Posted in: FX, TV | Tagged: the shield

The Shield Creator Shawn Ryan on FX Series' Legacy, 24 Years Later

Shawn Ryan (The Night Agent) reflects on 24 years since the premiere of FX's revolutionary and visceral crime drama, The Shield.

It's hard to believe it's been nearly a quarter century since Shawn Ryan's The Shield debuted on FX, raising the bar on the crime drama genre, elevating TV where few outlets ever dared, especially on cable. The only other gritty, violent drama that could have entertained its cathartic nature would have been HBO. Back in 2002, the series' harder edge was unlike anything seen on television, with stars Michael Chiklis and Walton Goggins at the forefront as detectives Vic Mackey and Shane Vendrell. Responding to a retrospective video, Ryan reflected on the legacy of the series on social media, "24 years ago today, my life changed when audiences embraced our little show on a (then) nothing network. A perpetual thank you to everyone in front of and behind the camera who made The Shield possible."

The Shield Creator Shawn Ryan Reflects on FX Crime Drama's Legacy

Premiering in 2002, The Shield ran for 89 episodes across seven seasons (2002-2008) with Chiklis' Vic Mackey leading the Strike Team, which includes Shane, Det Curtis "Lemonhead" Lemansky (Kenny Johnson), and Det Ronnie Gardocki (David Reese Snell), to snuff out the LAPD's problematic gang activity, while also running into various organized crime outfits from Europe and South America. As they perform their duties, the temptation to dive into the spoils becomes too great, and the Strike Team eventually comes to collect, under pressure from within the department and with guilt mounting within their unit in each season, until it explodes in the final seasons.

The Shield becomes far more nuanced with its ensemble cast with their respective storylines, which also stars Jay Karnes (Det Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach), CCH Pounder (Det Claudette Wyms), Benito Martinez (Capt David Aceveda), Catherine Dent (Officer Danny Sofer), Cathy Cahlin Ryan (Corrine Mackey), David Marciano (Det Steve Billings), Autum Chiklis (Cassidy Mackey), Paula Garces (Officer Tina Hanlon), and Michael Jace (Officer Julien Lowe). Among the high-profile guest stars featured in recurring roles are Glenn Close, Forest Whitaker, Laurie Holden, Michael Peña, and Anthony Anderson. Ryan would go on to create several shows, and the only series that met or exceeded the success of The Shield is the CBS remake of S.W.A.T. He's currently working on the Netflix conspiracy drama The Night Agent, currently in its third season. The Shield is currently available to stream on Hulu.

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