FX Networks The Shield: An American police-drama television series shown on FX Networks in the U.S. image:40196:0::0

The feet-chopping Armenian mob hot on the trail of Detective Vic Mackey and his Strike Team, who jacked their $4M West Coast money train and left two Armenian mobsters dead in their wake.

The Mexican cartel investing their drug money in the Farmington precinct, one business and housing development at a time.

A cache of blackmail materials reaching all levels of government.

The sickest serial killers and human predators you could possibly imagine.

Nerve-wracking gang and family problems the order of the day.

And that's all just a warmup for the fireworks that are certain to wrap up the seventh and final season of The Shield in explosive fashion.

I don't expect any sequels to follow, as I don't expect Vic Mackey, his Strike Team, or any of the major players in the first six seasons to survive the last.

And I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

Delayed first by the Writers' Strike and now by the Summer Olympics, FX TV has announced that the Gotterdammerung of their smash hit police series 'The Shield' will air in September.

Actually, 'police series' is a bit of a misnomer. It's kind of like saying 'The Godfather' is a fun Italian family film.

***SPOILER AHEAD***

For those of you unfamiliar with the series, know only that the first episode of the first season ends with Strike Team Detective Vic Mackey (as played by Michael Chiklis) shooting fellow team member Terry Crowley in the head during a drug raid after finding out Terry was working undercover for the FBI and Farmington police captain David Aceveda.

And it's all downhill from there.

The Shield features an outstanding cast of memorable and often disturbing characters, including Glenn Close as Captain Monica Rawling and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as the obsessed Internal Affairs investigator Lt. Jon Kavanaugh, who pays the ultimate price for contending with Strike Force Team Leader Vic Mackey on his own terms.

Series writer/producer Shawn Ryan once said 'everyone has their comfort zones. On The Shield, we operate outside those boundaries.'

Truer words were never spoken.

Shock and awe doesn't even begin to describe the experience of watching 'The Shield' in all its seamy and violent glory. It can be like staggering away stunned and disoriented from a car wreck.

Speaking of which.

Like driving a hot rod at full speed into a brick wall, I know the Shield is going to come to a crashing halt in the end. But the last thirteen episodes promise to be one hell of a ride. And I can't wait to jump in and start the engine.

See you in September!