SummaryThe Shield breaks the conventional formula of the cop genre. It plays out in a tough, morally ambiguous world in which the line between good and bad is crossed every day. The series focuses on the tension between a group of corrupt but effective cops and a captain torn between bringing them down and advancing his own political ambitions. The Shie... Read More
Created By:Shawn Ryan
The Shield
7 Seasons
Season 1 Premiere:
Mar 12, 2002
89
9.0
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
93% Positive
43 Reviews
43 Reviews
7% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jun 28, 2013
100
Astonishing. ... The Shield did what network cop shows have lately abandoned: it created a richly imagined world with continuing story lines, driven by L.A.'s roiling racial politics--achieving a payoff far bigger than solving the murder of the week.
Mar 19, 2013
100
Gritty and grim, The Shield takes the familiar genre to a new level of intensity, graphic violence, nudity and, not least, profanity. The vocabulary may shock some viewers; the casting will surprise others: Michael Chiklis plays the heavy, the corrupt cop at the center of The Shield. It's a riveting star turn. [12 Mar 2002, p.F05]
User score
Universal Acclaim
96% Positive
632 Ratings
632 Ratings
1% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
3% Negative
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
Mar 3, 2022
10
Thanks god for let me watch this MASTER PIECE. Just amazing, a great cop series, every actor, every action, every plot.
Feb 24, 2026
9
COPS style crime drama is my second go-to outside of sci-fi and this series had me hooked from the pilot to the finale!
Mar 19, 2013
100
The Shield is the kind of cop show you might find on HBO, a superbly written, inventively directed, sharply acted drama that screams authenticity and excellence, and -- like The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Sex and the City -- makes matter-of-fact use of adult language and nudity. But The Shield is not on HBO. [10 Mar 2002, p.2]
Mar 19, 2013
90
However, I can't give The Shield an unqualified recommendation given its placement on a basic cable network. There are scenes that make "NYPD Blue" look tame, including nudity, sex scenes, horrific violence and everything short of the f-word in terms of language. It looks like something you'd expect from HBO or a pay-cable channel that you specifically pay for and expect to include adult content. Not a basic cable channel that's next to Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. [12 Mar 2002, p.C08]
Jun 27, 2013
83
Scratch the gritty surface of this new police drama and you'll find it's not a totally revolutionary contribution to the genre.
80
Nothing about the seventh and final season of The Shield feels like a show running out of gas.
Mar 19, 2013
50
The Shield gives viewers so much Chiklis, it should be called "The Commish 2." The pilot opens with the unlikely scenario of the portly Chiklis chasing down a teenage drug dealer. It only gets worse...There may be rogue cops out there, but do they really announce to their precinct captains that they can't be controlled? It's hard to watch a show that stars such an unlikable character. [12 Mar 2002, p.41]
Sep 5, 2025
9
Excellent series through all seven seasons. Last I checked the way it was filmed is going to make it difficult to get a high res widescreen release, but I'm still hoping for it.
Feb 24, 2024
8
Une série passionnante qui s’achève en apothéose ! malgré quelques baisses de rythme cependant, tout au long des 7 saisons (ce côté inégal peut d’ailleurs parfois irriter un brin). ‘The Shield’ est bien sûr fondé sur la prestation magistrale, incroyable de Michael Chiklis « Mc Key » !
Suivre le cheminement torteux et tourmenté de ce flic brut de décoffrage (et brutal), toujours sur le fil du rasoir et sur la corde raide est un régal… à tel point que les épisodes qui se focalisent sur d’autres personnages laissent poindre un certain sentiment de désintérêt et d’ennui (ils sont un peu falots, les autres, sauf le bras droit de super flic, Walton Goggins alias Vendrell !).
En tout cas, jusqu’au bout, on reste partagé sur Mc Key : on saute de la sympathie (et de l’empathie) au dégoût en passant par la compassion et le mépris et aller-retour. Une série assez réaliste dans l’ensemble mais surtout très humaine.
Production Company:
- Fox Television Studios
- Sony Pictures Television
- The Barn Productions
- 20th Century Fox Television
- Columbia TriStar Television
- MiddKid Productions
Initial Release Date:Mar 12, 2002
Number of seasons:7 Seasons
Rating:TV-MA
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 2 Wins & 5 Nominations
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Win & 12 Nominations
Television Critics Association Awards
• 1 Win & 11 Nominations
