Drop Blue Bloods Already, This 90%-Rated Police Procedural Did Everything Better
Who ordered a gritty drama?
Police procedurals are one of the most popular genres on TV for many reasons. For example, they tell the story of rights and wrongs, so they have some sort of social impact on society. They follow powerful stories and feature strong characters fighting for a good cause.
The only show in this genre that is on the minds of every other viewer is Blue Bloods, which is currently in its 14th season. Frankly, while there are many true fans of the show, there are also a lot of those who watch it just for the sake of old love.
But what if we tell you that you can easily ditch it and start a more entertaining show about cops and their questionable dealings?
The show we offer you to focus on is The Shield. The first season of the show was released in 2002 and ran for 7 seasons. It's a gritty police drama starring Michael Chiklis as Detective Vic Mackey, a very unlikely detective who is not your ordinary cop, but is actually a villain of the story.
The series follows the lives of several dirty cops who work in LAPD under the command of Vic. It doesn’t mean that they are dangerous for society, it just means that they would rather choose the self-interest aspect of the job, instead of blindly following the rules.
The drama series focuses on Vic's attitude towards the law and how he thinks their department should operate to put all the real criminals behind bars. The action-packed series has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which means it's definitely worth checking out.
“The Shield is very, very good. You don't have to root for anyone, everyone is flawed, and it is anything but monotonal. The closest thing I can compare it to, in terms of 'the ride' is Breaking Bad. It has great acting, fantastic camera work (it's one of the few series to really get that style right), and it truly sticks its landing at the end of the series,” Redditor bernsteinschroeder said.
The show has even received several nominations, including Emmy and Golden Globe nods. And it's actually one of the few existing works that focuses on the complexity of the job and the real-life pressures it can put on everyone.
The Shield is available to stream on Hulu.