The Shield is a terrific show. Other than possibly HBO's The Wire I have never seen a cop show that is so gritty and dark. Even when the characters are outside in the sunlight you get this sense of depression and foreboding on everyone's part. Each episode is complete in itself as well as part of a much larger picture that encompasses the entire season. You actually wait until the end of each show to see what will happen to them in the next week.

The actors are what make the show. Each character on The Shield is unique; Vic Mackey is the veteran cop who would do anything for his friends and family, even if it meant being a little dirty; Councilman Aceveda was (and is) out for power and bringing down Mackey; IAD Lieutenant Kavanaugh wants to bring everyone down for a cop's murder at the (alleged) hands of Mackey and his task force . . .

And Detective Dutch Wagenbach kills cats in his spare time.