The Shield
"The law is just a suggestion."
Plot Summary
The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.
Cast & Characters
Cast
Michael Chiklis
Vic Mackey
Catherine Dent
Danielle 'Danny' Sofer
Paula Garcés
Tina Hanlon
Walton Goggins
Shane Vendrell
Michael Jace
Julien Lowe
Jay Karnes
Holland 'Dutch' Wagenbach
Benito Martinez
David Aceveda
David Marciano
Steve Billings
CCH Pounder
Claudette Wyms
Cathy Cahlin Ryan
Corrine Mackey
David Rees Snell
Ronnie Gardocki
Where to watch free (US)
Seasons (8)
Season 1
13 episodes
Aired: 2002
Vic Mackey is the leader of an elite Strike Team unit, a group of cops effective at eliminating crime while operating under Vic's set of rules that sometimes cross the line between legal and illegal. The precinct's new captain doesn't like Vic's tactics, and wants to bust him off the force.
Season 2
13 episodes
Aired: 2003
After a rocky start, Vic and Aceveda have formed an uneasy alliance that Claudette is determined to destroy. Vic's personal life is in shambles and a new nemesis on the street forces the Strike Team to risk everything in the pursuit of one last big score for their "retirement fund".
Season 3
15 episodes
Aired: 2004
After scoring big with the money train, the Strike Team plays it cool to avoid arousing suspicion. Tensions are stretched further when Vic finds himself at odds with his team, but hostilities are quickly forgotten when Aceveda reveals that the team is the target of an Armenian mob hit.
Season 4
13 episodes
Aired: 2005
The Strike Team has dissolved. Vic and Shane are assigned to regular detective duty, while Aceveda is leaving to begin his new job on the City Council. Although Vic often clashed with Aceveda, he quickly realizes that new captain Monica Rawling also has her own agenda.
Season 5
11 episodes
Aired: 2006
As the Strike Team battles racial tensions in the city, friction inside the Barn escalates with the arrival of Jon Kavanaugh, a dogged Internal Affairs lieutenant obsessed with taking down Vic.
Season 6
10 episodes
Aired: 2007
Vic and the Strike Team are distraught over Lem's death. After Vic learns from Claudette that the Chief plans to force him into early retirement, he vows to wreak bloody vengeance on Lem's killer before losing his badge, while Shane, overcome by guilt, becomes reckless and suicidal.
Season 7
13 episodes
Aired: 2008
Pressured to take down Pezuela, Vic's skeletons finally come tumbling out of the closet as he faces threats from all directions—primarily from damaged protégé Shane.
Production
Fox Television Studios
Sony Pictures Television
Columbia TriStar Television
MiddKid Productions