There seems to be a glut of quite extreme 1-star reviews on here, all echoing a couple of very specific points which make me think they're not genuine. They focus on 1) the camera being shaky, and 2) the 'reaction shots' being cut away from too quickly. Very strange. So in response:
1) Yes, this is deliberate. It gives a subtle sense of realism and makes you feel like you're an observer of a real life situation rather than a glossy film or by the numbers drama. I noticed it for about half an episode and then didn't think about it for the next 7 seasons, given the overall quality of the shield.
2) I didn't notice this for one second. There are reaction shots, and they serve their purpose. Who watches a series thinking about the fact that the reaction shots are not quite long enough? Very strange, and it makes me think someone out there has a real agenda.
Anyway, The Shield was in my opinion one of the best shows I've watched. I got absolutely lost in it for 7 seasons. There wasn't a slack episode, or a slow moment.
There are no weak or cardboard cutout characters in this show - each one has depth and humanity, and the performances are superb. It manages to take you from the gritty street level crime of urban LA through the overarching political manoeuvring of the key players, and brilliantly blurs the lines between the criminal leaders and the leaders on the supposed 'right side' of the law, in the same way that the Wire did so well, all of them power hungry, and ruthless.
Some shows struggle to make individual episodes gripping while keeping hold of the long-term storylines - others can make a relatively good but incongruous individual episode, while having no idea where the show is going overall (Lost, The Walking Dead, take a bow). The shield achieves that rare thing of making each episode individually great, while never losing sight of the long-term view. I would say only a handful of other shows have achieved this. The finale, when it comes, brings in threads of storyline from the very first episode, and does it with brilliance and humanity. I'm still thinking about it a week later, such is the complex web weaved by the writers and performances of this fantastic show.
