The Shield Episode Ratings Heatmap
2002 · 7 Seasons · 88 Episodes · Overall Score: 8.5/10 (88 rated)
Season 7 holds the highest collective average score across the series.
Season 7 Details →Lowest score variance (σ = 0.27), maintaining an average of 8.8.
Complete Episode Rating Matrix
Interactive score chart by season and episode number. Darker green indicates higher ratings; amber and red denote lower reception.
| Episode | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 | Season 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ep 1 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.8 |
| Ep 2 | 7.9 | 8.8 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 8.7 | 8.9 | 8.3 |
| Ep 3 | 7.4 | 8.4 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 7.6 | 8.6 | 8.5 |
| Ep 4 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 8.6 |
| Ep 5 | 7.3 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.2 |
| Ep 6 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 9.2 | 8.9 |
| Ep 7 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.6 |
| Ep 8 | 8.0 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 9.1 |
| Ep 9 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 9.1 |
| Ep 10 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Ep 11 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 9.4 | – | 8.8 |
| Ep 12 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.7 | – | – | 9.5 |
| Ep 13 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 8.6 | – | – | 9.6 |
| Ep 14 | – | – | 8.9 | – | – | – | – |
| Ep 15 | – | – | 8.9 | – | – | – | – |
| Season Avg | 8.0 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.9 |
Ratings Analysis & Trajectory
Across 7 seasons and 88 episodes, The Shield has earned an overall series rating of 8.5 out of 10. The series demonstrates an upward quality trajectory, with later seasons sustaining higher viewer acclaim than its debut.
The single highest-rated hour of television in the series is Season 7, Episode 13 ("Family Meeting"), rated at an extraordinary 9.6/10 with 21 ratings. Conversely, the lowest-rated installment is Season 1, Episode 5 ("Blowback"), landing at 7.3/10.
The most precipitous single-episode shift occurred in Season 5 between Episode 2 ("Enemy of Good", 8.7) and Episode 3 ("Jailbait", 7.6), a swing of 1.1 points.
Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes of The Shield
| Rank | Episode | Title | Score | Votes | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Season 7, Ep 13 | Family Meeting | 9.6 | 21 | Nov 25, 2008 |
| #2 | Season 7, Ep 12 | Possible Kill Screen | 9.5 | 17 | Nov 18, 2008 |
| #3 | Season 5, Ep 11 | Postpartum | 9.4 | 16 | Mar 21, 2006 |
| #4 | Season 6, Ep 6 | Chasing Ghosts | 9.2 | 16 | May 8, 2007 |
| #5 | Season 5, Ep 8 | Kavanaugh | 9.2 | 14 | Feb 28, 2006 |
| #6 | Season 7, Ep 8 | Parricide | 9.1 | 15 | Oct 21, 2008 |
| #7 | Season 7, Ep 9 | Moving Day | 9.1 | 14 | Oct 28, 2008 |
| #8 | Season 7, Ep 10 | Party Line | 9.0 | 14 | Nov 4, 2008 |
| #9 | Season 6, Ep 10 | Spanish Practices | 9.0 | 13 | Jun 5, 2007 |
| #10 | Season 3, Ep 15 | On Tilt | 8.9 | 16 | Jun 15, 2004 |