The essential episodes of The Shield
Watch these 15 in order and you've got The Shield — each pick states its reason.
- 01
A politically ambitious LAPD captain comes up against a streetwise detective who isn't above bending the rules in his effort to fight crime as he enriches himself and his men.
- 02
As a deployment policy leads to a double homicide that places Aceveda in the hot seat with potential voters, Vic is forced to help Gilroy avoid being implicated in a hit and run.
- 03
An arson attack on a local drug dealer threatens to expose Vic's protection racket.
- 04
The Barn mobilizes to investigate a murderous rampage at a battered women's shelter.
- 05
As he struggles to keep his job, Vic pushes ahead with a new plan to hijack a mob money shipment.
- 06
As the Strike Team is threatened with exposure in the money train heist, Claudette goes it alone in order to find evidence of a public defender's drug addiction.
- 07
Monica asks Vic to find a way to hold Antwon Mitchell responsible for the murder of two Farmington cops.
- 08
As he and Vic cooperate to head off a gang turf war, Kavanaugh investigates the rape of his estranged wife.
- 09
As his efforts to protect Lem behind bars draw Vic into a trap set by gang kingpin Antwon Mitchell, the search for the assailant who is targeting gay men is undercut by Claudette and Dutch's growing mistrust in each other.
- 10
As Vic tries to save his career, he finally learns who really killed Lem. Cassidy confronts her father.
- 11
After buying some time to continue his pursuit of Pezuela, Vic hatches a deadly plan to eliminate the Armenian mob and finally avenge Lem's murder.
- 12
As Shane looks to end the threat after realizing that he was marked for death by Vic, Dutch questions a greedy ex-cop about a series of burglaries in Claudette's neighborhood.
- 13
As Shane and his family are forced to run following his failed attempt to kill his former partners, Vic looks to parlay his connection to Pezuela into a job with a federal task force that is investigating the drug cartels.
- 14
As Mara kills in order to keep her and Shane on the run, the confession Vic makes in exchange for immunity and to salvage his career stuns his federal handlers.
- 15
As Vic hopes his immunity deal will help keep his family together, and Shane takes extreme measures to keep his pregnant wife from being charged with murder, Dutch finds he's a suspect in the disappearance of a teenage serial killer's mother.
Shows like The Shield
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
- 01Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe essential episodes of True Detective2014–present
Touch darkness and darkness touches you back. - 02Drama·Crime·ComedyThe essential episodes of Fargo2014Same network — FX·
- 03Drama·CrimeThe essential episodes of Chicago P.D.2014–present·NBC
District 21 of the Chicago Police Department is made up of two distinctly different groups. - 04Drama·Crime·ActionThe essential episodes of NCIS2003–present·CBS
NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is more than just an action drama. - 05Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe essential episodes of The Blacklist2013–2023·NBCThe Blacklist is a crime drama involving a former government agent who turned into a high-profile criminal turning himself in to the FBI offering to help catch criminals.
- 06Drama·Crime·ThrillerThe essential episodes of Criminal Minds2005–present·Paramount+Criminal Minds revolves around an elite team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again.
