10. Danny Sofer

A lot like Julien Lowe, who we’ll get to, I’m so split on Danny Sofer. In moments like her comforting Julien for being gay and helping Vic out, she’s great. Then there’s moments like her getting pissed at Julien for blanket partying the prostitute that bit her and you kind of hate Danny as a character. Overall, she’s a net positive to the show, but her annoying moments are truly annoying beyond belief. One’s that rival Skyler White.

9. Tomas Motyashik

Tomas Motyashik is an interesting character. Does he move the needle plot wise? Not really. But it is fun to watch him be so persistent in his pursuit of getting Julien to come out of the closet. It’s one of the more interesting subplots of the entire season because his entrance to the show sends Julien down the rabbit hole of suicidal thoughts and inner demons. So I guess I like what Tomas made happen in season one more than what he actually was as a character.

8. Ronnie Gardocki

Throughout season one, we see Vic’s Strike Team guys, Curtis and Shane, show signs of either immaturity or a lack of tact. The fourth guy, Ronnie, while ancillary, shuts up and falls perfectly in line. He got slapped by Connie while watching her detox, was a goofball while running the mugger sting and all in all is a glue guy for the Strike Team. His screen time isn’t much, but Vic is always able to turn to him when he needs someone to be levelheaded unlike Curtis and Shane.

7. Julien Lowe

Julien Lowe, the rookie of the show, plays an integral part in the plot, especially when it comes to taking Vic Mackey down. All though the move to report Vic and the rest of the Strike Team was irritating, it did make for an awesome subplot. He also has one of the most powerful moments of the whole season when he forgets to wear his bulletproof vest and taunts a suspect into trying to get him to shoot him. His dynamic with Danny, especially in the 9-1-1 cop killer episode is great, even when they’re at each others throats.

6. T.O. Desmond

Despite only being in season one of The Shield, T.O. is a character that I rocked with right from the jump. He understood the importance of business and prioritized the business of drug dealing. T.O. wanted Rondell Robinson off the streets due to him using and becoming unstable. That along with him helping out on the 9-1-1 cop killer case made him one of my favorite characters of season one. What hurts is that as I’m writing this, I’m watching him get burned to death in season two. While he wasn’t in the show long, he made an impact.

5. Curtis Lemansky

Ronnie Gardocki is the level-headed member of the Strike Team. Curtis Lemansky is the brute with a good heart. He cares about the chickens in the cock fighting episode and does show genuine compassion towards Tigre, even if he was trying to get in her pants. That entire episode for a matter of fact is why I like Curtis so much. He pulls up to the Los Mags building ready to swing on whoever and it’s sick. Ronnie the glue guy. Curtis is more of the gentle, yet brute guy the Strike Team needs.

4. Claudette Wyms

If there were ratings in The Shield, Claudette Wyms would be a 90 overall in season one. She’s a good detective, manages the ego of Dutch and is a solid mentor towards Julien and Dutch, both in different ways. She really doesn’t do anything wrong in the first season and moves the needle big time in the shows first season. Her best moment, in my opinion, came when Dutch was solving the serial killer case. While Dutch was the focal point, Claudette grounded him. She gave him different cases to clear his mind and was along with him the entire time.

3. Dutch Wagenbach

Dutch is a great character. He’s also a character that can’t be entrusted alone. He’s super smart, but that big brain and psychoanalyzing knowledge doesn’t always work in his favor. On top of that, he can be smug, but I like that. Dutch isn’t afraid to go back at Vic or Shane or any of the Strike Team for that matter, even if that means he doesn’t get the better of them. With so much testosterone running through the Barn with the Strike Team and Acevedo, it’s good to have a character to balance that out like Dutch, who is more of a brainiac.

2. Shane Vendrell

We’ve figured out that Ronnie is the glue guy and Curtis is the gentle brute, but one thing is missing. The wildcard. That’s where Shane Vendrell comes into play. He’s the most loyal of anyone on the Strike Team to Vic as he saw Vic kill Terry and is his partner in crime in protecting Rondell, but there are so many instances where Shane crosses the line. Whether he’s pissing on a suspected perp or screwing a stripper in the interrogation room, he’s a liability. And even with this personality type, he’s an unbelievable character due to his charismatic nature.

1. Vic Mackey

Putting anyone else at number one would feel plain wrong. It’s wild to me that Vic Mackey isn’t talked about in the realm of characters like Don Draper or Daryl Dixon. Not on the level of Tony Soprano or Walter White, but in that B tier directly below them. Mackey is the brute ring leader of the Strike Team, but it’s not all brawn behind his badge. His tactful nature makes him impossible to get got by Acevedo, activists and other cops. That’s why Vic Mackey is Vic Mackey.