We discuss 10 TV shows like The Shield you must watch. Add these well-recommended and thrilling series to your watch list.
The Shield is a crime drama series starring Michael Chiklis as Vic Mackey and shows a group of policemen under his command adopting corrupt methods to increase their success rate, which Mackey disapproves of, but allows to continue to further his own political agenda. It ran for seven seasons from 2002 to 2008 and received high critical acclaim.
Crime dramas are a popular genre on television, with many being released over the years, tackling corruption, drugs, terrorism, and all manner of other crimes. If you liked the thrills that come from watching this show, here are ten more like The Shield you should watch.
10 TV Shows like The Shield
The Wire (2002)
Created by former police reporter David Simon, The Wire is a show that takes a look at the relationship between the police force and different institutions and introduces a new institution across its five seasons.
Set in Baltimore, the show stars Dominic West as Jimmy McNulty and is widely regarded to be one of the best TV shows ever made.
Line of Duty (2012)
Created by Jed Mercurio, Line of Duty stars Martin Compston as Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott, an authorized firearms officer who is transferred to Anti-Corruption Unit 12 (AC-12), after he refuses to cover up an unlawful shooting by his own team.
It ran for six seasons, with the show’s biggest mystery revolving around the identity of H, a corrupt senior police officer within the force.
Narcos (2015)
Created by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro, Narcos is about the narcotics trade in Columbia; it stars Wagner Moura as drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, leader of the Medellin Cartel. It also shows how Escobar dealt with other drug lords in the business, along with the government Drug Enforcement Administration.
It ran for three seasons and gained positive reviews throughout.
Black Mirror (2011)
Created by Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror uses contemporary technology and media themes, takes them to their dark, logical extreme, and shows a dystopic vision of what the world might become if we aren’t careful.
It’s now on its sixth season, taking aim at streaming services, filming a nature documentary, and invasive paparazzi.
Better Call Saul (2015)
Created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, Better Call Saul acts as a prequel to Breaking Bad, starring Bob Odenkirk as small-time lawyer Jimmy McGill as he transforms into the morally challenged, morally challenged Saul Goodman. It ran for six seasons and is also a widely acclaimed show.
Homeland (2011)
Developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, Homeland stars Claire Danes as CIA officer Carrie Mathison living with bipolar disorder, and Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody, a sniper.
The main premise of the eight-season show is that Brody used to be a prisoner of war held by Al-Qaeda, but he’s now back home. Mathison is convinced, though, that Brody has been turned by the enemy and poses a security threat to the U.S.
Peaky Blinders (2013)
Created by Steven Knight, Peaky Blinders stars Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby and follows the exploits of the Peaky Blinders gang in Birmingham. It’s set just after the First World War, and the six seasons take the show to just before the Second World War. It’s another highly acclaimed show, so it is definitely worth checking out for those that liked The Shield.
Sons of Anarchy (2008)
Created by Kurt Sutter, Sons of Anarchy stars Charlie Hunnam as Jackson “Jax” Teller, who is the vice president and, subsequently, the president of an outlaw motorcycle group in Charming, a fictional town in California’s Central Valley.
After Jax finds a manifesto written by his dead father, who led the club before he died, Jax questions himself, his relationships, and even the club itself.
Fargo (2014)
Created by Noah Hawley, Fargo stars William Macy as Jerry Lundegaard, a struggling car salesman in Minneapolis who’s in deep, deep debt.
To try and dig himself out of this hole, he hires two thugs (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his own wife, collect a ransom from her rich father (Harve Presnell) and pay the thugs a small fee, holding back the rest to pay off his debts. But everything goes wrong when the thugs shoot a state trooper.
Mayor of Kingstown (2021)
Created by Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon, Mayor of Kingstown stars Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky as he and his family keep the peace and act as power brokers between the police, street gangs, guards, and prisoners in the fictional town of Kingstown, Michigan, where the only thriving business is incarceration.
Do you have any other recommendations for TV Shows like The Shield? Let us know in the comments.
