Truly a phenomenon. The most real depiction of police corruption ever. - The Shield is incredible and a trailblazer for modern tv drama. It's arguably the greatest cop show ever made and HAS to be considered a top 10 television drama of all time. There are twists and turns and betrayal like never seen before when it came out. The characters are deep and well written. The story arch for the main characters is incredible and everything that happens in the series whether it's season one of the final season matters and is relevant to the show. It is gritty and depressing and that can be tough to watch sometimes but the payoffs are amazing and it makes the show a classic. Breaking Bad before Breaking Bad, Vic is one of the most controversial lead characters ever. He's a bad man and there is no denying that but he had a family and a strange moral code that at times had you rooting for the guy even though he continuously does vile things. Amazing guest characters that go a season or two and matter to the overall plot. In my opinion Vic's end or storyline end is more devestaing than if he was killed or put away forever. The force and his actions essentially took everything and anyone from him that he actually cared about or had a bind with. Then they effectively "castrate" Vic in the final episode after one final "betrayal" and tragic ending for another one of his team members from the strike team. It's forgotten but once you watch it you will never forget again. Top 5 show oat Top 2-3 tv protagonist Top 10 tv deutertagonist Top 20 tv antagonists Top 1-2 tv ending Top 30 side characters Seasons ranked: 5>7>=6>=4>2>3>=1