The Shield

An experimental division of the Los Angeles Police Department operates in the fictional Farmington district, a multiracial area with high rates of crime, gangs, drug trafficking and prostitution. Its officers call it "the Farm." The unit works out of a former church converted into a police station, known as "the barn." At its center is the Strike Team, an anti-gang squad of four detectives led by Vic Mackey, who fight crime with effective and often illegal methods: they pressure suspects for information, set up arrests and keep a share of the seized drug shipments. Captain David Aceveda, the division chief, distrusts these practices but values the team's results, which help his political ambition of becoming mayor of the city. Shawn Ryan created the series for FX, and Michael Chiklis leads the cast.