The Shield was a pretty big thing when it kicked off in 2002. The crime drama was a game-changer for the police genre, digging into the grey areas of ethical ambiguity and pinning the show on Michael Chiklis' Vic Mackey -- a complicated, morally questionable protagonist before anti-heroes became the order of the day. If The Shield has become somewhat overshadowed by the wave of gritty crime dramas it helped inspire, that's no doubt due to the fact that series is neither available on streaming or Blu-ray. But that's all about to change.
Series creator Shawn Ryan (The Unit, Lie to Me) announced on twitter that Sony and Fox are moving forward on a 4K conversion of The Shield. Ryan, who will oversee the conversion of each episode, says the decision comes after months of discussion and tests, noting that he was "dubious" about the prospect since the "gritty, grainy" look was such an essential component of the series. But Ryan says he was won over by the tests promising that the converted footage looks "spectacular".
The conversion will also finally allow for Blu-ray and streaming releases of the critically acclaimed drama. There's still going to be a bit of a wait though. Ryan says they hope to finish the lengthy conversion process by March 2017 -- just in time for the 15th anniversary of the pilot. Check out Ryan's announcement via a series of tweets below.
