The Shield: A Spin-off for the FX Series?

Though it’s not scheduled to happen for quite awhile, devoted fans of The Shield are having a hard time dealing with the notion that the Michael Chiklis series will be ending. As mentioned here back in June, Vic Mackey and company are scheduled to leave the airwaves after 88 episodes in 2008. Well, maybe not all of the cast are leaving…

Jay Karnes, who plays the moral yet troubled Detective Holland “Dutch” Wagenbach on The Shield, has said that a spin-off for his character has been discussed. Jay told the News Sentinel’s Terry Morrow, “Scott Rosenbaum, one of our writer/producers, actually wants to do it. I don’t know (if I want to do it). I guess if they throw enough money at me. It’s a little on the nose. It’s kind of Beverly Hills Buntz for The Shield. That’s why I find it amusing. I’m not sure it would be something that America would tune in for.” Jay didn’t mention if any other Shield characters (like Dutch’s friend and partner Claudette Wyms, played by CCH Pounder) had also been considered.

Though it seems like a longshot at best, stranger things have happened in the world of television. Who would have guessed Ed Asner’s Mary Tyler Moore Show character could make the transition from the sitcom world to the dramatic series Lou Grant? Could a character from the extreme Shield series go the other way? Stay tuned!