As the Ground Zero of the revivalism of THE SHIELD, this is your regular reminder that if you haven't already watched it, you should start doing so now
https://twitter.com/RichardHanania/status/1421940035260014592
It is hard for me to express how much I love THE SHIELD without sounding like a maniac, because its combination of characters, narrative, morality, and the way these three interlocking elements drive the story is unparalleled in modern television. 
Deadwood might be the most Shakespearean-sounding show, Breaking Bad has almost the same narrative urge, and The Wire has the most elite appeal
But I believe THE SHIELD is the closest modern TV has gotten to Shakespeare or the Greeks. For real
But I believe THE SHIELD is the closest modern TV has gotten to Shakespeare or the Greeks. For real
One of the challenges of describing how much I like this show is that any "critical" description of it makes it sound much lamer than it actually is.
The simple truth is it's a crowd-pleaser that delivers much, much more than that. If you like any of those shows—watch THE SHIELD
The simple truth is it's a crowd-pleaser that delivers much, much more than that. If you like any of those shows—watch THE SHIELD
As long as I'm going along in a thread no one cares about, HILL STREET BLUES (by Bochco) was THE WIRE of the 1980s. Bochco, along with writer David Milch, then created NYPD BLUE, the next iteration of high-class yet mass-friendly TV that soon led to HBO
Milch then made DEADWOOD
Milch then made DEADWOOD
Both Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue are really good shows, there's a reason they were immensely popular in their day
But they were just earlier forms of The Wire. Which, while extremely well-made, are all shows made within The Dream
But they were just earlier forms of The Wire. Which, while extremely well-made, are all shows made within The Dream
I believe The Shield is the first, and possibly still only, cop show that was made outside of this framework. HSB/NYPDB were ultimately sympathetic to the ruling order.
The Shield definitely isn't. But try watching it and not believing in Vic. That's why it still resonates.
The Shield definitely isn't. But try watching it and not believing in Vic. That's why it still resonates.
If you want a really fun experience? Watch a random episode from the first seasons of Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, and The Shield
The decline and the response to it is embedded in all of these shows. They've all been telling us this from the start.
The decline and the response to it is embedded in all of these shows. They've all been telling us this from the start.
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