I admit it: when I first started watching The Shield, I was greatly disappointed. I had just finished watching The Wire, which, in my opinion, was the best thing ever. Maybe it is for this reason that I cannot help but compare two shows. So here you go:
1. The Wire is slow burning. Every time a season wraps up, you truly feel like you've accomplished something-- like you've finished reading a book. Throughout the series, there is a purpose and the story remains focused. It's intense. It's deep.
The Shield, at least in the beginning, was all over the place. And though you may get excited when Vic or his team members play with fire and you think for a minute that they'll get burned, the fact is the show is so fast-paced that you probably won't be on the edge of your seat for more than 15 minutes at a time because Vic always has a contingency plan! Kind of unrealistic. Luckily, things get much better when the Armenian mob comes into play.
2. In The Wire, there are two dozen awesome characters—all of whom put up excellent and convincing performances. There isn't a single "hero", or "anti-hero" for that matter.
In sharp contrast, Vic Mackey appears in almost every frame of The Shield. If you don't see him as the witty, alpha male that Tony Soprano is, or as the adorably defiant Detective McNulty on The Wire, chances are you won't enjoy the show much. I honestly thought Vic was trying too hard.
3. The Wire gets the legal procedures right—everything from search warrants to wiretapping appears to be consistent with the law, as far as I can tell. I love that.
The cops on The Shield hardly concern themselves with obtaining search warrants or following procedure (with the exception of Claudette and Dutch). They interview minors without a parent present; they beat the hell out of people on the street; they engage in sexual behavior with witnesses in police interview rooms; and so on. All of the above pales in comparison to the ease at which Mackey & Co. convince thugs to cooperate. You'll know from The Wire that you CAN'T turn gangsters into snitches just by threatening them with a marijuana possession charge.
1. The Wire is slow burning. Every time a season wraps up, you truly feel like you've accomplished something-- like you've finished reading a book. Throughout the series, there is a purpose and the story remains focused. It's intense. It's deep.
The Shield, at least in the beginning, was all over the place. And though you may get excited when Vic or his team members play with fire and you think for a minute that they'll get burned, the fact is the show is so fast-paced that you probably won't be on the edge of your seat for more than 15 minutes at a time because Vic always has a contingency plan! Kind of unrealistic. Luckily, things get much better when the Armenian mob comes into play.
2. In The Wire, there are two dozen awesome characters—all of whom put up excellent and convincing performances. There isn't a single "hero", or "anti-hero" for that matter.
In sharp contrast, Vic Mackey appears in almost every frame of The Shield. If you don't see him as the witty, alpha male that Tony Soprano is, or as the adorably defiant Detective McNulty on The Wire, chances are you won't enjoy the show much. I honestly thought Vic was trying too hard.
3. The Wire gets the legal procedures right—everything from search warrants to wiretapping appears to be consistent with the law, as far as I can tell. I love that.
The cops on The Shield hardly concern themselves with obtaining search warrants or following procedure (with the exception of Claudette and Dutch). They interview minors without a parent present; they beat the hell out of people on the street; they engage in sexual behavior with witnesses in police interview rooms; and so on. All of the above pales in comparison to the ease at which Mackey & Co. convince thugs to cooperate. You'll know from The Wire that you CAN'T turn gangsters into snitches just by threatening them with a marijuana possession charge.