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  • FX
  • Mar 9, 2004
  • FX
  • Mar 9, 2004

Summary The Shield breaks the conventional formula of the cop genre. It plays out in a tough, morally ambiguous world in which the line between good and bad is crossed every day. The series focuses on the tension between a group of corrupt but effective cops and a captain torn between bringing them down and advancing his own political ambitions....

Created By: Shawn Ryan

  • FX
  • Mar 9, 2004
  • FX
  • Mar 9, 2004
The Shield
Season 3
7 Seasons
Season Premiere: Mar 9, 2004
Metascore Available after 4 critic reviews
User Score Universal Acclaim Based on 66 User Ratings
8.9
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary The Shield breaks the conventional formula of the cop genre. It plays out in a tough, morally ambiguous world in which the line between good and bad is crossed every day. The series focuses on the tension between a group of corrupt but effective cops and a captain torn between bringing them down and advancing his own political ambitions....

Created By: Shawn Ryan

Where to Watch

Season Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Mar 9, 2004 • 50 m
Playing Tight
Vic sets out to stop stolen military weapons from fueling a gang war, unaware that it threatens to expose him as the mastermind behind the theft of the Armenian mob's laundered money.
Episode 2 • Mar 16, 2004 • 45 m
Blood and Water
Vic promises a gang lieutenant the top job if he agrees to set up his boss; Dutch and Claudette's investigation into a gang shooting points to an unexpected triggerman.
Episode 3 • Mar 23, 2004 • 45 m
Bottom Bitch
A hooker wants to Vic to punish her former pimp, Dutch arrests a sex offender in an elderly woman's rape.
Episode 4 • Mar 30, 2004 • 45 m
Streaks and Tips
The rivalry between the Strike Team and the Decoy Squad heats up as they compete to find a murder suspect.
Episode 5 • Apr 6, 2004 • 45 m
Mum
As Dutch and Claudette continue to pursue a rapist who is targeting elderly women, the arrest of a local gang member threatens to expose the Strike Team's involvement in the money train heist.
Episode 6 • Apr 13, 2004 • 45 m
Posse Up
Officer Tommy Hisk becomes a prime suspect in the murder of his ex-wife and son.
Episode 7 • Apr 20, 2004 • 45 m
Safe
As missing persons investigation uncovers a graveyard for illegal immigrants working in an illicit drug lab.
Episode 8 • Apr 27, 2004 • 45 m
Cracking Ice
Vic is enlisted to help save his rivals on the Decoy team from having their undercover operation exposed.
Episode 9 • May 4, 2004 • 45 m
Slipknot
A lynching threatens to ignite a race war between Farmington's black and Latino gangs.
Episode 10 • May 11, 2004 • 45 m
What Power Is...
Captain Aceveda turns up the heat in his search for the gangster who sexually assaulted him.
Episode 11 • May 18, 2004 • 45 m
Strays
As Dutch tries to understand "The Cuddler" rapist, Vic enlists Danny for an important undercover assignment.
Episode 12 • May 25, 2004 • 45 m
Riceburner
The pursuit of a gang hitman pits the tight-lipped Korean community against the police.
Episode 13 • Jun 1, 2004 • 45 m
Fire in the Hole
As Vic tries to sidetrack the money train investigation, Claudette goes undercover to crack a child porn ring.
Episode 14 • Jun 8, 2004 • 45 m
All In
As the Strike Team is threatened with exposure in the money train heist, Claudette goes it alone in order to find evidence of a public defender's drug addiction.
Episode 15 • Jun 15, 2004 • 48 m
On Tilt
As Vic goes after Margos, Claudette risks her career to see that an innocent man is freed from prison.
7 Seasons

Top Cast

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Michael Chiklis

Detective Vic Mackey

Catherine Dent

Officer Danny Sofer

Walton Goggins

Detective Shane Vendrell

Michael Jace

Officer Julien Lowe

Jay Karnes

Detective Holland 'Dutch' Wagenbach

Benito Martinez

Captain David Aceveda, Councilman David Aceveda, David Aceveda

CCH Pounder

Detective Claudette Wyms, Captain Claudette Wyms

Cathy Cahlin Ryan

Corrine Mackey

David Rees Snell

Detective Ronnie Gardocki

Kenny Johnson

Detective Curtis 'Lemonhead' Lemansky

David Marciano

Steve Billings, Captain Steve Billings

Autumn Chiklis

Cassidy Mackey

Paula Garcés

Tina Hanlon, Officer Tina Hanlon

Michele Hicks

Mara Sewell Vendrell, Mara Sewell

Melanie Myers

Officer Paula Myers

Joel Rosenthal

Matthew Mackey

Matt Corboy

Officer Ray Carlson, Ray Carlson

Chaney Kley

Officer Asher

Anthony Anderson

Antwon Mitchell

F.J. Rio

Cruz Pezuela

View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

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Critic Reviews

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  • Negative Reviews
91
Jun 17, 2013
Ultimately, the reason 'The Shield' is one of the best police dramas going isn't just its spiderweb plots, the claustrophobic you're-stuck-with-us camera work, or its antihero, although Chiklis -- who won a well-deserved Emmy two years back -- is just as spooky and weirdly amiable as ever. It's the fact that the program regularly yields even its main characters to baleful Fate.
By Gillian Flynn FULL REVIEW
88
Jun 28, 2013
Once The Shield grabs you, it's awfully hard to turn away.
By Terry Kelleher FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 66 User Ratings
8.9
97% Positive
64 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
3% Negative
2 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 66 User Ratings
8.9
97% Positive
64 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
3% Negative
2 Ratings

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
10
Viskhy
Mar 1, 2015
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Report
SEASON 3
10
hillg
Jul 16, 2012
i disagree with inthenoob...i thought this was a very good season....i liked it better than the second season....i didnt like it quite as much as the first season but it most certainly wasnt a challenge to sit through in my opinion.
Report
SEASON 3
9
ForReals13
Dec 14, 2021
Playing Tight B+. Blood And Water B. Bottom **** B. Streaks And Tips B+. Mum A-. Posse Up B. Safe B+. Cracking Ice B. Slipknot B+. What Power Is B+. Strays A-. Riceburner B+. Fire In The Hole A-. All In A. On Tilt A.
Report
SEASON 3
9
drlowdon
Aug 5, 2020
The strike team have to deal with the fallout from the money train robbery when Mackey learns that a portion of the money was marked by the Treasury Department, but tensions amongst the team soon began to boil over... The Shield's third season is every bit as well written and well acted as it's first two and cementing Vic Mackey's place alongside Tony Soprano and Walter White as one of the TV's greatest anti-heroes.
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SEASON 3
7
imthenoob
Feb 16, 2012
It was a pretty disapointing season. It lacked any interesting story lines and it was very boring through out the season. So boring that it was a challenge just to sit through it. I did like how the other main characters (outside of the strike team) got a more expanded role in this season but the weak and generic storylines dont really do them justice. Also the main villian of the season (Margos) had an incredibly anti-climactic death, Which was pretty disapointing considering there was a good amount of build up and hype up to that point. Overall, This season was the worst I have seen so far into the series but its still a decent enough show to watch.
Report
SEASON 3

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