The core storyline of The Shield is the relationship between Vic and his fellow Strike Team members, Shane Vendrell (portrayed by the fabulous Walton Goggins), Ronnie Gardocki (David Rees Snell), Curtis Lemanski (Kenny Johnson) and Tavon Garris (Brian J. White). When things are going good, the team acts like a well-organized criminal organization; but when the relationships start to suffer, their criminal actions put a target on their backs, and they take heat both from the criminals they extort and from the police they work with.

The two moral centers of the show are the prominent detectives in The Barn, Dutch Wagenbach (Jay Karnes) and Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder). Dutch, a serial killer-hunter, is intellectually arrogant and constantly exudes the belief that he’s the smartest guy in the room, though inside his proud exterior shell he’s a cauldron of insecurity and self-doubt, a trait he only reveals to his partner, Claudette. Claudette represents without a doubt the most morally grounded character on the show.  She’s Vic’s exact opposite: clean, ethical and by-the-book. She butts heads with him more than any other cop, because the rest are willing to let Mackey operate with impunity due to his ability to put high-level criminals behind bars at any cost. On the surface Dutch and Claudette’s casework resembles a typical police procedural, however, their detective work is hardly ever a “whodunit”, because the perpetrators are generally known at the outset and The Shield focuses on proving they did the crime, which is much more analogous to how actual detective work generally plays out.

In my opinion the show’s strongest quality is how the writers allow the storylines to progress. There’s a formula to each season of The Shield: the Strike Team commits some sort of corruption and then they work to cover their asses. But within that simple theme, the show develops complex conflicts that can revolve around the relationship between the Strike Team and their superiors/colleagues as well as the Team and the criminals. And although this formula is followed throughout the show, The Shield is anything but formulaic in the classic police procedural sense. Its plotlines interact in unique, fascinating ways, and like any well-written show, the pieces fall comfortably into place by the end of the season. And the manner in which the final season plays out is so well done that the writing staff deserves special praise for perhaps the most exciting, fascinating end to a show ever produced.

Not to be outdone by its exceptional writing, and The Shiled’s actors are absolutely top-notch and they move the storylines along with a fascinating, challenging intensity. The show’s excellent main cast is augmented by the greatest guest stars in television history (yes, television’s entire history). For example, in Season 4 The Barn’s newly-installed captain is Glenn Close, one of the finest actresses alive, who chases after a ruthless gang leader played by the absolutely chilling Anthony Anderson in, I think, his finest performance as an actor. In the following season the show introduces a lone wolf Internal Affairs lieutenant with a nose for corruption played by the incomparable Forest Whitaker, a role he took on shortly after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in The Last King of Scotland. Unfortunately the show did fall into Girls-style nepotism in some casting decisions (roles were given to Cathy Cahlin-Ryan, the wife of the show’s creator Shawn Ryan, and actor Michael Chiklis’ real life daughter Autumn), and every time either was on screen I yearned for more of Close, Anderson, and Whitaker.

What ultimately makes The Shield stand out from most other cop dramas is that it takes place in a morally ambiguous universe. Oftentimes the “right” decision leads to tragedy, whereas the “wrong” decision leads to the safest outcome. This is an ongoing theme with Vic and the Strike Team who often go to the most corrupt lengths imaginable to maintain the status quo. The in-house detectives (Dutch and Claudette) also generally handle dark, morally challenging cases, and these stories keep the emotionally intensity at a high pitch. The show is filled with serial killers, gang shootouts with innocent bystanders taking the brunt of the violence, and even a plethora sexual assaults and child murders, something even The Wire tended to shy away from. Though Farmington is a fictional inner-city LA district, the neighborhood’s foreboding, tragic atmosphere resembles the real-life misery of Compton or Watts, and it’s the perfect backdrop for a show that willingly shines a light on the darkest corners of our society.

If you liked The Wire and want something with the same superior intensity, or if you’re looking for a solid, action-driven thrill ride that explores the nature of good vs. evil, I recommend The Shield as the show you should marathon. I would caution that it’s very dark and you can’t expect the good guys to win in the end like a typical police procedural. If you don’t want your preconceived notions of morality and ethics to be challenged, then stay away, but for all others, please go watch The Shield. I promise you’ll agree it’s worthy of your time.

-Sean