The Shield

*The Shield* follows Detective Vic Mackey, played by Michael Chiklis, as he leads a four-man Strike Team in Farmington, a fictional district of Los Angeles. Vic gets results through intimidation, illegal searches, theft and deals with criminals, while other officers try to police the district without adopting his methods. Shawn Ryan created the series, which premiered on FX on March 12, 2002. It ran for seven seasons and ended on November 25, 2008. Its pilot establishes the stakes: Vic shoots fellow officer Terry Crowley during a raid after learning that Crowley has been placed on the team to investigate him.

The original Strike Team consists of Vic, Shane Vendrell, Curtis “Lem” Lemansky and Ronnie Gardocki, played by Walton Goggins, Kenny Johnson and David Rees Snell. Their loyalties come under strain after they rob a shipment of Armenian mob money, known within the series as the “money train.” The theft gives them a fortune but also exposes them to suspicion from criminals and investigators. Elsewhere in the Farmington precinct, detectives Claudette Wyms and Holland “Dutch” Wagenbach investigate murders and other serious crimes. CCH Pounder plays Claudette, whose pursuit of evidence repeatedly puts her at odds with Vic; Jay Karnes plays Dutch.

The show changes its central pressures over time rather than resetting Vic’s problems each season. David Aceveda, played by Benito Martinez, begins as the precinct captain and pursues a political career. In the fourth season, Glenn Close joins as Captain Monica Rawling, whose asset-forfeiture policy becomes a major source of conflict. Anthony Anderson plays Antwon Mitchell, a gang leader caught up in that season’s investigations. In the fifth season, Forest Whitaker arrives as Internal Affairs Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh, determined to build a case against Vic and the Strike Team. As that investigation tightens, Shane kills Lem with a grenade to prevent what he fears Lem might reveal.

The final season brings the team’s long-running betrayals to a conclusion. Vic secures immunity through a deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, then gives a recorded confession detailing crimes that implicate his colleagues. The deal protects him from prosecution but leaves Ronnie to be arrested. Shane, facing capture, kills his wife Mara and their son Jackson before taking his own life. Vic’s new job confines him to a desk, without the street authority that defined his career. Chiklis won the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series; *The Shield* won the 2003 Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama.