You might have been one of those who contributed to the fame of FX's gritty cop drama The Shield, but you weren't enough to help the series top the Nielsen ranks.  The season 7 finale of the show, which wrapped up the entire story, didn't produce as much ratings as it should have.  Despite a brilliant end to the gripping story of Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), The Shield just wasn't able to garner enough viewers that night.

According to Nielsen Media Research data, the ground-breaking series was able to haul in 1.9 million total viewers for the November 25 premiere run.  It was way less than the 2.1 million audiences who watched the opener of The Shield's final season. 

More information has revealed that The Shield's finale got a multi-run cume total that reached 3.4 million and 2.2 million adults 18 to 49.  This also includes the 1.2 who tuned in during the first night's premiere.

Even so, there's no doubt in how The Shield has established itself as a daring show that provided enough mayhem to keep viewers happy.  Out of that 1.9 million watchers, it surely managed to win long-lasting fans.  Vic Mackey not only risked his job in favor of his morals, he gave us a character no one will ever forget.

“He's a man plagued by regret.  He's suffered the fallout from his actions pretty much starting on Day 1,” said Michael Chiklis, star of The Shield.  Of course, fans have stuck by him and his character since that time.  Mackey has undergone profound transformations since then, and the ratings shouldn't be the basis for a good story. 

Even creator Shawn Ryan was sure that the numbers aren't worth it if you've got a jewel of a show in your hands.  “The one thing I've learned (from other series finales) is the shows that stay true to themselves in the finale, rather than trying to do something different, are the finales that succeed the most,” he said.

Yes, The Shield has shaped its own success throughout its seven year run.  But many wonder if it will soon jump on the bandwagon of the big screen.  Whether or not The Shield will be resurrected into a movie, Chiklis and Ryan won't tell.  It's done exceptionally well on television, making it difficult for a film to surpass that prominence.


-Maria Gonzalez, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Multichannel.com, Leader Post
(Image Courtesy of FX)