Original Desmond

Having caught up with 24, i'm looking for other shows i will enjoy watching from scratch.

I've never seen an episode of either the Shield or the Unit , what shows are they similar to ?

Patman

If I had to pick, I'd suggest starting with The Shield (gritty police crime drama shot with hand-held cameras in spots to lend a sense of immediacy and chaos of the scenes). I sort of gave up on The Unit after a season and a half (the housewives segments in that show just put me to sleep).

Jimmy James

I can't think of anything quite like either show. I draw a complete blank on The Unit, but I'd suggest The Shield is almost like equal portions Oz and Homicide, if you take the sensational aspects of Oz and the cop aspect of Homicide. The Strike Team is way out there in terms of reality, but it's still quite compelling.

The Unit is uneven and much less worthy than The Shield, but there is still enough there to keep me coming back.

DJariya

The Unit and The Shield are both produced by Shawn Ryan. Ryan is the showrunner for both shows.

I highly recommend The Shield starting from Season 1. I would compare this show to a harder edge NYPD Blue along with The Wire. Vic Mackey is probably the biggest badass Anti-Hero in cable TV.

The Unit is now in it's 3rd season. Season 1 was a midseason replacement and served as good introduction to the Delta Force Unit. Season 1 focused heavily on the wives at home storyline and it kind of dragged the show down....Episode 13 (the season finale) was really good though.

Season 2 toned down the wives at home and focused alot more on action oriented episodes.

I recommend both shows...more edge to The Shield.

TGM

The Shield is fantastic.

The Unit is OK, if only they'd get rid of the wifey subplots.

Other good shows, Rescue Me, The Wire, Sleeper Cell, and Nip/Tuck... also give the new Battlestar Galactica a chance...

Matthew Ackerly

Every episode of The Shield is great from the first season to the last... Top notch from the writing, to the acting, to the directing.

And I cannot wait until the final season.

Red Dog

Can't speak to the Unit, but The Shield is truly one of the greatest dramas I've ever seen, and even more impressive is the fact that there has been no real drop in quality during its run. Few dramas can claim that.

DeputyDave

The Shield is my number 1 favorite show currently in production. I couldn't even get into the first episode of The Unit, though.

Original Desmond

is the Shield a pure drama or an action drama like 24 ?

Patman

There's gunplay, and some good ol' violent scenes when warranted (like beatdowns on suspects, sometimes not in conventional ways).

movie diva

If I had to pick I would go with the Shield, it is one of the best shows on TV, now I do watch the Unit,it has gotten better as it goes on.

Jimmy James

Don't underestimate the David Mamet influence on The Unit, though the show isn't as good as his best film work. It's more that he has an influence on the show but isn't really the controlling force behind it (nor is Ryan if you ask me).

Since I didn't mention it before, The Shield is also my favorite show still churning out new episodes. It's an outstanding ride.

mikehunt

yes & yes

7Keys

Is the Shield entering its final season? I thought the show was getting ready to come to an end.

I watched the first several episodes when they originally aired and I was into the show. Then I missed a couple of weeks and gave up on it.

Now, I'm just waiting for the show to have its complete release on dvd so I can watch it all in order with a long gap between seasons (I got a short memory).

uteotw

I HIGHLY recommend both, and yes, The Shield is about to end.

EdTheRipper

I love The Shield. Great show, I can't recommend it enough.

MechanicalMan

I haven't seen The Unit yet, but you'll have a hard time finding anyone who doesn't recommend The Shield. It's one of the better shows on TV. I will just add (since others have mentioned it) that The Wire is the best drama on TV.

Gunde

The Shield is fantastic tv!! One of the best shows I've seen.
It's NOTHING like 24 though

DJariya

I like The Unit because Dennis Haysbert is such a strong lead actor. I think he carries alot of the episodes.

nateman

While I don’t hold The Shield in such high regard as some people, if you liked Hill Street Blues, NYPD: Blue & Homicide: Life on the Street, you’re bound to like The Shield. I personally, don’t like The Shield as much as Homicide: Life on the Street, I’ve always found HLOTS a better show & more entertaining overall but The Shield is definitely a good show & I’d recommend you check it out. Watch it on DVD, in order.

The Unit is an uneven show & while season 1’s ‘Wife’ parts where indeed, boring, I gave up on the show about 5 episodes into season 2. I might get back into the show again (I have season 1 on DVD, might get S2 if I get into it again), but I doubt it.

I can’t stand 24, I find it boring as all hell & it doesn’t hold my interest for some reason. If you like ‘gritty’ cop shows than like the ones I mentioned above, Hill Street Blues, NYPD: Blue & Homicide: Life on the Street all come highly recommended from me. If you want to go farther back, Crime Story is an excellent Crime Drama, although season 2 wasn’t as strong as season 1 in my opinion. Still excellent though.

starseed1981

The Sheild is one of the best shows EVER to be on TV.
The Unit is good but very uneven.

Michael Corvin

I'd like to give a nod to the Unit amongst all this Shield lovefest.

While you can compare the Shield to other gritty shows like NYPD: Blue or Oz, the Unit has no peer, which makes it truly unique and definitely something to watch.

jonnyquest

If the "watching from scratch" is importat to you, then The Shield probably is the way to go. It has stronger continuing storylines where events from previous episodes frequently have a background (or major) influence in following episodes. So if you wanna get DVD sets of past seasons and watch them on your own schedule, get The Shield. The Unit episodes are more self-contained. The 'action' aspect of each episode is basically about a particular mission, and the next episode is a different mission altogether, with almost no overlap. The 'drama' aspects are kinda weak and uneven, as other posters have written. Which is bad if you need a strong enduring storyline. But it is good if you want to be able to jump in and watch any episode without feeling left behind.

Shamus McAnally

I've never watched the Unit, but The Shield is fantastic. I been wrapped up in it for each season it's been on and can't wait to see how they wrap things up. You can't go wrong with the Shield. I know that much.

Original Desmond

stumbled accross my old thread

I have watched the Shield in its entirety 3 times, truly amazing

I have just finished season 2 of the Unit, 2 more to go

Comments above are bang on. It is a bit uneven, some very good episodes, some so so episodes with the wife stuff universally dragging down episodes

Loved the end of Season 2, looking forward to season 3