The Return Of 'The Shield'

Just before "The Shield" (FX, 10 p.m.) debuted in 2002, I saw the promos for it on FX. While they looked interesting, I was worried this would just be another "cop on the edge"-type series.

Then I watched the pilot. In that first episode, creator Shawn Ryan created an unforgetable character in Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), the very definition of an anti-hero.

Mackey has done virtually anything and everything you can think of on both sides of the law, taking gangs down when he needs to but more often than not using them to try to keep the peace on the streets. While taking money, he still works to enforce the law. While he loves his family, he has no qualms about cheating on his wife.

When we last left Mackey, he had just come into possession of a load of blackmail material being used by Mexican gang members to pressure public officials. Facing losing his badge, Mackey now had an arsenal of weapons that should help him keep it.

If he can use it. His partner, councilman David Aceveda, his former captain who tried to get him fired, has forged an uneasy alliance between the two, and doesn't want to use the blackmail material.

Meanwhile, Mackey must deal with a renewed threat from the Armenian mob, from whom he and his strike team stole $2 million.

Having watched the first eight episodes of "The Shield's" final season, the producers are throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. Mackey and his partner, Ronnie (David Rees Snell), must deal with team member Shane (Walton Goggins), who killed the fourth member of their team.

Meanwhile, Mackey is continuing to have problems with his daughter, growing more rebellious by the day.

Other storylines include precinct Capt. Wyms (CCH Pounder) dealing with lupus; officer Danny Sofer (Catherine Dent) dealing with being a single mom after a fling with Vic; a detective (David Marciano) suing the precinct; and a federal agent (Laurie Holden), who might be playing both sides of the fence.

While consistently one of TV's best shows, "The Shield" has often been overlooked by the Emmys despite Chiklis winning Best Actor during the first season. Former guest star/cast members Glenn Close, Anthony Anderson and Forest Whitaker turned in fantastic performances that were ignored by the Academy. The turns by regulars such as Goggins and Pounder have been equally overlooked.

The fact is, "The Shield" is still one of TV's top 10 programs, essentially "The Sopranos" told from the law & order point of view.

Fans of the series will be happy to learn that the quality that was present during the first six seasons is there in abundance during the final year.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: I don't think a single new show has been as hyped as much as the next generation of "Beverly Hills, 90210" (CW, 8 p.m.) I was never a fan of the original, and to me it's only noteworthy because it's being produced by Rob Thomas ("Veronica Mars"). I'd love to be able to tell you it's worth the hype, but the CW refused to send out screeners to the critics, which tends to be a bad sign. On the bright side, in keeping with the CW tradition, everybody on the show seems to be really, really pretty.

"House" (Fox, 8 p.m.) repeats last season's stellar two-hour season finale, as House (Hugh Laurie) himself is the mystery - after hitting his head during a bus crash, he can't remember why he was meeting Wilson's girlfriend Cutthroat Bitch at a bar. Though some criticized the show as being uneven last season, the finale was definitely one of the high points.

Psst...'Gossip' Back Next Week

With all of the new shows about to hit the air beginning next week, I'm trying to pack in a few reviews early.

The first is "Gossip Girl," which returns to the CW on Monday.

Because I don't watch this show, I asked Keith Demko, The Reel Fanatic, to review the first three episodes of Season 2. Here's what Keith had to say:

"For the record, I do realize I'm far too old, male and, well, straight to be in the target audience for the CW's "Gossip Girl," but I just can't help it. The show is just the most addictive kind of trash.

When these teen shows work for anyone who hasn't seen a high school hallway in many years, they have to play out almost like a really dishy Jane Austen novel, a comedy of manners starring kids so bratty-but-perfect-looking you just want to sock them in the nose. "Gossip Girl" achieved this mix in season one by being just tawdry but also witty enough to keep viewers coming back, and judging from the first three episodes of season two that isn't going to change.

So, where are we when season two begins? For Serena (Blake Lively), of course, summer means the Hamptons, and we find she's still broken up with Dan (Penn Badgley), though not completely. Blair (Leighton Meester) returns from her summer in Europe with a new "boyfriend" in tow whose main job is to make Chuck (Ed Westwick) insanely jealous, but of course brings his own baggage across the pond to liven things up. And Jenny (Taylor Momsen) finds that working as an intern for Blair's mother's fashion house isn't as rewarding or fun as she had imagined.

The only difference you'll notice is that Georgina, played by a woefully miscast Michelle Trachtenberg, doesn't make an apperance in the first three episodes, but I understand she will be back soon and possibly become a regular. Even if she can't really manage to play the bad girl the role demands, it's just nice to see anyone from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" getting steady work.

The bottom line: If you liked season one of "Gossip Girl," tune in when it returns at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1, because it's still just the nearly perfect kind of trashy fun you've come to expect."

It will be interesting to see how the CW's strategy of "Gossip Girl" and "Beverly Hills, 90210" - unavailable for preview - pays off. The guy caught in the middle is "GG" creator Josh Schwartz, whose show "Chuck" will also air Mondays at 8 p.m.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: More political coverage from the Democratic National Convention, airing on PBS, MSNBC and CNN beginning at 8 p.m. and the networks at 10 p.m.

Also new is one of the minisodes of "The Shield" (FX, 10 p.m.)