programming awards

The 54th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 22, 2002. Nominations were announced July 22, 2002. The ceremony was hosted by Conan O'Brien and was broadcast on NBC. Two networks, FX and VH1, received their first major nominations this year. The program America: A Tribute to Heroes was simulcast on every major network and, therefore, is not designated with one below.

Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh is a fictional Internal Affairs Lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department on the FX television show The Shield. He was portrayed by Forest Whitaker. He is introduced at the beginning of series five and serves as the primary antagonist to Vic Mackey. He has been described as an anti-villain. Both the character, and Whitaker's performance have been well-received.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Johnson</span> American actor

Kenny Johnson is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in The Shield, Butch "Burner" Barnes in Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Detective Ham Dewey in Saving Grace, Herman Kozik in Sons of Anarchy, Matt Webb in Prime Suspect, Caleb Calhoun in Bates Motel, Dominique Luca in the CBS drama series S.W.A.T., and Tommy Welch on Chicago Fire (2014–2015).

<i>The Shield</i> (video game) 2007 video game

The Shield is a video game based on the television show of the same name. The Shield is a third-person shooter where players take on the role of Vic Mackey fighting crime on the streets of Los Angeles.

"Pilot" is the first episode of the FX crime drama television series The Shield. It was written by series creator Shawn Ryan, directed by Clark Johnson, and originally aired on March 12, 2002. The episode received Emmy Award nominations for both its writing and directing.

"Family Meeting" is the 13th and final episode of the seventh season and the series finale of The Shield. The episode aired on FX on November 25, 2008, and was written by Shawn Ryan and directed by Clark Johnson. The title comes from a line Shane Vendrell calls to his family during the episode.

<i>No Ordinary Family</i> American television series

No Ordinary Family is an American television series that aired on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada. The one hour science fiction comedy drama was produced by ABC Studios for the 2010–2011 television season. The series ran from September 28, 2010, to April 5, 2011, on Tuesdays at 8:00pm ET/PT. The show centers on the Powells, a typical American family living in fictional Pacific Bay, California, whose members gain special powers after their plane crashes in the Amazon, Brazil.

<i>Mad Men</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the American television drama series Mad Men premiered on July 19, 2007, and ended on October 18, 2007. It consisted of thirteen episodes, each running approximately 47 minutes. AMC broadcast the first season on Thursdays at 10:00 pm in the United States. Actors Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Batt, Michael Gladis, Aaron Staton, and Rich Sommer receive main cast billing.

<i>Mad Men</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of the American television drama series Mad Men premiered on August 16, 2009, and concluded on November 8, 2009. It consisted of thirteen episodes, each running approximately 48 minutes in length. AMC broadcast the third season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States.

"That Night, A Forest Grew" is the seventh episode of the second season and nineteenth overall episode of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on 11 November 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Daniel Cerone and was directed by Jeremy Podeswa.

S.W.A.T. is an American procedural action drama television series, based on the 1975 television series and 2003 film of the same name. Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and Shawn Ryan developed the new series, which premiered on CBS on November 2, 2017, and is produced by Original Film, CBS Studios and Sony Pictures Television. In April 2022, the series was renewed for a sixth season which premiered on October 7, 2022. In May 2023, the series was canceled after six seasons at CBS, only to be renewed for a seventh and final season at CBS a few days later. The seventh and final season premiered on February 16, 2024.

Autumn Isabella Chiklis is an American actress and writer. She is best known for her role as Cassidy Mackey on The Shield (2002–2008).

References

  1. 1 2 Lawrence, Derek (February 22, 2022). "'People were repulsed and fascinated': An oral history of The Shield". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  2. Garcia, A. N. (2017). "Baltimore in The Wire and Los Angeles in The Shield: Urban Landscapes in American Drama Series". Series: International Journal of TV Serial Narratives. 3 (1): Abstract. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  3. Lusher, Tim (January 12, 2010). "The Guardian's top 50 television dramas of all time". The Guardian. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  4. Donaghy, James (April 30, 2019). "All hail The Shield – the scuzzy forgotten classic of TV's golden age". The Guardian. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  5. Mann, Bill (March 18, 2010). "TV Critic's Call: Here Are The Decade's 10 Best Series". HuffPost. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  6. Sheffield, Rob (September 21, 2016). "100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  7. "Top 100 TV Shows of All Time". IGN. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  8. "The 100 Best TV Shows Of All Time". Empire. October 7, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  9. Fretts, Bruce; Roush, Matt (December 23, 2013). "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time". TV Guide . Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  10. "AFI Awards 2008". American Film Institute. 2008. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  11. Miller, Lucas (June 15, 2004). "Cops & Robbers". Slate . Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  12. Grant, Judith (May 22, 2002). "The Shield". Picturing Justice, the On-Line Journal of Law and Popular Culture. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Weinraub, Bernard (April 3, 2002). "Police Show Has Humans, Not Heroes; In FX's Hit 'The Shield,' Means Justify Ends". The New York Times . Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  14. Young, Susan (September 2, 2008). "Judgment Day for The Shield's Vic Mackey". Film.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  15. Ausiello, Michael (August 4, 2020). "Spoiler Alert: 'Shield' Boss Answers Burning Finale Qs". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  16. Fuchs, Cynthia (March 9, 2004). "The Shield Season 3 Premiere". PopMatters. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  17. Huff, Quentin B. (May 9, 2007). "The Shield: The Detective & the Lieutenant". PopMatters. Archived from the original on April 1, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  18. "The Shield Set to Return". IGN. January 22, 2007. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  19. Toomey, Jonathan (January 30, 2007). "FX to debut mini-episode of The Shield online". AOL TV. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  20. Huff, Quentin B. (September 26, 2008). "The Detective & His Reflections: The Shield: Sixth Season". PopMatters. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  21. Sullivan, Brian Ford (June 5, 2006). "Final Runs Set for HBO's 'Deadwood,' FX's 'The Shield'". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  22. Ryan, Maureen (April 23, 2007). "Dutch treat for fans of 'The Shield'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lawrence, Derek (March 14, 2017). "The Shield: Creator Shawn Ryan on the possibility of a revival". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  24. 1 2 Maslow, Nick (February 9, 2017). "The Shield creator on where Vic Mackey is today". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  25. Poniewozik, James (December 9, 2007). "Top 10 Returning TV Series". TIME. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  26. Poniewozik, James (September 6, 2007). "All-Time 100 TV Shows". Time . Archived from the original on October 22, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  27. EW Staff (December 17, 2009). "10 Best TV Shows of the Decade". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  28. "The Shield: Season 1". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  29. "The Shield: Season 7". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  30. "The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century". The Guardian. September 16, 2019. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  31. Armstrong, Mark (April 10, 2002). ""The Shield" Loses Advertisers". E! News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2002. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  32. "The Shield". Emmys.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  33. "The Shield". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  34. "CCH Pounder". HuffPost . Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  35. "Satellite Awards nominations announced". Variety. December 1, 2006. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  36. "The Shield – Series – Awards". TV Tango. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  37. Feiwell, Jill (June 3, 2002). "Freshmen lead class for TCA noms". Variety . Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  38. "2002 TCA Awards winners". Television Critics Association. July 20, 2002. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  39. "Television Critics Association Announces 2003 Award Nominees". Television Critics Association. June 4, 2003. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  40. "Television Critics Association Announces 2004 Award Nominees". Television Critics Association. June 3, 2004. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  41. "Television Critics Association Announces 2009 Award Nominees". Television Critics Association. June 3, 2009. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  42. "The Shield (FX)". The Peabody Awards. May 2006. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  43. Weiland, Jonah (August 22, 2003). "To Protect and to Serve: Jeff Mariotte on 'The Shield'". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  44. Lacey, Gord (December 28, 2007). "The Shield – Season 6 moves from Fox to Sony". TVShowsOnDVD. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  45. Zupan, Michael (October 27, 2009). "The Shield: Complete Series". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on September 18, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  46. "Shield (The): Season 5 (TV) (2006)". DVD Compare. Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  47. "The Shield, Season 1". iTunes. March 12, 2002. Archived from the original on June 26, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  48. "Amazon's Prime Instant Video Named the Exclusive Online Subscription Home of FX Series Justified". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  49. "The Shield: Complete Series on Netflix". Dom's Guide. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  50. Ryan, Shawn [@ShawnRyanTV] (August 28, 2015). "1. Thrilled to announce that after months of talking/tests that Sony and Fox are moving forward with a 4K conversion of The Shield" (Tweet). Retrieved August 11, 2017 via Twitter.
  51. Ryan, Shawn [@ShawnRyanTV] (August 18, 2017). "1. Update on #TheShield 4K conversion: Deep into Season 4 right now. Done early 2018. When finished @Sony will arrange for DVD/Streaming" (Tweet). Retrieved August 25, 2017 via Twitter.
  52. Hunt, Bill (July 27, 2018). "Mill Creek sets The Shield: The Complete Series for Blu-ray release in November, plus more news". The Digital Bits. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  53. "The Shield: The Complete Series – Blu-ray". Mill Creek Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  54. "The Shield for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.