Parents' Guide to

The Shield

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

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

TV FX Drama 2002
The Shield Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Rev.Jack_Package
Rev.Jack_Package Adult
January 1, 2016
age 14+

All time favorite drama series

zeekattacklee
zeekattacklee Adult
February 3, 2015
age 15+

Great cop Show...

The show does have it’s moments with language, Violence, drugs, and a bit of mature content. On that note, I Personally would want parents to use judgement before letting younger children watch it.. Otherwise, A great show for adults and mature teenagers.. Other than that, I wouldn’t recommend this to younger children..

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE SHIELD, Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) is 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. 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,\" 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.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (2):

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about 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?

TV Details

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