You can finally binge drama hailed ‘as good as the Sopranos’ 16 years after finale-Pierra Willix-Entertainment – Metro

A crime drama called ‘one of the best shows ever’ is now available to binge (Picture: Moviestore/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

A series drawing comparisons to The Sopranos and Breaking Bad that fans have labelled ‘one of the best shows’ ever is now available to watch in full.

Running for seven seasons from 2002 until 2008, The Shield starred Michael Chiklis as Vic Mackey, a corrupt and brutal detective in the Los Angeles Police Department.

Leading a small anti-gang unit primarily tasked with curbing the rampant drug trade in the fictional Farmington district of the city, the officer and his team regularly bent the rules themselves by committing crimes including drug dealing, extortion, police brutality, and murder.

The series, which was created by The Night Agent’s Shawn Ryan, was initially advertised as Rampart in reference to the real-life Rampart Division police scandal that unfolded in the 90s in LA.

Throughout its run The Shield also had several notable actors join for extended roles, including Glenn Close, Forest Whitaker, Michael Pena and Anthony Anderson.

Now, 16 years after the finale, Amazon Prime Video has recently released all seven seasons of the show for fans and new viewers to binge.

The Shield starred Michael Chiklis and ran from 2002 until 2008 (Picture: 20thC.Fox/ Everett/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

‘Amazon Prime has just added all 7 seasons of The Shield, now go away and thank me later,’ user Brose posted on X.

‘Here to say The Shield is now on Amazon Prime and you all need to watch it,’ Jredd080 shared.

‘Oh, they’ve added The Shield to Amazon Prime, let’s go! Had this on the to-watch list for years,’ alantherogue added.

It followed an anti-gang unit who took the law into their own hands (Picture: 20thC.Fox/ Everett/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

After recently watching the series, many fans shared their thoughts on Rotten Tomatoes, where the series currently holds an impressive 90% rating.

‘One of the best shows ever. Never binged something so fast. Never got fatigued. Always entertaining,’ Derek posted.

‘The Shield is right up there with the likes of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad!’ Cody shared.

One fan called the series a ‘masterpiece’ (Picture: 20thC.Fox/ Everett/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

‘This show deserves to be listed among TV titans like The Sopranos. Start to finish, it’s artistry. The writing never diminished over time, only getting stronger and the acting performances were all so unique with each character brilliant, yet all flawed in their own way. Masterpiece and I constantly recommend to people who haven’t seen it, that they check it out,’ SR added.

Another said it was ‘one of the best TV crime dramas ever’.

During its run The Shield was nominated for six Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes.

It was hailed by critics, with Time including it in their top 100 greatest TV shows of all time, while Entertainment Weekly named it the 8th best show of the 2000s.

The Shield is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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