When The Shield premiered on FX in 2002, the program pushed the limits of what could be
portrayed on cable programming.
It's been well over a decade since the series helped spark a small-screen revolution, so
let's look back at some little-known facts about this extraordinary show.
This is the untold truth of The Shield.
Risky business
Before 2002, the only original series on FX was the Baywatch parody Son of the Beach.
Once The Shield joined the lineup, the series broke new ground, testing the limits on violence,
nudity, and language.
It was very risky material.
"Open your mouth - drop the knife.
SPIT IT!"
The Emmy-winning series centered around corrupt cop Vic Mackey, masterfully played by Michael
Chiklis.
Mackey leads an experimental anti-gang unit within the L.A.P.D., often using highly unethical
means to fight crime.
Inspired by the success of The Shield, the network brought other edgy new shows into
the fold like Nip/Tuck, Damages, and Rescue Me.
Chiklis told TV Week:
"I think the face of basic cable was changed forever.
It made a lot of people think, 'Why can't we?'"
The Walking Dead connection
In 2007, Frank Darabont, the writer-director of The Shawshank Redemption, took a break
from big-budget filmmaking to direct an episode of The Shield.
After filming the season six episode "Chasing Ghosts," Daramont wanted to further explore
television's possibilities.
It wasn't long before he started developing a zombie horror series based on the comic
book The Walking Dead.
Bringing The Walking Dead to TV proved to be an uphill battle with network execs, but
when AMC finally greenlit the post-apocalyptic series, Darabont remembered his roots and
enlisted some of The Shield's production team, including Charles Eglee and Glen Mazzara,
the Walking Dead's future showrunner.
Michael Chiklis' transformation
Before The Shield, Michael Chiklis was known for playing much cuddlier characters, like
Tony Scali, the police officer in ABC's The Commish.
But the actor was tired of being typecast, telling the Archive of American Television
that a conversation with his wife Michelle Morán inspired him to make a career change.
She told him:
"It's not incumbent upon the studios and um the networks to reinvent you.
It's incumbent upon yourself to invent yourself.
That reinvention, of course, required Chiklis to also reinvent his physique in order to
land different kinds of roles.
According to Men's Journal, Chiklis relied on "healthy, portion-controlled meals" and
ran seven miles a day, six days a week to transform his appearance.
"I just hit the gym three hours a day.
And I got in sick shape at that time."
The hard work paid off, despite what Family Guy would lead you to believe:
"No matter how muscular I get, I will never be muscular."
Walton Goggins' ordeal
Before The Shield took TV by storm, Walton Goggins was known mainly for bit parts in
'90s programs like In the Heat of the Night.
"You bring it or not?
"I've always got it, man."
Taking on the role of Shane Vendrell put the future star in the spotlight.
But execs hated his performance early on.
In fact, he was almost fired from the show.
He told Nashville Scene:
"The brass at FX saw the pilot, and they thought […] is he irritating?
[…] I can't read him.'"
If Goggins had never played Shane in The Shield, he may have never gotten to play memorable
characters like Justified's Boyd Crowder or The Hateful Eight's Chris Mannix.
Would anyone want to live in that reality?
"I wouldn't.
I wouldn't""
Game over
Back in 2006, Fox teamed up with Sony to release 24: The Game for the PlayStation 2.
Kiefer Sutherland fans got to step into Jack Bauer's shoes, battling bad guys against a
ticking clock.
A year later, The Shield tried the same formula: a game based on the show was released for
the PlayStation 2 and PC.
Much like the 24 game, The Shield was a third person shooter.
The game involved a gang war between two rival crews, and it wasn't well-received at all.
In its two-star review, IGN said:
"You'd be better off avoiding this one, as it makes great strides to damage the otherwise
high-quality of the franchise."
In other words,
"This experiment's failed"
"Go on…
Arrest me."
A murderous reality
Throughout the run of the show, actor Michael Jace played the role of Officer Julien Lowe,
a strict Christian who hid his homosexuality from his wife and crew.
In 2014, the actor's career came to a violent halt.
Jace was arrested for fatally shooting his wife April in front of their two sons.
Prosecutors claimed the horrific crime was motivated by jealousy.
The Mirror shared part of the trial's transcript, claiming:
"Jace admitted he was 'angry' at the time, and said: 'All I intended to do was shoot
her in the leg.
And then I shot her in the leg, and that was it.'"
Jace was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.
A Shield reunion?
TV reboots like the recently revived Will & Grace are all the rage right now, so it's
understandable that fans of The Shield wonder if the show might return one day.
Sounds like series creator Shawn Ryan is kicking the idea around, too.
During a panel discussion at the 2016's ATX Television Festival, he said:
"I don't know where Vic Mackey is until someone puts me in a writers' room."
So could Vic Mackey return one day?
Ryan tells Entertainment Weekly:
"I've never definitively decided what Vic Mackey is doing now.
As a fan of The Shield, I am interested in seeing that."
So are we.
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