The Shield - The Complete Sixth Season

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre television series Starring Michael Chiklis Directed by Various Publisher Twentieth Century Fox

The Shield is one of FX’s long-running TV series, coming in to its 7th season this September. Season 6 is coming to DVD on August 26, and this DVD set is definite must-have for any fan. Season 6, with its 10 episodes, is a stepping stone in the life of crime-fighter Detective Vic Mackey who faces incredible obstacles against crime, the force and his own personal life. While the season, like almost all television seasons this past year, was cut short because of the writers’ strike, this show did an excellent job in this box set up pulling together enough interesting tidbits for fans to get their fill with before the advent of season 7. 

The bonus features on disk 4 include a half hour segment of directorial history for season 6. There are instances of comments from different people who work on the show—producers, writers, actors, etc.—and their opinions about the many directors of the show throughout the years. These are followed by behind-the-scenes examples of two of the favorite directors’ scene work, showing the tutoring by the directors and the filming of the scenes in action. It’s enlightening for fans to see what really went into the simple little scenes that were so powerful and yet seemed to be done with such ease. These features show how much work really goes into making the show as realistic and as drama-provoking as possible.

Following this feature, there is a fifteen-minute clip of the episode that Franka Potente guest starred in, showing scenes she acted in, the character she played, and the show’s regular cast and crew’s opinions of her appearance in the show. The bonus to a feature like this one is that there is more than a mere reciting of details; instead there is a well-rounded commentary from many different people associated with the show—including from Franka Potente herself!—that gives viewers a greater understanding of the circumstances. 

In addition to these special features, each disk features an optional commentary for select episodes. In total, there are 36 deleted scenes featured in the set, all of which appear in the sub-category of the episode they were originally featured in. The 10 unrated Season 6 episodes that appear in this set are well showcased with a fascinating display of special features and bonuses that should make any fan thrilled. This set is a definite addition to The Shield collection.