The ballots are out, the race is on, and soon we will know which lucky shows and actors will be nominated for this year's Emmy Awards.  This year the main categories have been expanded to six nominees due to the increasing volume of shows produced.  The official Emmy ballot for Outstanding Drama Series lists 76 eligible shows, but that includes everything from last year's winner, Mad Men, to "no chance in Hell: submissions like The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

So who is actually in the hunt?  Last year proved that cable networks have finally broken through as it was the first time a cable network other than HBO scored a nomination in this category.

Vic Mackey's fate has been left unknown ever since The Shield ended its seven-season run.  But there's a lot more in cards for his portrayer, Michael Chiklis.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 45-year-old actor is developing a new series at FX called House of Cards, continuing his behind-the-scenes work after serving as producer on the last few seasons of The Shield.

The new series will sound familiar to anyone familiar with the Bernard Madoff scandal, which saw Wall Street businessman Bernard Madoff arrested and charged with securities fraud in what is traditionally referred to as a Ponzi scheme.  Chiklis didn't lose any money in the escalating scandal. But he did fall victim to another Ponzi scheme early this year.  And now, he's developing a TV series fueled by his experience.

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. 

After the flawless ending of The Shield last week, we're bound to hear what the actors have been up to since then.  But for those who are still unable to let go of their favorite FX network cop drama, you better go talk to Michael Chiklis.  The star, who plays the corrupt lead character Detective Vic Mackey, had a lot to say about the finale of one of TV's masterpieces.

“I had many thoughts about where Mackey might end up,” Chiklis began.  “None of them matched up perfectly with what finally happened.  But Shawn [Ryan, the show's creator] and I have been on the same page through all of this.  Specifics aside, my general notion of what would happen is what happened.” 

One of TV greatest shows ended last night, and I'm not talking about season 7 of Dancing with the Stars. The Shield, FX's breakout drama series about a dirty cop, came to an end last night in an explosive and shocking finale that provided closure without tying everything up with a bow.

The Shield series finale delivered everything fans could've hoped for. It didn't end with a sudden, unsatisfying blackout like The Sopranos, but it also didn't finish everyone's story like Six Feet Under. Instead, the series that catapulted FX to the major leagues of cable networks when Michael Chiklis won an Emmy for Lead Actor in the show's first season found just the right note to close on.

Ever since show creator Shawn Ryan has decided to make season 7 the final chapter of The Shield, fans have been sadly mulling over how the series would come to a close.  With seven years worth of action, gang violence, corrupt police officers and complex storylines, Ryan was determined to give the show the ending fans deserved.
Yesterday's episode marked the conclusion of the police drama but certainly not the end of Vic Mackey.

If you have yet to watch The Shield finale, stop reading now!

A show gets one chance to end its run with a bang, and it's over before you know it.  That's probably how the seven seasons of The Shield played out – firing bullet upon bullet of tension down the throats of fans.  Tonight, one of the most highly praised series of the generation is all set for departure.  But the series creators made sure you won't forget it as quickly as it goes.

The 90-minute special episode was penned by series creator Shawn Ryan, aptly bestowing upon it the title “Family Meeting.”  He and the writers burnt more than the midnight oil for the groundbreaking drama's send-off, targeting the perfect approach to take.

Tonight on the second to the last episode of The Shield, the anticipation for the finale grows higher.  On the previous installment, Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) agrees to work with Dutch and Claudette, while mediating between Vic (Michael Chiklis) and Shane (Walton Goggins).  After investigating the murder of a high school football player, the action continues on the last season of FX's The Shield.

On “Possible Kill Screen,” Olivia (Laurie Holden) joins in the work of the Strike Team in order to capture a Mexican drug lord.  They need to uncover what's going on before any more damage is done.  Meanwhile, Dutch (Jay Karnes) finds it in himself to clean up Billings' (David Marciano) mess.