The Shield

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.

A mixed bag, particularly for a show that would've benefited from just having a floating narrative rather than being episodic - it does sag when every episode has to have its own gang-related murder to be solved. At its best is when its referring to its dynamite pilot episode, giving a great sense of repercussions slowly crawling up that need to be pushed back down - s4 and s7 do this the best, generating absolute tension between its characters).

A fantastic and gritty crime drama series overshadowed by the fact that The Wire is way better and came out at the same time. The Shield shouldn't be ignored, though. A great cast of characters, including that fantastic Walton Goggins in the first role I noticed him in. True story, Catherine Dent's brother was an old coworker of mine in, of all places, Cambodia.

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.