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The Shield poster

Shows that feel likeThe Shield (2002–2008)

The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.

If you loved The Shield, the closest series we have are Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Daredevil: Born Again (2025) and FBI (2018). All three share The Shield's gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Lethal Weapon (2016).

★ 8.7 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗7 seasons · FXcreated by Shawn Ryangrittycontemplativekineticepic
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu
Buy seasons:Amazon see price ↗Apple TV$9.99 buyThe Shield: The Complete Collection · Apple price as of 2026-09-07

If The Shield hit the spot, these will too

Hawaii Five-0 poster
Hawaii Five-0
2010–2020 · 10 seasons · CBS
★ 7.4crime · drama · action & adventureNetflixParamount+

The same preoccupation in both: criminal investigation

Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny "Danno" Williams, and Kono Kalakaua.

Daredevil: Born Again poster
Daredevil: Born Again
2025– · 2 seasons · Disney+
★ 8.1drama · action & adventure · crimeDisney+

One thread runs through both: mayor

The difference: 23 years apart, and the 2020s show

Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with heightened abilities, is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.

FBI poster
FBI
2018– · 9 seasons · CBS
★ 7.1crime · action & adventure · dramaParamount+

Both keep coming back to the same thing: criminal investigation

The New York office of the FBI brings to bear all their talents, intellect and technical expertise on major cases in order to keep their city and the country safe.

Timeless poster
Timeless
2016–2018 · 2 seasons · NBC
★ 7.6drama · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyPrime Video

Shawn Ryan directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

The difference: Trades the grit of The Shield for an angle of its own

A mysterious criminal steals a secret state-of-the-art time machine, intent on destroying America as we know it by changing the past. Our only hope is an unexpected team: a scientist, a soldier and a history professor, who must use the machine's prototype to travel back in time to critical events. While they must make every effort not to affect the past themselves, they must also stay one step ahead of this dangerous fugitive. But can this handpicked team uncover the mystery behind it all and end his destruction before it's too late?

Rosario Tijeras poster
Rosario Tijeras
2010 · 1 season · RCN
★ 8action & adventure · crime · drama

The same mix in both: grit, then stillness

This is the story of the legendary Rosario Tijeras, the beautiful warrior from a slum who fell in love with Antonio and Emilio, two handsome and wealthy young men. Antonio, a young architect, desperately rushes the dying Rosario Tijeras to a nearby hospital. The beautiful Rosario has been shot four times by a hitman. While he waits for his beloved Rosario to be saved from her wounds, Antonio recalls how Rosario, a beautiful teenager, became the murderer Rosario Tijeras. And how he, a dashing young man, makes her his obsession. The woman of his dreams.

The Killing poster
The Killing
2011–2014 · 4 seasons · AMC
★ 8.3drama · crime · mysteryHulu

Both are working the same pair: drugs, police detective

The difference: Easier on the momentum than The Shield

The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.

S.W.A.T. poster
S.W.A.T.
2017–2025 · 8 seasons · CBS
★ 7.2crime · action & adventure · dramaNetflixPrime Video

Both land momentum and scale at once

A Los Angeles S.W.A.T. sergeant is assigned to lead a highly skilled unit in the community where he grew up. Torn between loyalty to the streets, where the cops are sometimes the enemy, and allegiance to his brothers in blue, he strategically straddles the two worlds.

Bloodhounds poster
Bloodhounds
2023–2026 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.2drama · action & adventure · crimeNetflix

Gritty crime, and it commits to that

Faced with ruthless foes with a violent thirst, two young boxers band together — risking life and limb to bring justice and protect their loved ones.

NCIS: Los Angeles poster
NCIS: Los Angeles
2009–2023 · 14 seasons · CBS
★ 6.8action & adventure · drama · crime

Drama built on stillness, twice over

The difference: Sits closer to mystery than The Shield does

The exploits of the Los Angeles–based Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that specializes in undercover assignments.

24 poster
24
2001–2014 · 9 seasons · FOX
★ 8.4action & adventure · drama · crimeHulu

Action & adventure with a pulse of momentum, in both cases

Counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer fights the bad guys of the world, a day at a time. With each week's episode unfolding in real-time, "24" covers a single day in the life of Bauer each season.

9-1-1 poster
9-1-1
2018– · 10 seasons · ABC
★ 7.8drama · crime · action & adventureHulu

Both lean on scale more than on crime

Explore the high-pressure experiences of police officers, paramedics and firefighters who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives.

Lethal Weapon poster
Lethal Weapon
2016–2019 · 3 seasons · FOX
★ 7.8action & adventure · crime · dramaPrime Video

Common ground: police detective

A slightly unhinged former Navy SEAL lands a job as a police officer in Los Angeles where he's partnered with a veteran detective trying to keep maintain a low stress level in his life.

In the mood for more gritty?

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The best-reviewed series that share The Shield’s defining feeling.