The Shield

The Shield, the show that opened the door for so many of today's great basic cable TV series (Damages, Mad Men, and The Closer, to name just a few), will come to an end tonight. The Vic Mackey era closes with this 88th and final episode, "Family Meeting."

The episode is being described as "brilliant," and a few writers have already called it their favorite drama series finale ever. That's a pretty big statement, especially because several other series have set the bar so high. My favorite is still the sob-inducing finale of Six Feet Under, but this Spring's finale of The Wire is up there as well, and on a sentimental note, the bittersweet finale of Gilmore Girls will always get to me.

What about you? Which series finales are on your list of the best?

Photo courtesy of FX

Each year, Salon gives a virtual award called the Buffy to the most underappreciated show currently airing on television. Past Buffy winners — and yes, it's named after you-know-what — have included The Wire, Friday Night Lights, and Veronica Mars, so it's an award I can generally get behind.

This year, rather than acknowledge a relatively new show, Salon gave the Buffy to a veteran: The Shield. As I'm sure BellaSugar would agree, Salon said it was a show that "gains momentum and complexity each year, reaching unforeseen heights over the past few seasons . . . Unlike so many shows that get more and more formulaic to the point of becoming parodies of themselves in their final few seasons, The Shield becomes more compelling and dynamic each year."

The Shield is certainly a deserving pick — but it also got me thinking about other underappreciated shows that have vocal fans out there right now. And so I'm wondering: If you could award your own personal Buffy, which show would get it? One ground rule: The show has to still be on the air, so don't bombard the comments with outcry over Jericho, Veronica Mars, or Moonlight, OK? Now go!

Photo courtesy of FX

Hey everyone. BellaSugar here. Buzz has let me guest-blog because, well, I won't shut up about The Shield. I know what you're thinking: "Another cop drama? Yawn." Yeah, that's what I thought, too, but trust me: This is easily the best show on TV. The first episode of the seventh and final season airs tonight at 10 p.m. on FX, and if you aren't watching, you're missing out. The Emmy-winning acting is marvelous, the writing is tight (seriously, no plot line is left unfinished) and you'll be amazed by how much drama is packed into each episode.

A little background: Inspired by the real-life story of a corrupt anti-gang unit in the LAPD, the show focuses on the Strike Team, a group of dirty cops. When I say dirty, I mean filthy: They've killed fellow officers, knocked over the Armenian mob, and aren't above a little police brutality on the side. When we catch up with Detective Vic Mackey, the team leader, he's fighting to keep his badge — and plotting against his partner, Shane Vendrell, who murdered another member of the Strike Team. Oh, and did I mention that his teenage daughter is getting involved with some illegal dealings of her own, that he's the baby daddy of another cop's child, and that he's stolen a list of files used in an elaborate blackmail scheme? Juicy stuff.

I've checked out the first eight episodes of season seven in advance, and for you fellow fangirls (and fanboys) who are already hooked, I've got a few thoughts if you read more

The Shield may be ending, but its creator, Shawn Ryan, won't be winding down anytime soon. From the sounds of a story in the Hollywood Reporter, Ryan is on par to rival Rob Thomas and Josh Schwartz as one of the busiest men in television.

To put it all Pushing Daisies style, the facts are these: Ryan has three shows in development right now at three different networks, and his production company has sold four projects in the past week! Here's a quick look at the shows Ryan is working on himself:

• If all goes well, The Shield fans won't have to look very far for one of Ryan's next projects: FX has just decided to get into business with him again. Ryan will be working with Ted Griffin, who wrote Ocean's Eleven (and also an episode of The Shield) on a one-hour dramedy about a private eye. Love this: Ryan pitched it to FX president John Landgraf when they ran into each other in the hallway. That's power.
• At A&E, Ryan and author James Ellroy are working on a drama called The Lead Sheet about the hunt for a serial killer known as the Hillside Strangler in Los Angeles in the late '70s. The show follows a team of three police officers and two district attorneys as they investigate the case; according to the Reporter, each episode will start with a tip about a crime that may or may not be related to the Strangler.
• At Fox, Ryan will be writing a comedy called Millionaires Club, which "revolves around a ragtag group of wannabe millionaires who keep coming up with ill-fated plots to get rich."

Ryan told the Reporter that leaving The Shield after seven years is scary but "infuses you with a real enthusiasm for television" — which seems obvious after looking at that list above! The Shield finished its last episode during the writers' strike, and the final season will begin airing Sept. 2 on FX. To watch a preview, just read more

• FX has canceled Courteney Cox's tabloid drama Dirt, TV Guide reports.
• The Weinsteins have acquired the rights to adapt Allison Winn Scotch's novel Time of My Life for the big screen, writes ComingSoon.
• Meanwhile, Variety has the news that House executive producer Katie Jacobs has nabbed the rights to the New York Times bestseller Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon — And the Journey of a Generation.
• Amber Tamblyn has taken the lead in an ABC drama pilot called The Unusuals, about the crazy characters at a New York police precinct, Zap2it reports.
• If you want AC/DC's new album, you'll have to go to Wal-Mart to get it, Billboard reports.
• Despite declining ratings, TV networks are actually bringing in more money from advertisers after this year's upfronts, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
• The Chicago Tribune finally found a premiere date for the final season of The Shield: Sept. 2.
• According to Variety, David Schwimmer will head to Chicago to star in a stage production of Our Town.

Photo courtesy of FX

Need to stock up on past seasons of "The Simpsons" or finally own all of "Arrested Development" on DVD? Now's your chance to do it on the cheap. Best Buy has all of its Fox-produced series on sale for just $19.99 this week — regardless of how much the sets normally cost.

Already, the "X-Files" seventh and ninth season sets have sold out (and it's no wonder, considering that Best Buy typically prices them at $99.98), but there are tons of goodies left. Among them: the complete first season of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," the first five seasons of "The Shield," several "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" sets, and the complete "Wonderfalls."

Seriously, with this sale, it would be cheaper to buy one of the longer series (say, the six-disc first season of "24") than to rent it at Blockbuster. I'm not sure how long the sale is going on, so check it out soon if you're interested.

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• Scranton, PA, wants to host a convention for fans of "The Office," says Best Week Ever.
• Pop Candy has details on the 2007 Office Prank Awards.
• Idolator wrangles the tepid reviews of Timbaland's new album.
• Stereogum posts a version of the beloved "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" recorded by my beloved Hold Steady.
• The TV Addict survived a visit to the "Supernatural" set.
• Give Me My Remote shares my opinion that "The Bachelor" is obviously a comedy series.
• Earvolution tells us who will christen New York's new music venues.
• Before tonight's premiere of "The Shield," check out TV with MeeVee's chat with star Michael Chiklis.
• Rolling Stone Rock & Roll Daily rounds up the 25 best rock rumors ever.
• ScreenGrab reports that Serenity has been named the best science-fiction film of all time.
• Merry Swankster finds Of Montreal covering the Fiery Furnaces and David Bowie.

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I'm a latecomer to "The Shield," the FX cop drama that starts its sixth season tonight. So I'll defer to those who have been following the series from the beginning when they say it's an intense and hypnotic show. One TV Guide critic even put it on par with "The Sopranos" as some of the year's best TV.

The premise of this season is strong: Tough cop Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) is driven by a desire to find out who killed Lem, a member of his Strike Team. Viewers, meanwhile, already know the killer: Lem's best friend and fellow Strike Team member Shane. As a bonus, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker will be around for several episodes as an investigator trying to expose Vic as a dirty cop. It makes me want to hurry up and get those previous seasons off my Netflix queue. To see a promo for the episode, read more