Full disclosure: I only listened to this show. It started with a season of Bosch someone recommended I watch and which I knew I would never do. But I threw it on and listened to the first season while I was at work with the video hidden. This one I did all 7 seasons. This might sound like madness but I would argue that this is a better listen than watch. I tried watching an episode or two but it brought me more joy just listening at work. Lots of shows haven't worked btw, but this was stellar.

Walton Goggins proves that he's a world-class actor, and the star of this show, through and through. The season 5 finale is a serious contender for the best episode of television ever filmed. Edit: It should be noted that this show explored the exact same ethical dilemmas that Breaking Bad would dance around, yet I can never seem to find a person in real life that has seen this amazing (albeit pulpy) show.

Dutch Wagonbach will always be one of my favorite characters no matter how many times he cries or acts like a pompous ass. Video Essay: https://youtu.be/EE-PYntIG0o

Awesome.

goddamn it Vic, don't rob the money train!

It is a very risky series; they pull the suspension of disbelief quite regularly with many near misses, but somehow it stays feet on the ground and constantly interesting. Excellent acting, great (although sometimes stretched) plotting and knee-jerking, unforgettable moments. I have watched it over the course of 4 years and it will stay with me for a long while I feel. It might be one of the best work on group dynamics in any kind of medium.

The best anti hero of all

Nearly manages to sustain the high-quality, fast-paced first 5 seasons, but while it's taken a fair amount of time, this was never a chore to endure. Til the end (always, increasingly bitter) the dynamic storytelling and marvelously developed, persistently maturing characters have a firm grip on me. Great if you, like me, needed a little bit more of The Wire to tide you over.

Really enjoyed The Shield from the very first episode. Fast paced with lots of action and great characters.

Season 1: 85, Season 2: 80

nice series

Great show. Lasted a bit to long and became a bit to silly towards the end.

With dark and gray characters and it's hectic form of storytelling, the Shield manages to be both entertaining and gripping. It does get a bit exaggerated at times, but the superb acting, the strong main narrative as well as the amazing finale makes this one of the best TV-series ever conceived, worth watching till the bitter end.

whenever I'm in a tricky spot or when a wrong needs righting I pause and think to myself..."what would Vic Mackey do?"

Great 1 st episode - but watching every episode back to back left me confused!

The pilot is really promising, but after that it devolves into boring episodes that all feel like repeats of the same thing. After a few seasons of this monotonous trash, it actually picks up and builds momentum all the way to the end. All in all, this show is worth watching for the Kavanaugh season (one of the best villains ever), and its finale which is in my mind the second best ending to a tv series (best one goes to six feet under though).

I always loved those music video-style shots of Vic Mackey walking around LA staring at things.

Some balls out acting, but similar to Oz and Sons of Anarchy it is so over the top it becomes silly at times. Still entertaining.

Largely meh...

Watched the whole first series after being preached to by friends for weeks. Found it too childish and cartoon-y without being full-on sploitation fun. DVD extra explained they were hampered by tv censorship rules on sex and swearing, like they knew it was crap.