A corrupt and brutal L.A. detective runs an elite squad by his own rules in a neighborhood ravaged by drugs and gangs. Unusually gritty and graphically violent, but seldom less than riveting, 'The Shield' gets its biggest jolt from the breakout performance by Michael Chiklis as the complex and volatile Vic Mackey. The drama made Emmy history when he won for Lead Actor in a Drama in 2002, the first such win for a basic-cable series.