Should 'Battlestar Galactica' Thank 'The Shield'?

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[Kosh GTO]

"Battlestar Galactica" isn't the only cable series behemoth looking to ends it run in the near future.

The popular FX series "The Shield" did just that over the weekend, a show that proved basic cable could be the home for blockbuster television, especially in areas that were least expected like AMC (where Emmy-winning "Mad Men" airs).

But how much of an influence has "The Shield" had on particular shows? Creator Shawn Ryan told TV Guide's Mickey O'Connor that SciFi Channel's signature series has a little "Shield" to be thankful for this holiday season.

"We were making a show that was very, very fiscally responsible," Ryan said. "And that's the thing, in my opinion, that caused AMC, SciFi, TNT and TBS to really ramp up their production. Because, all of a sudden, if your costs are lower, then the ratings don't need to be quite as high to justify it being a success.

"I see the fingerprints on a show like 'Battlestar Galactica,' I know that they used us as a model economically."

But setting up a financial budget is about where the similarities between the two shows end, Ryan said.

"Now, creatively, they're their own show, and I love that show," he said. "But I think it was seeing how 'The Shield' could work that made people think that 'Battlestar,' 'Mad Men' and 'The Closer' could work."

"The Shield" premiered in March 2002, quickly becoming FX's most popular program. It was a dirty, gritty police drama that won critical acclaim as well before ending its seven-season run last weekend.

"Battlestar Galactica" begins its own green mile beginning Jan. 16 on SciFi Channel.






I thought that they ran that show for too long, anyways. GTO

[MrD]

Hopefully BSG will end as strongly as The Shield.
I am going to miss them both.