The Shield - TV-MA

Thoughtful, mature cop show...with lots of blood.

TV Rating: TV-MA Network: FX Cast: Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, Benito Martinez Genre: Drama
Available on: DVDDownload

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this gritty crime drama makes little effort to sugarcoat its depiction of life on the mean inner city streets of Los Angeles. The criminals may be dangerous, but the cops are almost even more violent, and they aren't afraid to bend a few rules when it comes to extracting a confession from a suspect or forcing someone to rat out an accomplice. There are guns, drugs, sex, and plenty of swearing. It's realistic and well-done, but definitely not for kids.

Families can discuss whether the characters' efforts to get dangerous criminals off the street give them the right to break the law. These rough-and-tumble cops epitomize the "ends justify the means" debate, and one of the recurring plot lines centers on whether Mackey will be brought down by his flagrant violation of suspects' constitutional rights. Is he corrupt? How far is too far when it comes to getting information that will help crack a case?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Will Wade

Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) has a hard job. As an inner-city Los Angeles detective trying to keep the streets safe and put drug dealers away, he's often outgunned by bad guys toting some major firepower -- and almost always hobbled by his department's expectation that he respect his suspects' Constitutional rights.

In THE SHIELD, Mackey is out on the streets every day, so if he thinks that getting a little rough with a thug might yield some useful nugget about where a fence is stashing his goods, well, who can make that call besides him? Certainly not his superiors, who spend most of their time at the station criticizing Mackey's behavior. He's just a cop trying to do a job, the best way he knows how.

This absorbing police drama centers on Mackey's twin battles with criminals and the rule book. It's not quite accurate to call him a "bad cop," which implies that he might be taking bribes from bad guys dealing drugs on the side. But his willingness to flagrantly flout the rules, even in pursuit of a noble goal, also makes it hard to call him a "good cop." Let's just call him a detective who gets the job done.

The Shield clearly expects viewers to sympathize with Mackey, and he's often portrayed as just a big, cuddly teddy bear with his kids. But while it's certainly hard to side with the bad guys, it may be equally troublesome for many viewers to endorse Mackey's tactics. That debate, which has no resolution, is what makes The Shield such a watchable and thought-provoking adult drama.

And adult is the right word for it -- between the frequent, often-graphic violence, strong language, and mature themes, The Shield isn't one for the kids.

Fans will probably enjoy Law & Order and The Sopranos, which shows the other side of the cop-criminal relationship and is just as violent. Training Day, a movie about an even more morally ambiguous cop, may also strike a chord.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content Some fairly graphic sexual scenes, including occasional nudity.
Violence This cop drama includes beatings, shoot-outs, violence, rapes (and other sexual assault/violence), and deaths. Both criminals and cops are guilty of violent acts. It's realistic, and not pretty.
Language The characters live rough, and their language reflects their lifestyle. Lots of swearing, including "s--t" and "a--hole" (both unbleeped).
Message
	Social Behavior Mackey is a cop who doesn't play by the rules, and much of this show centers on his efforts to hide his actions from his superiors, who are often willing to look the other way as long as he continues to bring down the bad guys.
	Commercialism
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Being a cop is a tough job -- the characters on this show often unwind with a stiff drink or a smoke. Many of the villains are drug dealers, who sometimes sample their own wares.