This emblematic series of the 2000s is to be seen for free in streaming

unknown to the general public, The Shield is often considered one of the greatest series of all time, and it is now available for free on the 6play platform. As a reminder, the series follows the story of Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), a police inspector from Los Angeles, who is also the leader of the Strike Team, a unit responsible for fighting crime. His unconventional but highly effective crime-fighting methods frequently flirt with those used by the criminals he and his team pursue. By his behavior going beyond the legal framework, he continually finds himself in difficult situations, both vis-à-vis his superiors, members of the gangs he fights, other members of the Strike Team, his other colleagues and even his wife.

A series inspired by real events

The Shield is based on the Rampart scandal, a case that refers to the widespread corruption of CRASH, an anti-gang unit of the Los Angeles police department, in the late 1990s. More than 70 police officers assigned to or associated with this unit were implicated, making it one of the most widespread cases of police corruption in US history. Indeed, this unit is responsible for a long list of offenses, including false testimony, theft and drug trafficking, perjury, concealment of evidence… The scandal has given rise to more than 140 civil lawsuits against the city of Los Angeles, costing the city a whopping $125 million.

A star of the series sentenced to life imprisonment

Michael Jace, who played agent Julien Lowe, was sentenced in 2016 to life in prison, including 40 incompressible years for the murder of his wife April, an athletics champion, whom he shot dead in front of their two children. One of them had also testified at the trial and had told the jurors that he had seen his father bring his mother to the lobby of their home in Hyde Park in Los Angeles. “My father said, ‘if you like running, run in paradise’and he shot him“. For his part, the actor explained that he had wanted to shoot his wife in the leg following an argument over their divorce. But according to the prosecutor, he shot his wife twice in the legs and once in the back, fatally wounding her. As a result, Michael Jace was sentenced to life including 15 years without the possibility of early release for murder. And he received an additional 25 years for using a firearm. intentionally.

Article written in collaboration with 6Médias