According to this morning's Ausiello Report, "reliable sources" have confirmed that a sixth season of The Shield has been green-lit. It seems that show creator Shawn Ryan is confident that there's still plenty more story to tell. Of course, at this rate, a sixth season probably won't be seen until sometime in late 2007 or 2008.

The last ten episodes of season five are currently being filmed and won't air until early 2007, which gives FX time to finish out the third season of Rescue Me and the fourth season of Nip/Tuck. No matter how you look at this though, it's good news. The Shield is easily one of the top five shows on TV (in my book anyway) and it's good to know that it'll be around for a little while longer.

During last night's season premiere of Rescue Me, FX ran its first new preview for the second half of season five of The Shield. It's not supposed to return until January 2007 I think, but the promo still said "Coming Soon." They love to tease us. For those who missed it, here's how it played out.

After the obligatory "Viewer Discretion Advised," solid black screens flash with the following slugs:

• Detective Curtis Lemansky
• Born July 14, 1963
• Died March 21, 2006
• Cause of Death

Then it flashes through a quick montage of all the characters. It ends on Shane. Whew, still sends chills down my spine. It wraps with what I'm assuming is the tagline for the rest of the season: "No One Rests in Peace." Neither will I until 2007 rolls around. I can't wait.