The Shield Set to Return for Season Six

After a one-plus year wait, FX will finally debut the much-anticipated sixth season of The Shield on April 3rd. The long wait between seasons was the longest, thus far, of the series which led many fans to believe that the show may not be returning at all. Instead, creator Shawn Ryan confirmed that The Shield would be back with a vengeance for not one, but two more seasons.

The tag line for the fifth season was that it would be the beginning of the end for Vic Mackey and his Strike Team. It was a bold claim to make as The Shield's anti-heroes had long escaped every possible danger that presented each other. In shocking fashion, however, Ryan and crew followed up on their promise by killing off a major character in the season finale and leaving the fate of his murdered up in the air.

With one of his close friends dead, Vic Mackey will indeed seek revenge throughout the current season of The Shield. As described by the commercials as, "This season on The Shield, no one rests in peace," Mackey will not allow the murder of his teammate go unpunished. And putting his foes in a jail cell has never been his strong suit.

Meanwhile, The Shield also will feature new dynamics for other veteran characters. Longtime detective Claudette Wyms finally received her promotion to Captain in the waning episodes of season five. Wyms has long been the voice of morality and good on the show and her ascendance to the leader of the police department will surely clash with Vic Mackey's blind search for justice. And she is just one of many supporting characters on The Shield.

And don't worry, Forest Whitaker will be back. He may not have enough strings to pull the Strike Team around anymore, but he certainly hasn't lost his fight. Early commercials and previews show him trying to link Vic to the murder of his fallen teammate. Jon Kavanaugh was a big reason why The Shield continued to be one of the best dramas on television last season. Keeping him on The Shield's roster, even if only for a few episodes, was a terrific move by the creators.

The Shield has been one of the best shows on television since its first episode back in 2002. With only two seasons and twenty-three episodes left, fans of the show should savor the stretch run. Shows that maintain their momentum and creativity through seven seasons are rare, but The Shield has always looked to be up to the challenge.