[.ca] The Shield: The Complete First Season

From Amazon.com:
On March 12, 2002, The Shield burst onto the FX network like an incendiary grenade, and basic cable TV would never be the same. Creator Shawn Ryan's uncompromising police drama pushed the limits of basic-cable permissiveness, bridging the relative discretion of NYPD Blue and the HBO liberties of The Wire. Without exception, these 13 episodes justify their hype, focusing on pugnacious detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), whose amoral Strike Team employs dubious tactics in the crime-ridden (and fictional) Farmington district of Los Angeles. Mackey and his maverick partners are at odds with seasoned detectives and beat cops, escalating tensions with precinct Capt. Aceveda (Benito Martinez), a Latino with flexible scruples and a political agenda. The series invites viewers to form their own judgments regarding Mackey's volatile behavior, which includes killing an undercover cop in the electrifying pilot episode. While each episode stands alone as groundbreaking drama, the arc of the series incorporates Aceveda's campaign to end Mackey's career; the self-loathing of a homosexual rookie (Michael Jace) whose partner (Catherine Dent) is Mackey's occasional mistress; a straight-laced detective (Jay Karnes) yearning for respect; Mackey's compassionate attempt to rehabilitate a crack whore (Jamie Brown, giving the season's finest guest performance); the autism of Mackey's young son and the recklessness of his closest partner (Walton Goggins); and the vigilant stoicism of Det. Wyms (CCH Pounder), who's as sensibly upright as Mackey is corrupted. Teeming with gang-bangers, perverts, rapists, and killers, The Shield is unabashedly adult; even liberal viewers may flinch at plots involving child pornography and serial murder. Chiklis deservedly won an Emmy for maintaining the series' delicate morality; Mackey's a hero squirming in his own ethical quicksand. This daring edginess makes The Shield unique, and generous DVD supplements explore Ryan's creative impulse. Two featurettes offer behind-the-scenes overviews, while the all-episode commentaries allow extensive insight from every member of the series' principal cast and crew. Audition tapes prove that the cast was primed for ensemble excellence, and deleted scenes further demonstrate the series' challenging ambiguity. The Shield is excellent TV for those who can grasp its complexities; all others beware. --Jeff Shannon

Shield Fanatic!!!:
From the ending of the first episode when Vic Mackey shoots Terry Crowley dead, I was hooked. I absolutely love this show. I have never actually been a fanatic of any show ever until I started watching The Shield. I am such a fanatic I even went and bought the short 5 issue comic book series of The Shield. I have not bought comic books in years. Just goes to show you just how good I think this show is. This show takes the edginess of NYPD Blue and takes it to another level. You also love to hate alot of the characters. Especially Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis)and David Aceveda(Benito Martinez) the most. All I have to say is. BUY THIS!!! ...and Season 2 :-)

ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS!!!!!!!!!!:
I love this show!!!! Our friend recommended this show. I must admit, at first I had doubts about another cop show but this show is so amazing! Everytime, I wish the show would never end! The Sopranos really have a competition except this is way better because they deal with people's everyday problems and gets to the root of things. The SUPER COPS are crooked as a politician but you gotta love the way they handle things. No matter what they do, you just can't hate them. It's too much drama but it's the dramas they have that makes the show so awesome! This is a MUSTTTTTT SEEEEEE especially if you like action!

Top Notch! One of the best on TV:
Definitely one of the best shows on TV. I started watching this and HBO's "The Wire" around the same time and I have to give the FX network credit for getting my attention over an HBO show. Finally, FX shows something a little more dramatic than the NASCAR track or "Married With Children" re-runs. First of all, the show is real in that it shows the progression of real cases over months in police work. Second, I tip my hat to Michael Chicklis, who made a surprising comeback from "The Commish" to being the corrupt Vic Mackie on "The Shield". While the writer humanizes him as a flawed hero, nothing gets better than watching a drug dealer's face getting burned off or getting drowned in oil. Of course, police corruption only goes so far and usually the cops get caught at some point early in the game...but they have to dramatize some things in order to have a great show. Vic Mackie ramming through a fence is all that I could ask for. You can kind of tell that the show is deteriorating with the money train scheme and there being less detective work by Vic and more on stealing or screwing someone over. But the first season is a must. This show definitely changed TV. Where else can you say the "s" word and get away with it...on CABLE! One last thing, doesn't everyone want to see "Dutchboy" get his A*# kicked by Vic, or even better, Danny (the female patrol officer).

Shield yourself:
This is crass, vulgar and poorly acted. Bring back the Comish!

Addictive:
I was hooked on this series from the start. Everything about it is absolutely stellar. I introduced the show to my boyfriend. He was skeptical at first but quickly became hooked. It's dark but compelling. Highly recommended!