Walton Goggins recalls why The Shield almost didn’t air after 9/11, saying “it was sacrilegious.” Premiered in March 2002, the FX series follows the corrupt police officers who make up an experimental division of the Los Angeles Police Department that works to reduce gang-related crime by using criminal methods themselves. The Shield cast includes Goggins as Detective Shane Vendrell alongside Michael Chiklis, Catherine Dent, Reed Diamond, Michael Jace, Kenny Johnson, Jay Karnes, Benito Martinez, CCH Pounder, Glenn Close, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, David Rees Snell, Paula Garcés, and David Marciano.

In a GQ video in which he broke down his most iconic characters, Goggins recalled why The Shield almost didn’t air after the September 11 attacks, saying “it was sacrilegious to even contemplate” telling such a story. Watch the portion of the video below:

Goggins recalled how The Shield was in a precarious position after 9/11 due to its portrayal of police officers in a negative light, which faced increased scrutiny due to the heroism displayed by police during the attacks. However, despite this sensitivity, FX decided to proceed with the project. Read his full comments below:

When it was all said and done, we were all became very, very close, and that was it, you know. We waited, and two months later, 9/11 happened, America changed, the world changed. And we’re sitting on this powder keg of visual experience that vilifies police officers, at a time when police officers were running up those stairs to save people at 9/11. It was sacrilegious to even contemplate telling a story like this. And the decision had to be made sometime in December, I think, by the higher-ups at FX, and they decided that, yes, this is the time.

Inside FX’s Decision To Air The Shield After 9/11

& How Training Day Played a Crucial Role

In the early 2000s, FX was looking to launch its first drama series to establish the network’s tone, inspired by the success of The Sopranos on HBO. FX’s president at the time wanted a show featuring an antihero, but felt the cop genre was overdone. In turn, he was highly impressed with creator Shawn Ryan’s scripts, which portrayed police officers as corrupt and focused on moral ambiguity. The Shield was greenlit in mid-2001, but shortly after, the 9/11 attacks occurred and raised concerns about the show’s appropriateness, fearing the negative portrayal of police offers would not be well-received.

However, this all changed after Training Day in October 2001. Released shortly after 9/11, the film depicted Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke as corrupt cops and was well-received by critics and audiences, grossing over $104 million at the box office. FX was reassured by the success of Training Day and allowed The Shield to proceed. The pilot premiered in March 2002 to rave reviews, received record-breaking ratings for a basic cable drama, and went on to become one of the greatest television series of all time.

Despite some concerns about sensitivity, The Shield made the right decision to air after 9/11. The show offered a gritty, realistic depiction of law enforcement that resonated with audiences seeking complex, morally ambiguous narratives, which wasn’t meant to conflict with the simultaneous reality that many police officers in New York City were heroes on 9/11. The Shield presents a morally complex view of law enforcement, and audiences were able to accept both ideas at the same time.

Source: GQ