Walton Goggins’ The Shield is still getting new spin-offs 18 years after the finale
You might think The Shield is done and dusted, but the franchise has kept growing quietly — just not in the places you’d expect.
There are some TV universes that don’t get anywhere near the attention they deserve, and The Shield sits right at the top of that list. Most people remember Walton Goggins for his recent turns in shows like The White Lotus and Fallout, or if you’re more film-minded, maybe one of his scene-stealing moments on the big screen. But a lot of folk overlook how much Goggins – and a cracking ensemble, by the way – did in The Shield. Turns out, the world of corrupt cops and LA mayhem built by that show is still alive and kicking, years after we said goodbye to the Strike Team – even if barely anyone seems to realise it.
The Shield aired its finale almost 18 years ago, but that version of Los Angeles is still being explored in new series today.
The Shield's Not-So-Secret TV Legacy
The Shield ran for seven savage seasons on FX back in the day, with Michael Chiklis front and centre as the infamous Detective Vic Mackey. Goggins, meanwhile, played Shane Vendrell – appearing in 86 episodes all told – and it was never a show afraid to go bleak, bananas, or occasionally both at once. It picked up Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and set a new bar for dirty cop drama. But if you assumed the story ended when the credits rolled on season 7, you’d be wrong. The Shield’s universe has been quietly ticking along, tucked away inside crime shows you’ve probably channel flicked right past.
The main reason it very nearly flew under the radar? The series that took up the reins, S.W.A.T., showed up on CBS in 2017 – nearly a decade after Shield’s finale, and on a totally different network. Still, both series come from Shawn Ryan, the man who made The Shield what it was, and apparently he’s a fan of connective tissue. S.W.A.T. is technically a reboot of an old 1970s show (ignore the film; none of that counts), but it sits in the same continuity as Shield, thanks to one utterly unambiguous crossover: David Marciano, who played Steve Billings on The Shield, pops up as the same bloke for two cameos in S.W.A.T.
You genuinely don’t need to have seen The Shield to get S.W.A.T. – they’re their own things in tone and style. In fact, S.W.A.T. only really gives a nod to its shared universe with those Billings appearances. A handful of other actors cross between the shows, but always as different characters, so no need to start stringing corkboards and red thread quite yet. Still, if you’re a continuity spotter, Billings makes it official: both series play out in the same fictional Los Angeles.
The Long Life (and Many Deaths) of S.W.A.T.
S.W.A.T. always did have a knack for dodging the axe. CBS cancelled it at least twice before finally switching the lights off for good after eight seasons in 2025. But as ever, TV execs can’t leave well alone: now Starz has picked it up, repackaged it slightly, and kicked off a new spin-off called S.W.A.T. Exiles. Shemar Moore is still onboard leading the cast as Hondo, and the first season is currently rolling out episodically – the finale’s set for 27 November.
Just to throw a spanner in the works, Shawn Ryan himself is off working on Netflix’s The Night Agent nowadays and wants nothing to do with Exiles. Not that it matters much for Shield continuity. Billings’ cameo a few years back already did the heavy lifting, tying S.W.A.T. and The Shield together, with this Starz spinoff now following suit. There’s something slightly mad about connecting The Shield’s brutal, hard-hitting world to a glossier CBS/Starz procedural, but, hey, TV universes are what you make them.
Legally and plot-wise, don’t hold your breath for a Shane Vendrell or Vic Mackey comeback in S.W.A.T. Exiles – that’s never going to happen. Still, all three series (Shield, S.W.A.T., and S.W.A.T. Exiles) are set in Los Angeles, all revolve around the L.A.P.D., and if you squint, you can just about imagine that every bent copper and car chase leads straight back to that world Sean Ryan started building in 2002.
- The Shield (2002–2008, FX): Led by Michael Chiklis (Vic Mackey), with Walton Goggins (Shane Vendrell), gritty LA crime, Emmy/Golden Globe nods, 7 seasons
- S.W.A.T. (2017–2025, CBS): Shemar Moore (Hondo), David Marciano returns as Steve Billings (2 episodes), reboot of 1970s show, 8 seasons
- S.W.A.T. Exiles (2026–, Starz): Continuation/spinoff, Shemar Moore returns, new home on Starz, finale lands 27 November 2026