The Shield is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 television drama series starring Michael Chiklis

Michael Chiklis

Michael Charles Chiklis is an American actor, voice actor, occasional director and television producer. Some of the previous roles for which he is best known include Commissioner Tony Scali on the ABC police drama The Commish, LAPD Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama The Shield, Thing in...

 which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons. Known for its controversial portrayal of corrupt police officers, it was originally advertised as Rampart in reference to the true life Rampart Division police scandal

Rampart Scandal

The Rampart scandal refers to widespread corruption in the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums anti-gang unit of the Los Angeles Police Department Rampart Division in the late 1990s. More than 70 police officers in the CRASH unit were implicated in misconduct, making it one of the most...

, which the show's Strike Team was loosely based upon.