This series is really entertaining if you like your drama hard and gritty. Those of you who get your fill from soaps and shows like ER should stick to that, this is more in the lines of Sopranos, Oz, and the new 24.
The series doesn't seem like it should deliver much, another cop show in TV land (who can even count how many there are...?) that airs on a channel mostly known for reruns of other great shows from networks like Fox and the WB. But it delivers more than any other police drama and many of the shows that air on the big networks.
The reason for this might be that the happy family hour drama is tossed right out the window. This series is realistic and often very controversial. That may be a weakness, but in terms of creativity, it's a big strength. You'll be shocked to hear and see the things that happen on this show. This show is allowed to get by using words you would gawk at on the regular networks. Other networks might let b*tch pass, but this show has almost every profane word you can think of. Finally, cops talking like cops! Thank you! Gone are the days when cops never cuss. That is the worst case of reality.
The violence is also a big part in setting this series aside from the other "fantasy" cop shows. It doesn't waste time trying to make sure the cops are always the good guys. It admits perfectly that cops are not saints, they do what they have to do.
Every character in the series is fleshed out with their own story for the episode. The show usually cuts between two or three different cases, and the cops' interactions with one another. The main case always centers around Vic Mackey, the good/bad guy. He's the perfect character because you are appalled at the things he does yet strangely sympathetic to him. The Emmy is well deserved, the guy stirs up emotions unlike any other character on TV.
The stories might not be all that original, but with 20 other cops shows around since the '80s, what stories HAVEN'T been done? The stories are mostly a mixture of Law & Order style cases mixed with violence, action, and drama. Who doesn't like that mix?
The series only produces 13 episodes a season. That seems to be a pattern with all the really great shows today (Sopranos, Six Feet Under, etc.). Maybe others should take notice that when you have to make 22 episodes a season it's impossible to keep all the drags out of the line to last that long. The show is following that (hopefully) growing trend where they reduce the number of episodes and keep all the crap "filler" episodes out. Most series that have to make a slate of 22 episodes have to fill the season up with nothing episodes just to have breaks in the story arc. Thank the creators of The Shield for giving us quality over quantity.
So a word of advice to other networks: if you're not going to do away with cop shows anytime soon, at least do something the others aren't doing to keep them going that long road (something The Shield is proud to be doing). And some advice to bored TV viewers: wake up and see what's now one of the hottest dramas on TV.
P.S. A BIG thanks to whoever is responsible for getting the first year out on DVD so soon. Finally the U.S. gets a DVD release of a great show before the UK. Let's see these DVDs come out season by season, please! So how long after season 2 ends can I buy it...?
The series doesn't seem like it should deliver much, another cop show in TV land (who can even count how many there are...?) that airs on a channel mostly known for reruns of other great shows from networks like Fox and the WB. But it delivers more than any other police drama and many of the shows that air on the big networks.
The reason for this might be that the happy family hour drama is tossed right out the window. This series is realistic and often very controversial. That may be a weakness, but in terms of creativity, it's a big strength. You'll be shocked to hear and see the things that happen on this show. This show is allowed to get by using words you would gawk at on the regular networks. Other networks might let b*tch pass, but this show has almost every profane word you can think of. Finally, cops talking like cops! Thank you! Gone are the days when cops never cuss. That is the worst case of reality.
The violence is also a big part in setting this series aside from the other "fantasy" cop shows. It doesn't waste time trying to make sure the cops are always the good guys. It admits perfectly that cops are not saints, they do what they have to do.
Every character in the series is fleshed out with their own story for the episode. The show usually cuts between two or three different cases, and the cops' interactions with one another. The main case always centers around Vic Mackey, the good/bad guy. He's the perfect character because you are appalled at the things he does yet strangely sympathetic to him. The Emmy is well deserved, the guy stirs up emotions unlike any other character on TV.
The stories might not be all that original, but with 20 other cops shows around since the '80s, what stories HAVEN'T been done? The stories are mostly a mixture of Law & Order style cases mixed with violence, action, and drama. Who doesn't like that mix?
The series only produces 13 episodes a season. That seems to be a pattern with all the really great shows today (Sopranos, Six Feet Under, etc.). Maybe others should take notice that when you have to make 22 episodes a season it's impossible to keep all the drags out of the line to last that long. The show is following that (hopefully) growing trend where they reduce the number of episodes and keep all the crap "filler" episodes out. Most series that have to make a slate of 22 episodes have to fill the season up with nothing episodes just to have breaks in the story arc. Thank the creators of The Shield for giving us quality over quantity.
So a word of advice to other networks: if you're not going to do away with cop shows anytime soon, at least do something the others aren't doing to keep them going that long road (something The Shield is proud to be doing). And some advice to bored TV viewers: wake up and see what's now one of the hottest dramas on TV.
P.S. A BIG thanks to whoever is responsible for getting the first year out on DVD so soon. Finally the U.S. gets a DVD release of a great show before the UK. Let's see these DVDs come out season by season, please! So how long after season 2 ends can I buy it...?