Interrogating The Shield

by Nicholas Ray (Editor)

Overview

When The Shield first appeared on US television in March 2002, it broke ratings records with the highest audience-rated original series premiere in cable history. In the course of its subsequent seven-season run, the show went on to win international acclaim for its abrasive depiction of an urban American dystopia and the systemic political and juridical corruption feeding it. The first book dedicated to the analysis of this immensely successful series, Interrogating "The Shield" brings together ten critical essays, written from a variety of methodological and theoretical perspectives. Topics range from an exploration of the series' derivation, genre, and production, to expositions of the ethics, aesthetics, and politics of the show. As may be expected from a multiauthored collection, this volume does not seek to present a homogenized account of The Shield. The show is variously applauded and critiqued. In their critical variety, however, the essays in this book are a testament to the cultural significance and creative complexity of the series. As such, they are a reminder of the renewed power of quality television drama today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815633082
Publisher:	Syracuse University Press
Publication date:	09/27/2012
Series:	Television and Popular Culture
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Nicholas Ray is a lecturer in the School of English at the University of Leeds. He is the author of Tragedy and Otherness: Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Psycho­analysis.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Contributors ix

Introduction: Trees Falling 1

1 The Derivation of a Television Crime Drama Concepción Cascajosa Virino 11

2 The Meaning of Messiness: The Shield and the Production of Television Style Gary Needham 30

3 Sound Policing: Attending to Acoustic Matters in The Shield Nicholas Chare 43

4 Fitting the Profile: Dutch Wagenbach, Realism, and the Ensemble Lorna Jowett 65

5 Quality, Controversy, and Criminality: The Shield as Post-Sopranos Cop Show Glyn White 87

6 Scenes from the Interrogation Room: Power, Character, Truth, and Justice in The Shield Douglas L. Howard 105

7 "You Want Me to Lick Your Balls, Daddy?" Masculinity, Race, and Power in The Shield Mike Chopra-Gant 124

8 Glass Ceilings: Gender, Sexism, and The Shield Jason P. Vest 145

9 "A Different Kind of Cop": Exception and Complicity in The Shield Nicholas Ray 166

10 Cracking Ice: The Shield and the Middle-Class Crisis of Social Reproduction Stephen Shapiro 186

References 209

Index 219

Editorial Reviews

An insightful examination of one of the most provocative and challenging American TV shows of recent years.

Stacey Abbott