By now you've seen how The Shield took its final bow. [And if you haven't and don't want to know what happened on the series finale just yet, you shouldn't read any further. This story requires one big SPOILER ALERT!] Corrupt cop Vic Mackey got his immunity deal, but it came with several justice-serving, tragic trade-offs. Shane, his former Strike Team comrade, killed himself and his family. Ronnie, who was left out of Vic's deal, was arrested. Vic's family entered the witness-protection program without telling him. And that cushy job offer from the Feds turned out to be a workaday desk job. No more action for Vic! After so many startling developments, we had to talk to series creator Shawn Ryan about his last creative choices for the show, what he thinks its legacy will be and what he'll work on next. (Hint: It's a sitcom!)
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Question: I am a huge fan of The Shield and cannot wait for the last season to begin. I was shocked to see, though, that Shawn Ryan — the creator and showrunner for all six seasons — would not allow himself to edit the final episode because of the strike. How seriously do you think this will affect the finale, and how soon would the strike need to end to allow him to return?
Answer: As bittersweet as it was for the final episode to proceed without the participation of its passionate creator, I'm betting Shawn Ryan's absence won't have that much effect in what we see on-screen. Besides, we don't even know yet exactly when The Shield is going to return, FX's schedule like so many others being affected by strike disruptions. Once the strike is over, if The Shield has yet to air the finale (which is entirely possible), I imagine Shawn Ryan will be able to go into the editing room and work his magic. The good news is that the season was able to be completed. Personally, I can't wait ...
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Question: I never watched the CW before this year, but suddenly I'm finding myself watching shows that have been running for a while. Some of them I didn't know I was missing (Everybody Hates Chris, Beauty and the Geek and Supernatural), while others have only just started (Reaper, Gossip Girl and Aliens in America, definitely the funniest new show of the year). Am I a statistically insignificant anomaly, or do the ratings indicate that this will be the breakout year for the CW (or would have been if not for the strike)? On another note, I'm curious how the strike will affect certain cable shows. I don't know how much truth there is to this, but I've heard that some cable series typically have their entire season's worth of episodes produced far in advance of when the season starts. I'm particularly interested in learning the status of the final seasons of The Shield, The Wire and Battlestar Galactica. Do we know when they'll be airing and how much of their final seasons are in the can? ...
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Any TV drama that deals with military heroism must eventually also confront the enormity of tragic loss. With that said, consider this a spoiler alert regarding the next two episodes (tonight and Nov. 13) of CBS’ underrated The Unit, in which this covert Special Forces team takes a fateful, fatal hit.The network and the show’s production studio have been urgently promoting these episodes (so much for keeping this twist under wraps), and while they’re uneven, they’re very much worth watching. There’s undeniably a bit of a sweeps stunting at play here, but I’m willing to take executive producer Shawn Ryan (The Shield) at his word when he says, in a cover letter attached to the screeners I received, “For three years, we’ve wanted to tell this story, but couldn’t until now. We needed the audience to know and love our characters for it to have the impact we knew it deserved.” He adds: “In the current war we are fighting, military dea...
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Alicia Silverstone is not clueless but shoeless (and shirtless and pantsless... ) in a new promo for PETA. Watch the not-entirely-safe-for-work video here.... TNT's Saving Grace ended its freshman season on Monday with a series low of 4.2 million viewers.... The Shield creator Shawn Ryan has inked a new three-year deal with 20th Century Fox. Among his new projects is the supernatural Fox drama The Oaks, on which he will serve as showrunner.... Jimmy Kimmel will repeat as host of the American Music Awards this Nov. 18, on ABC.... The Grey's Anatomy Season 3 DVD set last week bumped The Office S3 from the top of the sales charts. Blades of Glory was the No. 1 rental.... DVD releases have been set for I Love New York: The Complete Unrated First Season (Oct. 2) and American Pie Presents: Beta House (Dec. 26).
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