Kurt Sutter Weighs in on ‘The Shield’ Spinoff Possibilities

While Kurt Sutter has been busy fielding questions about his beloved biker drama Sons of Anarchy, he’s also touched on another TV series he was a part of, the hard-nosed cop procedural The Shield. On Instagram, one of Sutter’s fans asked about the chances of a Shield spinoff being “feasible.”

“That’s a question for the genius behind The Shield, Shawn Ryan,” Sutter wrote. Though he also started offering up some suggestions himself. “What are you thinking? Vic is running a bar called Friends & Venomies where every night before closing, he bites the head off a rattlesnake?”

Like Sons of Anarchy, The Shield ran of FX for seven seasons, though it premiered in 2002 and concluded its run back in 2008. As Sutter mentioned, it was created by Shawn Ryan, who have Sutter his start as a staff writer in the first season, and was eventually promoted to executive producer for the final two seasons. Sons of Anarchy premiered the same year that The Shield’s finale aired, and Sutter credited his time on the cop drama for helping him develop a series of his own.

“My experience really was limited, in that, I had only written for table,” Sutter told Variety about his time developing SoA. “I hadn’t really done anything, nor have I really ever done anything, that was broadcast television. I was used to the creative landscape of that medium, and obviously working with FX.”

Sutter, who was fired back in October from the SoA sequel series, Mayans M.C., had previously shared some disappointing news about his long-talked-about prequel, The First Nine. Unfortunately, the proposed limited series, which would explore the lives of the motorcycle club’s founding members in the wake of their service in Vietnam, is unlikely to happen.

“At this time, the prospects are not looking great,” Sutter admitted during a social media Q-and-A on April 1. “I don’t own the Sons of Anarchy IP, Fox/Disney does.” While the prospects seem grim, the showrunner was quick to add that he’s a believer in “never say never.”

Sutter also revealed that he has written a pilot for a new series, though he was extremely light on the details. “It’s in limbo now because of the obvious shift in priorities,” he explained, referencing the numerous productions currently shut down due to the pandemic. I can’t really divulge much, [but] it’s an anthology and it’s driven by music.” In the meantime, all seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy, as well as the first two seasons of Mayans M.C., can be streamed on Hulu.