A gang of corrupt Los Angeles Police Department cops uses illegal methods to maintain law and order, whilst engaging in a series of undercover dealings secretly in order to get rich.A gang of corrupt Los Angeles Police Department cops uses illegal methods to maintain law and order, whilst engaging in a series of undercover dealings secretly in order to get rich.A gang of corrupt Los Angeles Police Department cops uses illegal methods to maintain law and order, whilst engaging in a series of undercover dealings secretly in order to get rich.
- Won 1 Primetime Emmy
- 15 wins & 62 nominations total
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Summary
Reviewers say 'The Shield' garners mixed reactions for its unconventional cinematography and mature content, with some finding it amateurish and gratuitous. However, many defend its gritty style as enhancing realism and integral to storytelling. Praise is given for complex characters, strong performances, especially Michael Chiklis, and intricate, morally ambiguous plotlines. The show is also commended for challenging traditional TV drama conventions and its significant impact on the genre.
Featured reviews
10uncatw6
The shield is one of the best cop shows of all time, only behind "The Wire." The story line is rich and the cast is just brilliant. Michael Chiklis had a career defining role as the brutal Vic Mackey. Chiklis is so good that somehow you continue to root for the guy after all of the brutal crimes he has committed. He truly played that role to perfection. The show continues to get better as the seasons progress. They build on each other perfectly which sets up the epic and heart-wrenching series finale.
As the seasons build, life truly seems to be on the line for every member of the strike team. Walton Goggins, who plays Detective Shane Vendrell, continually got better as the show progressed and gave mind blowing performance in the last two seasons.
What also makes The Shield so rich are the other characters on the show other than the Strike Team. CCH Pounder was brilliant throughout the series and Detective Dutch Waggenbach and Steve Billings both helped balance out the show.
Season long guest stints from stars Forrest Whitaker and Glenn Close helped make this show a top 10 drama of the decade.
If you like "The Wire" or "The Sopranos" then you need to check this show out...It will be worth your time
As the seasons build, life truly seems to be on the line for every member of the strike team. Walton Goggins, who plays Detective Shane Vendrell, continually got better as the show progressed and gave mind blowing performance in the last two seasons.
What also makes The Shield so rich are the other characters on the show other than the Strike Team. CCH Pounder was brilliant throughout the series and Detective Dutch Waggenbach and Steve Billings both helped balance out the show.
Season long guest stints from stars Forrest Whitaker and Glenn Close helped make this show a top 10 drama of the decade.
If you like "The Wire" or "The Sopranos" then you need to check this show out...It will be worth your time
10SkyFox1
The Shield is not for everyone. My wife, for instance does not like violent TV shows. The Shield is raw, violent and full of incredible suspense and intrigue. A good friend of mine recently turned me on to the Shield and I will forever be grateful. I travel quite a lot and watched all 100+ hours of the Shield while on the road. I could not wait to get to the next episode. During a recent 2 week trip to India, I did not turn on the TV one time. I watched a episode or two of The Shield every night and a whole season each way on the plane. There is a lot of debate about the ending, which I thought was perfect. It's difficult to end such an epic saga but these guys did it about as good as you can. The Shield is life changing. Not all for the good.You should be prepared to be affected by this thing. It's gritty but in the same way that A Clockwork Orange is gritty. The difference is that this lasts for a long, delicious time.
I know im late to the party but i just wanted to add my two cents. I have seen a lot of shows in my life from the Wire , breaking bad , sons of anarchy , downtown abbey to GOT and everything in between ( of-course not but definitely all the ones worth watching ) but The Shield has a special place in my heart. First it saw me through the corona virus lockdown and had me baited hook line and sinker like i have never been . I almost cried when it ended because i didn't want it to but also had me enthralled to the point that i couldn't wait to see what the next episode would bring .
I think i cannot offer any compliments and praises that haven't been offered already . All i will say is it is like The Wire in treatment but with its own unique flavour. The writing is crisp , the hand held shooting gritty with each character addng a different dimension to the storyline. Each season brought with it a different commentary on all kinds of issues be it politics , family life, friendship, duty in the line of fire etc
Give it a go and be prepared for one heck of a ride
I think i cannot offer any compliments and praises that haven't been offered already . All i will say is it is like The Wire in treatment but with its own unique flavour. The writing is crisp , the hand held shooting gritty with each character addng a different dimension to the storyline. Each season brought with it a different commentary on all kinds of issues be it politics , family life, friendship, duty in the line of fire etc
Give it a go and be prepared for one heck of a ride
I just finished this series today on July 2020 and all I have to say is that it does not look cheap, old or non interesting, just keeping in mind this was filmed between 2002-2008.
First, most of the main cast are extremely good actors. Vic, Aceveda and Shane were the most powerful.
Second, the storyline and the length of the chapters are quite good too. Probably the story could have been told with 4-5 seasons easily. But it is what it is.
Last, camera work, make up and sound are pretty cool. I can't believe this show started on 2002.
On the other hand, seems some characters were not fully developed or look like the writers didn't want to give them credit. But not a big thing.
So, overall if you're looking for an excellent cops show, brutal, raw and almost perfect, this one is for you. Now, I'm going to watch The Wire. I want to compare both shows and see which one is better.
The story lines weave in and out and stretch from one season to the next, always leaving a little tension.... The characters are more real in their foibles than one usually expects from television fare, and this is probably what makes the series watchable over a long period. The viewer lives along with them, the ups, the downs, the quirkiness (Dutchboy is a little too quirky)... And the acting and language is by and large excellent. Hand-held cameras make the whole thing immediate.
The positives actually manage to drown out the negatives, namely the unreal emotional instability of Vic's crowd, and the contrived emotional structures... Tina and Julian's interactions are exaggerated (no one would stick around Julian the way she does, and her reference to his gayness is simply too much cherry on top of her lack of tact... As for Julian, he is permanently grumpy and his character is, indeed, too 2D for my taste, he never loosens up).
Maybe it's really like that at a precinct, but the tendency of American producers and directors to want to create supermen and -women and then try to introduce failings in their character appears irresistible. These men blow up at the slightest provocation, and my main thought is "They should never wear guns..." .... That is the star that is missing in the line up.
But these are minor errors, and they are natural for a series that is so long. The characters do at least remain consistent, and that does allow them to grow on us.... Chiklis' performance is excellent. Brilliant appearances by Glenn Close and Forest Whitaker... I wonder how many doors were destroyed during the filming .... I lost count.
The positives actually manage to drown out the negatives, namely the unreal emotional instability of Vic's crowd, and the contrived emotional structures... Tina and Julian's interactions are exaggerated (no one would stick around Julian the way she does, and her reference to his gayness is simply too much cherry on top of her lack of tact... As for Julian, he is permanently grumpy and his character is, indeed, too 2D for my taste, he never loosens up).
Maybe it's really like that at a precinct, but the tendency of American producers and directors to want to create supermen and -women and then try to introduce failings in their character appears irresistible. These men blow up at the slightest provocation, and my main thought is "They should never wear guns..." .... That is the star that is missing in the line up.
But these are minor errors, and they are natural for a series that is so long. The characters do at least remain consistent, and that does allow them to grow on us.... Chiklis' performance is excellent. Brilliant appearances by Glenn Close and Forest Whitaker... I wonder how many doors were destroyed during the filming .... I lost count.
Did you know
- TriviaCreator Shawn Ryan's original title of the show was "The Barn." The FX network feared that potential audiences might be turned away by that, because they might think it was a gardening show or something similar. "Rampart" was also considered, after the controversial corruption charges against the Rampart division of the Los Angeles Police Department. This title was used in early promotional materials, including several TV spots. Upon opposition from the LAPD, as well as the fact that people not familiar with the Rampart scandal might not understand the name, the title was changed at the last minute to "The Shield."
- Quotes
Vic Mackey: Good cop and bad cop have left for the day. I'm a different kind of cop.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2002)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Rampart
- Filming locations
- ABC Television Center - 4151 Prospect Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA(ABC Television Center)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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