The Shield

This article is about the television series. For the comic-book superhero, see The Shield (Archie Comics).

The Shield
File:Theshield.jpg Promotional Photo from Season One
Created by	Shawn Ryan
Starring	Michael Chiklis Walton Goggins Kenny Johnson (2002–2006) Benito Martinez CCH Pounder Jay Karnes Catherine Dent Michael Jace Cathy Cahlin Ryan David Rees Snell Glenn Close (2005) Forest Whitaker (2006-) Alex O'Loughlin (2007-)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	65 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	0:44 to 0:50
Original release
Network	File:FX logo.svg FX Networks
Release	March 12, 2002 – present

The Shield is an American police-drama television series shown on FX Networks in the U.S. and other networks internationally. The show is notable for its controversial portrayal of corrupt police officers. The first season gained the most Emmy nominations for a basic cable drama. The series was created by Shawn Ryan and The Barn Productions for Fox Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television (formerly Columbia TriStar Television).

In the United States, The Shield has aired on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Reruns of seasons one and two have aired on the basic-cable channel Spike TV, and reruns of season one begin airing weekends in national syndication in September 2006. In the United Kingdom The Shield has aired on Fridays at 11 p.m. on Five. In Ireland, The Shield has aired on Monday at 9 p.m on TV3 Ireland. In Germany, The Shield has aired under the name The Shield — Gesetz der Gewalt on pay-TV-channel AXN Germany after an unsuccessful start on ProSieben. State tv Sveriges Television in Sweden has run several seasons of The Shield. Since 2005 the series has been shown in Finland by Nelonen under name Shield — Lain varjolla. As well, in Spain is shown by pay-tv-channel AXN and named The Shield, Al margen de la Ley. In Serbia, first 3 seasons were shown on B92 television under the name "Prljava značka" (literally means dirty badge). Season 6 will begin on April 3, 2007. Although this was supposed to be the last season, The Shield has been renewed for a 7th and final season.

About the series

The Shield is about an experimental police division 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 corrupt detectives called "The Strike Team". Michael Chiklis has top billing with his portrayal of Strike Team leader Vic Mackey. The show has an ensemble cast that will normally run a number of separate story lines through each episode.

Detective Vic Mackey is the leader of the Strike Team, a four-man anti-gang unit based on the LAPD's real-life Rampart Division CRASH unit (Rampart was seriously considered as the series name). The Strike Team uses a variety of illegal and unethical methods to 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. Attempts to give the team a fifth member have frequently led to near-catastrophe for the group.

The Shield has a variety of subplots, notably David Aceveda's political aspirations and internal confrontation of a previous sexual assault; Vic Mackey's struggle to cope with a failing marriage; and Julien 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. Most characters are portrayed as having both vice and virtue. For example, Vic's loving relationship with his children contrasts with his thuggish attitude towards police work; in addition, his brutality is generally directed at those who seem well deserving of such treatment — in Season 2, the Strike Team targets the "Armenian Money Train", a money laundering operation of the Armenian organized crime syndicate. Another episode had Mackey cornering a serial rapist, then letting him be attacked by a police dog before calling the dog off.

The Shield has won critical praise for its realism, particularly in its portrayal of gang violence in Los Angeles.[1] Although names of actual gangs are not used, the portrayals are based on real gangs. Latino gangs with names such as "Los Magnificos" (or "Los Mags") and the "Toros" are a constant thorn in the Strike Team's side in the early seasons of the show, whilst African American gangs become more prominent in later episodes. In particular, a gang calling themselves the "One-Niners" are central to the plot of Season 4. Like the notorious real-life Blood and Crip gangs, the One-Niners identify themselves strongly with one color (in this case purple), wearing it on various forms of clothing. There are also a number of stories set in Korean neighborhoods, as well as plots involving Armenian gangsters. To enhance its realism, the show makes very little use of background music.

There is some controversy around the show's depiction of police corruption.[2] The Strike Team's illegal activities are often backed up with convincing rationalizations by its members, while various police and government authorities who try to bring them to justice or otherwise criticize them are often portrayed negatively. Some argue that this technique presents the reality of police corruption and brutality and attempts to explain it intelligently without demonizing it.[3] Others argue that the show is essentially a defense of police corruption and brutality, portraying effective police work as impossible without such tactics and presenting Vic Mackey in particular as a hero despite his extensive corruption.[4]

Season Overviews

Main article: List of The Shield episodes

Season 1

Season 1 premiered March 12, 2002. It gives introduction to The Strike Team and the other characters of the Barn. Important plotlines are the aftermath of Vic's murder of Terry Crowley and Captain Aceveda's scheming to bring Vic and the Strike Team down; Dutch and Claudette tracking down a serial killer; Julien training under Danny and struggling with his homosexuality; and the corrupt actions of Ben Gilroy.

Season 2

Season 2 premiered January 7, 2003. The season mostly revolves around a brutal new drug-lord who begins to take over the drug trade in Farmington. Meanwhile, Officer Sofer is involved in a shooting of a Muslim man and has to deal with the fallout. This season is also heavily concerned with the Strike Teams plan to rip off the money train of the Armenian Mob, which ends up going down in the season finale.

Season 3

Season 3 premiered March 9, 2004. The season mainly revolves around the aftermath of the Money Train Heist and its effects on the Strike Team, as the Armenian mob and also David Aceveda begin to suspect the Strike Team. In order to save the team, Lem destroys the majority of the money, ultimately leading to a confrontation which causes the Strike Team to split up in the season finale.

Season 4

Season 4 premiered March 15, 2005, with the addition of Glenn Close taking over the role as Farmington's Captain, and ended on June 14. The season dealt with the fallout from the Strike Team disbandment. Shane Vendrell, with new partner Army, enters into a dangerous situation with major drug lord Antwon Mitchell, 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 team gets back together and manages to bring Antwon into jail. The season also deals with the controversial asset forfeiture policies of the new captain; Julien's opposition to these policies; and David Aceveda dealing with the psychological aftermath of his sexual assault incident from the previous season.

Season 5

Season 5 premiered January 10, 2006. The season revolved around Internal Affairs Department Lt. Jon Kavanaugh's (played by Forest Whitaker) investigation into the Strike Team, representing one of the greatest threats the team has ever faced. The season concluded with Shane Vendrell murdering his friend and fellow team member Curtis "Lem" Lemansky by blowing him up with a grenade.

Season 6 (future)

Template:Future television Season 6 is scheduled to start showing on FX on April 3, 2007, after the initial run of the new FX series, Dirt. Creator Shawn Ryan had previously stated this may be the last season, but on June 5, 2006 FX announced The Shield has been renewed for a seventh and final season. Little is known about Season 6 at this point. What is known is that the majority of the season will deal with the fallout of Lem's death as Vic and the Strike Team ruthlessly hunt down Lem's killer, which is Strike Team member Shane.

"Wins and Loses"

The Shield produced a 15 minute "promosode" for Bud.TV that bridges the gap between Season 5 and 6. The "promosode" premiered on February 15, 2007. The episode focuses on the aftermath of Lem's death, including his funeral and flashbacks as co-workers recall the mark left by Det. Lemansky. The 15 minute show was said to cost between $500,000 and $1 Million to produce and will be on Bud.TV for a 4 week period. After that it will be released to other sites such as AOL and other media outlets.

Characters

Main article: List of characters from The Shield

Strike Team

• Detective Victor "Vic" Mackey (Michael Chiklis): Leader of the Strike Team.
• Detective Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins): Vic's best friend and member of the Strike Team.
• Detective Ronald "Ronnie" Gardocki (David Rees Snell): Member of the Strike Team.
• Detective Kevin Hiatt (Alex O'Loughlin): Newest member of the Strike Team. Brought in by Captain Wyms as a possible replacement for Vic Mackey.

Former members

• Detective Terry Crowley (Reed Diamond) (Episodes 1.01, 1.02; 2.09): An undercover detective working with David Aceveda and the Department of Justice, who was trying to get information on the illicit activities of the Strike Team. Was shot and killed by Vic Mackey in the pilot episode. Crowley was the original fifth member of the Strike Team.
• Detective Tavon Garris (Brian White) (Seasons 2-3): A later addition to the Strike Team. Left the Strike Team after a fight with Shane Vendrell and a subsequent automobile accident.
• Detective Armando "Army" Renta (Michael Peña) (Season 4): Shane Vendrell's partner after he left the Strike Team at the end of season three. Was involved in Shane's illicit dealings with Antwon Mitchell, and later split from Shane in order to avoid a lie detector test. (Army was never officially on the "Strike Team". He worked in Vic's anti-gang unit to head up the seizure policy)
• Detective Curtis "Lem" Lemansky (Kenny Johnson) (Seasons 1-5): Member of the Strike Team who often served as the group's conscience. Also referred to as "Lemonhead." Was killed by Shane Vendrell in Season 5.

Administration

• Councilman David Aceveda (Benito Martinez): Politically ambitious former police captain, elected to the Los Angeles City Council between Seasons 3 and 4. Is one of Vic Mackey's main rivals, although often they have forged uneasy alliances for various reasons. Was orally raped at gunpoint in Season 3, which eventually drove him to arrange a deal with druglord Antwon Mitchell to kill his rapist in prison.
• Assistant Chief of Police Ben Gilroy (John Diehl) (Episodes 1.02, 1.04, 1.07, 1.08, 1.12, 1.13; 2.22, 2.23; 4.02): Crooked cop and longtime friend of Vic Mackey. Was forced out of office after being arrested in a real estate scam; later turned state's evidence in order to obtain evidence to take down the Strike Team, but was forced into exile and eventually died in Mexico.
• Assistant Chief of Police Roy Phillips (Nigel Gibbs) (Episodes 3.09; 4.01; 5.01, 5.10): Replaced Ben Gilroy as Assistant Chief of Police. Apparently an acquaintance of Vic Mackey's, though their relationship has never been clarified.
• Captain Monica Rawling (Glenn Close) (Season 4): Succeeded David Aceveda as captain of the Barn. Responsible for a controversial asset-seizure program during her tenure; was eventually fired when she interfered with a DEA operation in Los Angeles at the end of Season 4.
• Captain Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder): A veteran detective and on-again off-again partner of "Dutch" Wagenbach. Replaced Steve Billings as captain of the Barn at the end of Season 5.
• Chief Tom Bankston (Ron Canada) (Episodes 2.10, 2.12, 2.13; 3.02): Former Chief of Police for the LAPD. Came in after The Gilroy Scandal. Was replaced by Chief Johnson.
• Chief Johnson (John Cygan) (Episode 5.11): Current Chief of Police for the LAPD.

Police

• Detective Holland "Dutch Boy" Wagenbach (Jay Karnes): Claudette's former partner and a detective at the Barn.
• Detective Steve Billings (David Marciano) (Season 4-): Wishy-washy detective and former interim captain of the Barn after the departure of Monica Rawling. Paired with Dutch during Season 5 after losing his position as captain to Claudette.
• Officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer (Catherine Dent): Patrol officer who aspires to become a detective. Served as Julien's training officer early in the series. Involved in an on-again-off-again affair with Vic Mackey. Mackey is supposedly the father of her son, Lee, who was born late in Season 5.
• Officer Julien Lowe (Michael Jace): Patrol officer. Many episodes involve subplots related to his suppressed homosexuality. Training officer of Tina Hanlon.
• Officer Tina Hanlon (Paula Garcés) (Season 5-): Julien's officer in training. An attractive young female police officer, she is also being mentored by Dutch.
• Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh (Forest Whitaker) (Season 5-): Internal Affairs officer investigating the Strike Team. A polar opposite to Vic Mackey; a police officer who adheres strictly to rules and regulations. Vic Mackey's most effective and persistent antagonist in Season 5.
• Officer Ray Carlson (Matt Corboy) (Seasons 1-3): Homophobic patrol officer, was fired by Aceveda for tormenting Julien Lowe after his homosexuality was revealed. Led an assault on Julien as retaliation. Lowe returned for revenge, breaking Carlson's arm, though Carlson was too ashamed to report it.
• Officer Paul Jackson (Frank Grillo) (Seasons 1-2): Carlson's partner and fellow tormentor of Julien Lowe. He was fired with Carlson and also took part in the beatdown of Julien.
• Joe Clark (Carl Weathers) (Season 2): Vic's former partner and training officer. He was forced into early retirement for brutality.

Criminals

• Antwon Mitchell (Anthony Anderson) (Season 4-): Leader of the One-Niners gang, drug dealer and general criminal kingpin, and Shane's former 'employer' during his split from the Strike Team. Due to his knowledge of what Shane did and how he was treated, he is one of the Strike Team's most powerful enemies. Currently serving a sentence in Lompoc Prison for murder and is a contributing factor to Lem's death for Lem would have been tortured in jail due to Mitchells connections.
• Margos Dezerian (Kurt Sutter) (Episodes 1.05; 3.14, 3.15): High-ranking member of the Armenian Mafia, who was sent to Los Angeles following the Money Train robbery. Was killed by Vic Mackey at the end of Season 3.
• Armadillo Quintero (Daniel Pino) (Episodes 2.01, 2.02, 2.05, 2.08): Ruthless Mexican gang leader that Shane and Lem arranged to have killed while in police custody before he could reveal that Vic had scarred him.
• Kern Little (Sticky Fingaz) (Seasons 1, 2, 3, 5): Former leader of the One-Niners gang and a rapper. Was assassinated on orders of Antwon Mitchell in a robbery involving the Strike Team, as he posed a threat to Mitchell's leadership of the gang.
• Diagur Leyva (Frankie Rodriguez) (Season 3): Former leader of the Byz Lats gang. Replaced former leader Garza when the Strike Team took him down. Allied with Vic, but was murdered by the Armenian Mafia when they connected him, through Vic, to the Money Train Robbery. Diagur was a cunnilingus aficionado.
• Juan Lozano (Kurt Caceres) (Episodes 3.05, 3.10; 4.12): Member of the Byz Lats. Was assaulted by the Strike Team and would later attack and orally rape Aceveda. Antwon Mitchell made a deal with Aceveda to kill Lozano in prison. Mitchell had Lozano killed.
• Kleavon Gardner (Ray Campbell) (Episodes 4.06; 5.06, 5.07): A serial killer that proved very challenging for Dutch and Claudette to break.
• Tomas Motyashik (Brent Roam) (Seasons 1-2): Was briefly Julien's lover and small-time crook. Disappeared into the penal system after season 2, following his public outing of Julien.
• Halpern White (Laurence Mason) (Season 4-): Second in command of the One-Niners gang.
• Rondell Robinson (Walter Jones) (Season 1): A major drug dealer in the Farmington neighborhood with links to the Farmington One-Niners. Rondell was Vic's major supplier of drugs, he was used by the Strike Team in order for them to keep track of what was put on the street. Rondell was murdered at the end of Season 1, after a series of confrontations with rival dealers and the Nation of Islam forced Vic to switch his support to T.O.
• Theodore "T.O." Osmond (Cedric Pendleton) (Episodes 1.11, 1.13; 2.01, 2.02): Tio took the place of Rondell as the Strike Team's way to control the drugs in Farmington, using his comic book store as a front for his operations. He was murdered by Armadillo Quintero.
• Connie Reisler (Jamie Brown) (Seasons 1–2): A crack-addicted prostitute and single mother. Was shot and killed while working as a C.I. for Vic.

Gangs

• The Armenian Might
• One-Niners: The most powerful African-American gang in Farmington. Notable members include Antwon Mitchell and Kern Little.
• Farmtown 12: An African-American gang. Was the most powerful gang in Farmington until its neighborhoods were overrun with Latino immigrants.
• Los Magnificos (or "Los Mags"): A Mexican gang. Disbanded upon forming of The Torrucos.
• Los Toros: A Mexican gang. Disbanded upon forming of The Torrucos.
• Los Profetas: A Mexican gang with a strong religious bent.
• El Salvadorans
• The Torrucos: A unification of the Los Mags and Toros formed by Armadillo Quintero
• The Byz Lats: A Mexican gang.
• Spookstreet Souljahs: An African-American gang.
• K-Town Killers: A Korean gang.
• The Horde: A national biker gang
• House Usty: A notorious gang with a strong inclination for buggery.

Other

• Corrine Mackey (Cathy Cahlin Ryan): Vic's ex-wife.
• Cassidy Mackey (Autumn Chiklis): Vic's older daughter.
• Becca Doyle (Laura Harring) (Season 5): Defense attorney for the Strike Team during Kavanaugh's investigation.
• Emolia Melendez (Onahoua Rodriguez) (Episodes 4.10, 4.11, 4.13; 5.01, 5.02, 5.05, 5.08, 5.11): An informant for the Strike Team and a secret witness for Kavanaugh.

International Broadcasters

Country	Alternate title/Translation	TV Network(s)	Series Premiere	Weekly Schedule
United States	The Shield	FX Networks (First run) Spike TV (Syndication)
Canada
Australia	The Shield	Network Ten (First run) Fox8 (Syndication)		Sundays 10:30pm AEST
United Kingdom

Trivia

• Cathy Cahlin Ryan (Corrine Mackey) is in real life married to series creator Shawn Ryan and is friends with Michael Chiklis' wife Michelle. The Ryans' infant son was cast as Connie's son, Brian, in seasons one and two.
• Autumn Chiklis (Cassidy Mackey) is the real-life daughter of Michael Chiklis, and plays his daughter on the series. However, Chiklis says he does not let her watch the show.
• The badges worn by officers in the show differ from their real-life counterparts in both design and their position on the uniform. This was done to distance the show from the actual LAPD, who objected to their portrayal as corrupt.
• The characters of Detectives Ronnie Gardocki and Curtis "Lem" Lemansky were not part of the original series pitch. The character of Detective Lemansky was created especially for actor Kenny Johnson after he auditioned for the role of Terry Crowley. Meanwhile David Rees Snell, a friend of show creator Shawn Ryan, was offered a part as an extra as a member of the Strike Team in the pilot episode. When FX greenlighted the series, he was signed on to the show as the enigmatic Detective Ronnie Gardocki.
• The alcoholic beverages Corona and Southern Comfort are often the beverages of choice when the Strike Team is seen celebrating, or advertised in bars they visit throughout several seasons. Vic Mackey keeps Red Stripe in his place.
• The average episode takes seven days to film.

Other media

Video games

On March 3, 2004, Sammy Studios announced [5] a video game version of The Shield for Xbox and PlayStation 2 (PS2). The game was to be a third-person action game developed by Point of View. On March 7, 2005, Sammy Studios Inc. completed a management buyout from parent company Sammy Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, and was renamed High Moon Studios, Inc. The game's development was cancelled in the summer of 2004 following the Sammy/Sega merger.[6] On October 13, 2006, Aspyr Media announced it signed an exclusive publishing agreement with 20th Century Fox for PC and PS2 versions of the game for release in January 2007. [7]

Developed by Point of View, the PS2 version of the game was released on January 9. It's a third person shooter that bridges the gap between the 3rd and 4th seasons by exploring the gang war between the Biz-Latz and the One-Niners.

DVD

Region 1 releases from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment are:

DVD	Date Released (Region 1)
The Complete First Season	7 Jan 2003
The Complete Second Season	6 Jan 2004
The Complete Third Season	22 Feb 2005
The Complete Fourth Season	26 Dec 2005
The Complete Fifth Season	27 Mar 2007

Region 2 (UK) releases: Season 1 and Season 2 were released in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Sony told DVD Review magazine that season 3 will finally be made available in the UK in 2007, but have not, as yet, officially confirmed this.

External links

• Official Site from Sony Pictures Television
• Official FX website
• The Shield at IMDb
• Template:Tvtome show
• The Shield Lexicon