The Shield: great show, unlikable characters?

I have to add my take on The Shield. I have been watching it from day one and I have to say its probably as close as one will ever get to the "action." There are racial and sexual overtones left and right. If I was a gambling man, I would bet some of the things that happen in this show happens for real in the streets. I have read what various people have said and everyone is right and wrong to a point. I say this because as human beings, we all have our perception of what is good or bad. This show makes the good guy look bad and vice versa, but at the end of the day, the bad guys get it in the end. However, the strike team can't operate forever. (See LA's now defunct Rampart div and various other rogue cop divisions). Like an old girlfriend told me; "What you do in the dark, will come to light." So eventually all the dirt the strike team has done will catch up to them. (See Lem). I will continue to watch this show as long as they air it!

I have never cried after watching an episode of a t.v. show but I cried like a baby after watching the season finale. That only happens when the writers have created characters that are realistic. What is good? What is bad? I believe the answer to those questions is ever changing and Lem struggled with that question on a daily basis. I am still torn up over Lem's death.

Give me freaking break!!! How can you even compare The Shield to lightweight soap operas like ER and Gray's Anatomy?!? The characters of The Shield are multidimensional, going in and out of darkness and light! Yes, they have a lot of redeeming qualities all of them, and that's why viewers like me and a lot of others care about them. How about the fact that Lemansky faced certain ruin of his life, but still would not betray Vic and the rest of the strike team, his family as he called them. How about all the times Vic has faced tough decisions and has put himself in harm's way for people he cares about. Have you even watched any episodes? All the characters are human, flawed, but most of them (Mackey, Lemansky etc.) have a deep-rooted sense of decency and honor. And that is what makes this the best show on TV.

I have enjoyed this show from the first episode. What I like best is you never know how the characters will react, given a situation. One of the few cop shows that also puts alot of focus on the criminals. I can imagine that some of the interogations are like that in real life, and the patience and stamina it takes for detectives and cops to deal with these slugs of society. I also like how the characters have developed over the seasons...I really believe Vic, David, and Kavanaugh hate each other in real life !! The stare-downs, the whispered threats....wonder of they send Christmas cards to each other ?

All in all, this is my favorite show, ever. I will miss it if and when it concludes. RIP Lem !!

does any one know when next season begins? after last night...talk about a cliff hannger..i'm very curious to know what's up..dutch is the "best dectictive"..that depends on who you ask...i still can't really believe shane killed off lem.that's a trip.we should have seen it coming..what an intresting story..

Hi. I wanted to sign in on this. I have been an addict of this show from the outset. I can identify with several characters, but as one person said, this show is not predictable, with the exception of last night, between Shane and Lem.

I can only wonder where the next season will lead. Nothing that has occurred has been truly expected. Unlike most shows out there, you almost always know what is gonna happen next.

Thats the beauty, and fault of The Shield. You just never know.

I don't think that Vic will cut Shane any slack, once he finds out.

I believe that next season will more than likely be the last, only because the story lines are becoming more blurred.

All of the comments so far have been compelling and mind opening, and all I have to add is: I love the show, I have from beginning, will watch it until the end. I have a love/hate relationship with every character, and I find myself screaming at the TV screen A LOT, and it is so intense sometimes I am grateful when an episode ends.

How can you guys say these are the guys you eat lunch with everyday. So you eat lunch with dirty cops. Dont get me wrong its a great show and i love the characters but to say they are the realest characters on TV is a little absurd. I dont know any dirty cops and I am sure most of you don't either.

You miss the entire point of the show - the writers do such a good job drawing you in to the fact that even though you know you shouldn't - you care about these dregs of society.

Notice in the comments that the only ones that are agreeing with you are making comments that show they haven't seen the show (not knowing what has happened.)

The show is all about shades of grey - that is why it is so compelling. Like 24 the show focuses on how even the "heroes" have their bad side, and it in a world of sugar coated "good guys always wear white, bad guys wear black" TV, it is different, and therefore, refreshing.

I think that the success of the show is the best testimony to the fact that the public is sick of being force fed it's opinion. We are allowed to make our own with The Shield. This is also one of the most compelling expectations I have for next week's debut of Thief with Adre Brauer.

Oh, and Dutch boy IS a desperate, lonely perv, and it leads to far more frightening displays than the cat killing when he was trying to get into the head of a serial killer that was able to best him, and end up killing more people than if Dutch had been able to get into his head earlier.

Ok, here's the problem with the Shield. It's apparent in a lot of the comments defending Vic. Vic is clearly the main focus. He's the guy we're all supposed to care about. And we do as evidenced by many of the comments above. We want to see good things happen to him. But he's a bad guy. Period. You can't defend or explain away what he has done and continues to do. He killed a cop to protect himself from exposure as a drug dealer. (regardless of his motives for being in business with drug dealers, he was in fact in business with drug dealers) Vic is such a good manipulator that he not only manipulates everyone around him he manipulates the audience into thinking he's not an utterly self-centered person. Vic talks a lot about putting himself on the line for other people, but whenever he does it it seems to further his own goals and manipulations.

This is not a show about how we all make mistakes and do bad things from time to time. It's about how we all can be manipulated into admiration for a selfish manipulative ends-justifies-the-means murderer.