Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

feefeemal SPOILERS Everyone who ever wanted to watch this show don't this plot is equal to the plot of a show that was wrote by a 3 year old on massive drugs and above all the man in this show has gone outside and viciously slaughtered a cat by strangling and snapping the neck of an Innocent animal a poor old tabby cat. so I sincerely hope and pray that this actor slits his wrists and then goes swimming in the saltest ocean on planet earth. And that not all did say how absolutely abysmal the characters are they are boring not thought out in the slightest even if they were that does not make me not infuriated about this dead cat so DO NOT WATCH!!!!!!!

ProdigyReinEngel In television, most notable with crime dramas, you either get a show which focuses on the characters or a show that focuses on how the characters interact with others. Serial and non-serial, I guess you could say. What I always loved about The Shield is that it mixed those two styles. While you're following the Strike Team along a continuous, evolving plot line, Dutch and Wyms provide the episodic style with (barring a few season-long exceptions) a different "case" each episode. Shows like C.S.I. and Law & Order rarely delve into the character's backgrounds or what their lives are like outside of the case they are working. The fact that this show does sets it apart from the rest.What truly sets it apart, though, are the overwhelmingly emotional, creative and relatable story lines and arcs. Nothing on television was a gritty as The Shield and few shows released since have toed the line set by it. The characters are more human than any others I have personally ever seen, a perfect example being the bond between the Strike Team during the first few seasons.Some writers back their characters into corners with no reasonable outcome likely, only to provide a very halfhearted and unrealistic escape. The Shield certainly creates those situations, but the way Vic and the team wiggle free is always very possible and very real... even if it usually requires a lot of luck on their part.I used to debate over whether The Shield or Dexter was my favorite show, but after re-watching this, the acting and writing can't touch Dexter and the throne remains occupied by The Barn's crew.

martinmidt I've had this show on my "to watch" list since it's original run and finally got around to binging on it this summer. Having had high hopes for it after the buzz that surrounded it at the time, I have to say I was somewhat disappointed and considering jumping ship several times.Having watched all 7 seasons in a matter of weeks, I find the first 5 seasons to be quite repetitive. The same story arcs and "twists" return over and over, both in individual episodes and over the course of seasons. The "strike team puts the squeeze on some banger and he immediately gives them what they want" gets tired after a while. I also find the character development to be very lacking or at times almost random in nature. I also dislike that story arcs are started, but then dropped for no discernible reason.That being said, the atmosphere of the show for a large part very captivating, and there are many strong acting performances. It's also fun to see so many actors that have since become stars in their own right playing bit parts.I also like what I really hope is a conscious effort at subtle character depth for Vic, such as him continuously referring to the Armenians as "Balkan bastards" (Armenia is nowhere near the Balkans). And him falling for the thimerosal leads to autism ploy (which is definitively 100% false). It's seems like just the kind of things a street, but not book smart person like him would think.What brings the series up from a 6 to a 7 for me is the final season, especially the second half of it. The ending of the series is really top-notch stuff, and all the more rewarding when you've slogged through every episode.

tmorv I love these kind of series, and The Shield was not on my watch list before recently. However the shaky "modern cam work" really has to stop - period! Time is not favoring shaky cam movies / TV series well and you definitely see it now 10+ years later on The Shield.In series 3 it really got to the point I couldn't watch it anymore. Just got really annoyed because it was no longer "shaky" because of no tripods etc; now it was zoomed and shakes just for effects and a very cheap effect I might add..Hopefully this "phase" of camera work is behind us for future TV series like The Shield. I am really really unsatisfied by this because other than the camera work the series is a 8 / 10.