The Shield: 10 Years On

WhatCulture:

When The Shield first appeared out of the blue on March 12th 2002, many were quick to immediately dismiss it. On first glance it seemed like just another routine cop drama, featuring yet another cliché maverick cop who refused to play by the rules. The fact that it was on FX didn’t help either – a then low-key cable network with little experience in producing its own original drama and better known for showing re-runs of shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and The X Files. To make matters worse, for UK audiences the show ended up in a late-night slot on Channel 5, which back then still had a reputation for peddling softcore porn and dodgy films.