The Shield

This article is about the television series. For the WWE professional wrestling group, see The Shield (professional wrestling). For the Archie Comics superhero, see Shield (Archie Comics). For other uses, see Shield (disambiguation).
The Shield
Genre Crime drama
Created by Shawn Ryan
Starring Michael Chiklis
Glenn Close
Catherine Dent
Reed Diamond
Paula Garces
Walton Goggins
Michael Jace
Kenneth Johnson
Jay Karnes
David Marciano
Benito Martinez
Cathy Cahlin Ryan
David Rees Snell
CCH Pounder
Opening theme "Just Another Day"
by Vivian Romero
Ernesto Bautista
Rodney Alejandro
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Shawn Ryan
Scott Brazil
Glen Mazzara
Charles H. Eglee
Kurt Sutter
Scott Rosenbaum
Adam Fierro
Producer(s) Michael Chiklis
Location(s) Los Angeles, California
Cinematography Rohn Schmidt
Running time 45–50 minutes
Production company(s) The Barn Productions
Fox Television Studios
Sony Pictures Television
Columbia TriStar Domestic Television
MiddKid Productions
Distributor 20th Television
Release
Original network FX
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
Audio format Dolby Surround 2.0
Original release March 12, 2002 (2002-03-12) – November 25, 2008 (2008-11-25)
Website

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.

Several notable film actors took extended roles on the show, including Glenn Close, who was the female lead during the fourth season, 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 series has received high critical acclaim, as well as several awards and nominations. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama in 2002; Michael Chiklis won both the Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama in 2002, and the final season won a 2008 AFI Award for best television series.[1] In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Shield #50 on its list of the 60 Best Series of All Time.[2]

Premise

The Shield is about an experimental division of the Los Angeles Police Department set up in the fictional Farmington district ("the Farm") of Los Angeles, using a converted church ("the Barn") as their police station, and featuring a group of detectives called the Strike Team, a four-man anti-gang unit based on the LAPD's real-life Rampart Division Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) unit. Rampart was seriously considered as the series' name and was even used in some early promotional ads for the series.[3] The show has an ensemble cast and, as a result, usually runs a number of separate story lines through each episode.

Detective Vic Mackey is the leader of the Strike Team, which also comprises Mackey's close friends Shane Vendrell, Curtis Lemansky, and Ronnie Gardocki. The Strike Team uses a variety of illegal and unethical methods to prosecute criminals and maintain peace on the streets, while making a profit through illegal drug protection schemes and robbery. The Strike Team isn't above planting drugs on, and coercing confessions out of, gang members, or framing them. Attempts to give the team a fifth member have frequently led to near-catastrophe for the group. As the series progresses, the Strike Team members struggle to cover up their crimes in the face of increasing pressure and scrutiny from their superiors.

Other prominent figures at the barn include Captain David Aceveda, detectives Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach, Steve Billings and Claudette Wyms, and uniformed officers Sgt. Danielle "Danny" Sofer, Julien Lowe, and Tina Hanlon. The Shield has a variety of subplots, notably Aceveda's political aspirations and his suffering of a sexual assault; Mackey's struggle to cope with a failing marriage, two autistic children and his rebellious eldest daughter; Danny's 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 belief in the teachings of the Bible and his homosexuality.

Common themes are the citizens' distrust of police, the social impact of drugs and gang warfare, and the conflict between ethics and political expediency. The majority of conversations among characters on The Shield involve one person's using leverage over another, as well as people on all sides primarily looking out for their own agendas.

Most characters are portrayed as displaying both vice and virtue. For example, Vic's loving relationship with his children sharply contrasts with his thuggish approach to police work, although his brutality is generally directed at those who seem well-deserving of such treatment. For example, in Season 2, the Strike Team prepares to rob the "Armenian Money Train", a money laundering operation of the Armenian Mafia. Another example is Mackey letting a serial rapist be mauled by a police dog before calling the dog off.[4]

Series overview

Season 1

Season 1 consisted of 13 episodes. It premiered on March 12, 2002, and concluded on June 4, 2002. David Aceveda is assigned as the new Captain of the Barn, in the Farmington district ("the Farm"). One of his top priorities is to get Detective Vic Mackey, leader of the experimental anti-gang unit called the Strike Team, off the streets. Aceveda suspects Mackey is involved in corrupt, illegal activities favoring drug dealer Rondell Robinson, to control local drug trade. To capture him, Aceveda asks a newly appointed member of the team, Terry Crowley, to gather evidence for Mackey's prosecution. Although reluctant, Crowley agrees, unaware that Mackey already knows about his assignment.

Aceveda's long-term ambition is to become Mayor of Los Angeles. To do this, he must first be elected to the City Council. The Farmington district has traditionally been held by black politicians, but given the increase in the Latino population, Aceveda thinks he can pull off an upset and be elected as the district's first Latino Council member. However, the Latino community is distrustful of law enforcement and would only support a police officer if he had exposed corruption in the police force. Aceveda's motives are, therefore, not completely altruistic.

During a raid on the house of Two-Time (a drug dealer rival of Rondell's), Mackey uses Two-Time's gun to murder Crowley, with Vendrell as his only witness. Aceveda is convinced that Mackey was responsible for Crowley's death, so he starts an internal investigation of Mackey and the Strike Team. Shane is guilt-ridden and struggles to come to terms with it. Meanwhile, Assistant Chief of Police Ben Gilroy tries to cover Mackey's tracks.

Another sub-plot involves Julien Lowe, a rookie officer who is training under the experienced Danny Sofer, as he tries to settle into the job. Due to his inexperience, Lowe often makes mistakes, which causes tension with Danny. Lowe is a devout Christian and a closeted homosexual, and struggles to reconcile the two. He also witnesses a crime committed by Mackey and the Strike Team, which Aceveda tries to use to capture Mackey.

Finally, detectives Dutch Wagenbach and Claudette Wyms try to track down an elusive serial killer whom Dutch thinks is responsible for at least four murders. While Dutch becomes obsessed with the case, Claudette frequently tries to divert his attention to their other cases.

Season 2

Season 2 premiered on January 7, 2003 and concluded April 1, 2003, consisting of 13 episodes. The season mostly revolves around a brutal new drug lord, Armadillo — a sadistic child rapist who likes to set his rivals on fire using a tire "necklace" and gasoline — who begins to take over the drug trade in Farmington. Meanwhile, Officer Sofer is involved in the shooting of a Muslim man and has to deal with the fallout. This season is also heavily concerned with the Strike Team's plan to rob the money train of the Armenian Mob, which ends up happening in the season finale.[5]

Season 3

Season 3 premiered on March 9, 2004 and concluded on June 15, 2004, consisting of 15 episodes.[6] The season mainly revolves around the aftermath of the money train heist and its effects on the Strike Team, as the Armenian mob and David Aceveda begin to suspect the Strike Team of having carried it out. Inspired to save the team, Curtis Lemansky burns a majority of the money, ultimately leading to a confrontation which causes the Strike Team to split up in the season finale. The Armenian mob sends Margos Dezerian to wipe out the Strike Team; Dezerian leaves a trail of murders, resulting in his own execution at the hands of Mackey. Claudette is promised a promotion to captain and maintains a supervising role throughout the season, while Aceveda prepares to move on to the city council. Near the end of the season, a public defender is shot, and the ensuing investigation leads Wyms and Dutch to discover that the victim had been a heavy drug user for the past three years. Wyms explores further and becomes very unpopular with the D.A. and around the Barn, because she reopens (against orders) the defender's lost cases. This results in her being denied the promotion to Captain of the Farmington District that she had been promised.[7]

Season 4

Season 4 premiered on March 15, 2005 and concluded on June 14, 2005, consisting of 13 episodes. Glenn Close joined the main cast taking over the role as Farmington's new captain, Monica Rawling. The season dealt with the fallout from the Strike Team's disbandment. Shane Vendrell, with new partner Armando "Army" Renta, enters into a dangerous situation with major drug lord Antwon Mitchell (Anthony Anderson), and seemingly accepts an order to kill Vic Mackey. The police were outraged after two officers were kidnapped and subsequently found murdered. In the end, the Strike Team is re-formed and manages to put Antwon in prison. The season also deals with the controversial asset-forfeiture policies of the new captain; Julien Lowe's opposition to these policies; and City Councilman David Aceveda's dealing with the psychological aftermath of his sexual assault incident from the previous season. The season concludes with Capt. Rawling's losing her job over a dispute with the DEA.

One of the season's secondary plots involves Claudette Wyms and Dutch's marginalization as detectives, because of Wyms' refusal to apologize to the DA for reopening the cases of a public defender discovered to have been a functioning drug addict. Wyms' moral stand resulted in many of the prosecutors' cases being overturned. This cost Wyms her shot at becoming Farmington Captain. Dutch eventually resolved the situation by making a back-room deal with the DA to "keep Claudette in line" and do favors for the office in return for breaking back into action.[8]

Season 5

Season 5 premiered on January 10, 2006 and concluded on March 21, 2006, consisting of 11 episodes. The season revolves around Internal Affairs Division Lt. Jon Kavanaugh (Forest Whitaker)'s investigation of the Strike Team, representing one of the greatest threats the team has ever faced. As a result of Kavanaugh's turning one of Mackey's informants, IAD became aware of Lem's stealing heroin which he never turned in. Finding the heroin gave IAD sufficient evidence to arrest Lem, but Kavanaugh wants him to incriminate the whole Strike Team and has him wear a wire. Lem warns the team he is wired, and they use it to embarrass IAD.

Kavanaugh, applying pressure to the team in any way he can, finds out about Mackey's share of the Money Train haul and ultimately arrests Lem, having made a deal with Antwon Mitchell, a gang leader the team had put in prison. Mackey supports Lem and gets bail, while Vendrell worries Lem will give evidence against the team. Wyms finally gets her opportunity for promotion to captain of the Barn, which she reluctantly accepts. The season concludes with Vendrell, fooled by Aceveda into believing Lem was going to turn on the Strike Team, murdering his friend and fellow team member with a hand grenade.[9]

"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 Lem's death, including his funeral and flashbacks as co-workers reflect upon Det. Lemansky's life.[10] The episode was said to have cost between $500,000 and $1 million to produce. It was on bud.tv four weeks and later released to AOL and other media outlets.[11] 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. Continuing directly after season 5, Mackey and the Strike Team are distraught over Lem's death. Vendrell, overcome by guilt, becomes reckless and suicidal. Kavanaugh refuses to let the case die and resorts to Mackey's tactics of planting evidence and coercing witnesses to lie about the Strike Team, especially Mackey. Dutch and Wyms begin to suspect Kavanaugh's integrity. Kavanaugh finally confesses to his actions and finds himself under arrest. Mackey learns from Wyms that the Chief plans to force him into early retirement — and vows to wreak bloody vengeance on Lem's killer before losing his badge. Wyms learns the Barn could be shut down if no improvements are made by the time quarterly crime statistics are released. The season concludes with the breakdown of Mackey and Vendrell's friendship, as Vendrell admits having killed Lem. Vendrell threatens Mackey with revealing their illegal exploits should Mackey attempt to arrest him for Lem's killing, while Vendrell gets in over his head with the Armenians.[12]

Season 6 was originally intended to be aired as the second half of Season 5 (in the same way that HBO split up the last season of The Sopranos); FX decided to refer to these 10 episodes as "Season 6" instead.

Season 7

Season 7 premiered on September 2, 2008 and concluded on November 25, 2008, consisting of 13 episodes. Mackey's ex-wife Corrine has learned of his many crimes and agrees to work with Dutch and Wyms to try to send him to prison. Gardocki is also implicated in the process. After a botched attempt by Mackey and Gardocki to have Vendrell killed in a shoot-out between Mexican and Armenian gangs, Vendrell recruits a local criminal to make a hit on Gardocki, while Vendrell prepares to ambush and kill Mackey. The plot is exposed, and Vendrell goes on the run, along with his wife Mara and son Jackson. Dutch has problems of his own while dealing with a teenaged serial killer. Mackey tries to circumvent his forced retirement by working with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to bring down a major operator. As part of an immunity deal engineered by ICE, Mackey admits to every crime the Strike Team has committed, and implicates Vendrell and Gardocki enough to send them to jail for life. After learning there is no way to escape prison, Vendrell poisons his pregnant wife and two-year-old son, and then commits suicide just as the police arrive. With Vendrell's death there is no longer any risk of Mackey's being sent to jail, but since Mackey already spilled everything to ICE it is now too late for Gardocki. Just when Gardocki thinks he is going to go free he is arrested in front of Mackey, at the Barn. Wyms reveals the terminal status of her illness to Dutch, who promises to stand by her as a friend. Desperate to escape Mackey, Corrine and the children are shown their new life in the witness protection program. Aceveda stands on the verge of being elected mayor. Meanwhile, Mackey is reassigned to a routine analysis desk job at ICE, where he is loathed by his co-workers, including Agent Olivia Murray (played by Laurie Holden) and ostracized by his fellow cops, who want nothing to do with him now that his many crimes have been exposed. The last moments of the saga depict Mackey retrieving his gun from his desk lock box and preparing to leave the ICE building, presumably following police sirens in the distance. The final credit sequence is interspersed with clips from the show, under Concrete Blonde's "Long Time Ago".

Characters

Main

Name Portrayed by Rank Seasons Bureau
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Vic Mackey Michael Chiklis Detective Main Strike Team
Shane Vendrell Walton Goggins Detective Main Strike Team
Curtis "Lem" Lemansky Kenneth Johnson Detective Main Strike Team
Ronnie Gardocki David Rees Snell Detective Recurring Main Strike Team
Claudette Wyms CCH Pounder Captain Main Supervisory
Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach Jay Karnes Detective Main Investigative
Danielle "Danny" Sofer Catherine Dent Sergeant Main Patrol
Julien Lowe Michael Jace Corporal Main Gang Unit
David Aceveda Benito Martinez Captain
Councilman
Reserve Officer
Main Supervisory
Reserve Patrol
Corrine Mackey Cathy Cahlin Ryan Civilian Recurring Main
Monica Rawling Glenn Close Captain Main Supervisory
Terry Crowley Reed Diamond Detective Main Guest Strike Team
Steve Billings David Marciano Detective Recurring Main Investigative
Tina Hanlon Paula Garcés Officer Recurring Main Patrol

Strike Team

Administration and police

Crew

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. 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. Star Michael 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.

Reception

Time magazine's James Poniewozik ranked it #8 in his list of the Top 10 Returning Series of 2007[14] and later included it in his list of the top 100 greatest TV shows of all-time.[15] 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."[16] On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season received universal acclaim from critics, with a score of 92 out of 100, based on 28 reviews.[17] The seventh season also received universal acclaim from critics, with a score of 85 out of 100, based on 14 reviews.[18]

Awards and nominations

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.

For the Golden Globe Awards, the series received five nominations, with Michael 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.

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, Michael 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. The series won the award for Best Television Drama Series and received a nomination for the that category the following year.

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. That year Michael Chiklis won for Individual Achievement in Drama. The series received nominations again for Outstanding Achievement in Drama for the next two seasons. 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.

Other awards and nominations include a 2005 Peabody Award and Michael Chiklis being nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for the first season.[19]

Year Association Award Nominee Result
2002 Primetime Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Michael Chiklis Won
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Clark Johnson Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Shawn Ryan Nominated
2003 Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series CCH Pounder Nominated
Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama Michael Chiklis Nominated
Satellite Award for Best Actress - Television Series Drama CCH Pounder Won
Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Drama The Shield Won
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama Michael Chiklis Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Michael Chiklis Nominated
GLAAD Media Award GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series The Shield Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Michael Chiklis Nominated
2004 Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama Michael Chiklis Nominated
Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Television Series - Drama The Shield Won
Satellite Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama Michael Chiklis Won
Satellite Award for Best Actress - Television Series Drama CCH Pounder Won
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series CCH Pounder Nominated
2005 AFI Award AFI Award for TV Program of the Year The Shield Won
Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Television Series - Drama The Shield Nominated
Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama Michael Chiklis Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Glenn Close Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series CCH Pounder Nominated
Peabody Award Area of Excellence The Shield Won
2006 ALMA Award ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Benito Martinez Nominated
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series CCH Pounder Nominated
Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series Philip G. Atwell Nominated
Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film Forest Whitaker Nominated
Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama Michael Chiklis Nominated
2007 ALMA Award ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Benito Martinez Won
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series CCH Pounder Nominated
2008 ALMA Award ALMA Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Benito Martinez Nominated
ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Paula Garcés Nominated
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series CCH Pounder Nominated
2009 AFI Award AFI Award for TV Program of the Year The Shield Won
Image Awards Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series CCH Pounder Nominated
ALMA Award ALMA Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Benito Martinez Nominated
ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Paula Garcés Nominated

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.[20] 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 make the team a whole lot of money recovering stolen art and Julien and Danny struggle to realize when is the right time to go 'by the book' and when isn't. 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.

Digital release

In November 2012, all seven seasons were made available for purchase on iTunes.[21] On February 26, 2013, Amazon.com announced the addition of the series to its Prime service.[22] All seven seasons are available on Netflix throughout Latin America.[23]

DVD releases

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.[24] 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.[25] 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.[26]

DVD title Release dates
Region 1 (Fox) Region 1 (Sony Pictures) Region 2 Region 4
The Complete First Season January 7, 2003 March 25, 2008 July 21, 2003 February 11, 2004
The Complete Second Season January 6, 2004 March 25, 2008 August 9, 2004 April 5, 2005
The Complete Third Season February 22, 2005 March 25, 2008 May 28, 2007 May 11, 2007
The Complete Fourth Season December 26, 2005 March 25, 2008 July 2, 2007 November 15, 2007
The Complete Fifth Season March 27, 2007 March 25, 2008 January 28, 2008 March 10, 2009
The Complete Sixth Season N/A August 26, 2008 March 24, 2008 August 18, 2009
The Complete Seventh Season N/A June 9, 2009 June 8, 2009 November 24, 2010
The Complete Series N/A November 3, 2009 June 8, 2009 November 23, 2010

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.[27]

References

  1. "AFI Awards 2008". American Film Institute. 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  2. Fretts, Bruce; Roush, Matt (December 23, 2013). "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time". TV Guide. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  3. Grant, Judith (May 22, 2002). "The Shield". Picturing Justice, the On-Line Journal of Law and Popular Culture. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
  4. Young, Susan (September 2, 2008). "Judgment Day for The Shield’s Vic Mackey". Film.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  5. Fuchs, Cynthia (February 2, 2004). "The Shield: The Complete Second Season". PopMatters. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  6. Fuchs, Cynthia (March 9, 2004). "The Shield Season 3 Premiere". PopMatters. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  7. Fuchs, Cynthia (February 24, 2005). "The Shield: Season 3". PopMatters. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  8. Fuchs, Cynthia (January 23, 2006). "The Shield: Season 4". PopMatters. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  9. Huff, Quentin B. (May 9, 2007). "The Shield: The Detective & the Lieutenant". PopMatters. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  10. "The Shield Set to Return". IGN. January 22, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  11. Toomey, Jonathan (January 30, 2007). "FX to debut mini-episode of The Shield online". Aol TV. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  12. Huff, Quentin B. (September 26, 2008). "The Detective & His Reflections: The Shield: Sixth Season". PopMatters. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  13. Ryan, Maureen (April 23, 2007). "Dutch treat for fans of 'The Shield'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  14. Poniewozik, James (December 9, 2007). "Top 10 Returning TV Series". TIME. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  15. Poniewozik, James (September 6, 2007). "All-TIME 100 TV Shows". TIME. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  16. EW Staff (December 17, 2009). "10 Best TV Shows of the Decade". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  17. "The Shield: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  18. "The Shield: Season 7". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  19. "The Shield (FX)". The Peabody Awards. May 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  20. Weiland, Jonah (August 22, 2003). "To Protect and to Serve: Jeff Mariotte on 'The Shield'". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  21. "The Shield, Season 1". iTunes. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  22. "Amazon’s Prime Instant Video Named the Exclusive Online Subscription Home of FX Series Justified". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  23. "The Shield: Complete Series on Netflix". Dom's Guide. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  24. Lacey, Gord (December 28, 2007). "The Shield - Season 6 moves from Fox to Sony". TVShowsOnDVD. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  25. Zupan, Michael (October 27, 2009). "The Shield: Complete Series". DVD Talk. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  26. "Shield (The): Season 5 (TV) (2006)". DVD Compare. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  27. "The Shield for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved September 20, 2011.

External links

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