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"Ask most people to name the greatest cop drama of all time and chances are most of them will mention The Wire. But for this writer&amp;#039;s money, there&amp;#039;s another show that not only matched The Wire in terms of quality of writing and quality of performances, but outdid it in terms of raw emotional power. That show is The Shield. Running for seven stunning seasons, The Shield garnered much critical acclaim during its run, though surprisingly few awards. The show&amp;#039;s impact is still being felt - it launched cable network FX as a credible player on the television landscape and is a clear source of inspiration for the channel&amp;#039;s gritty new shows such as Sons of Anarchy and Justified.  The Shield: Originally broadcast from March 12 2002 to November 25 2008  Loosely based on the real-life Rampart Division police scandal, The Shield follows Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his elite Strike Team as they descend further and further into corruption, violence and darkness. As Mackey works to conceal his crimes, he is targeted by gang lords, internal affairs investigators and even his own colleagues. The Shield came out of the gates strong, launching with an accomplished pilot episode that not only clearly establishes the show&amp;#039;s set-up and characters, but also ends with a shocking twist that completely subverts your expectations for the series. The first 13-part season contains more standalone episodes than later years and is perhaps a simpler show than The Shield would ultimately become, but is still an immensely strong debut.      After a stellar second season raised the bar still further, The Shield suffered a slight dip in its third year, with a longer-than-usual 15 episode run varying more noticeably in quality. But fans need not have worried - when the fourth season kicked off in 2005, The Shield was back on form. With new cast additions such as Anthony Anderson and an absolutely superb Glenn Close on board, the show felt refreshed.  The show&amp;#039;s quality continued to soar as it reached season five, with special guest star Forest Whitaker contributing a phenomenal performance as twitchy, obsessive IAD investigator Jon Kavanaugh. The season finale - the feature-length &amp;#039;Postpartum&amp;#039; - was also the bravest episode of The Shield to date, killing off a much-loved original cast member and proving that the show&amp;#039;s writers were not willing to compromise their vision. Perhaps inevitably, a truncated sixth year - comprised of just ten episodes - felt much like a season of set-up, building to the big event. But boy, was it worth it. Utterly defying accepted notions of how these things should work, the seventh year of The Shield is not only the show&amp;#039;s final run but also its best. Characters and storylines are effortlessly woven together over the 13 episodes, culminating in a final fate for the show&amp;#039;s lead character that is both perfect and yet totally unexpected.      So what is it exactly that makes The Shield so good? Credit must go to series creator Shawn Ryan - along with his excellent writing team, Ryan rarely drops the ball throughout the show&amp;#039;s run and never shies away from challenging storylines or difficult issues. The writers on The Shield are also unique in allowing their characters to evolve and grow naturally. The unpredictable Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins) has three lines in the pilot episode, but is absolutely vital to later seasons, while David Rees Snell&amp;#039;s Ronnie graduates from being a glorified extra to a regular cast member over the show&amp;#039;s seven years.  Which brings us to the actors. The Shield has one of the greatest ensemble casts in television history. Series lead Michael Chiklis - previously best known for playing comic roles - is scintillating as Vic Mackey, lending what should be an utterly despicable character an air of likability throughout. Walton Goggins is also fantastic, particularly in the final season, and it&amp;#039;s an outrage that he never received an Emmy for his work here. Indeed, there&amp;#039;s not a weak link in the cast - the likes of Catherine Dent, Michael Jace, Kenny Johnson, David Marciano and Benito Martinez all get their chance to shine - but special mention should be made of the two characters that serve as the show&amp;#039;s heart, detective partners Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder). An intellectual counter-balance to the macho antics of the Strike Team, the socially inept Dutch and righteous Claudette make for an unlikely pairing, but Karnes and Pounder work brilliantly together and make you care deeply about this odd couple.      All seven seasons of The Shield are now available to buy on DVD, both individually and as a box-set. Even if you&amp;#039;re not a fan of cop shows, you should give this series a chance - it truly is something different and will make you laugh, cheer, gasp, wince and simply reflect in stunned silence over the course of its 88 episodes. That&amp;#039;s a promise. Oh, and it&amp;#039;s better than The Wire. Were you a Shield addict? Let us know below! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/news/a339567/the-shield-tube-talk-gold/>