THE SHIELD SEASON FOUR PREMIERES TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 10 PM ET/PT

Award-Winning Actress Glenn Close Signed on for All 13 Episodes

Anthony Anderson Signed on for 10 Episodes

Los Angeles, January 11, 2005 � FX today announced that the fourth season of the award-winning hit drama series THE SHIELD will premiere on Tuesday, March 15th, at 10 PM ET/PT. Glenn Close, one of Hollywood�s most acclaimed actresses, has joined the cast in a special starring role for the entire season. This will be the first time in the actress� storied career she will play a regular on a primetime television series. Also joining the cast is Anthony Anderson (Barbershop), who has signed on for 10 episodes.

The show�s fourth season will continue where season three left off. When Captain Aceveda (Benito Martinez) moves on to his new City Council position, Captain Monica Rawling (Close) takes over the Barn and empowers Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) to implement her controversial anti-gang policies. Things also get complicated when Antwon Mitchell (Anderson) moves back into town. Antwon is a former gang drug distributor who is back in Farmington in his new role as community leader. He is preaching a positive message to the gangs � one of self-reliance, peace and unity. However, Mackey and Captain Rawling are convinced that Antwon�s rehabilitation is a ruse. Vic even suspects that his old partner Shane (Walton Goggins) is on Antwon�s payroll, but Antwon is too cagey and smart to give anything away.

THE SHIELD plays out in a tough morally ambiguous world in which the line between good and bad is crossed everyday. The rest of the top-notch cast will all return: CCH Pounder as �Det. Claudette Wyms�; Jay Karnes as �Det. Holland �Dutch� Wagenbach�; Catherine Dent as �Officer Danielle �Danny� Sofer�; Michael Jace as �Officer Julien Lowe�; Walton Goggins as �Det. Shane Vendrell�; and Kenneth Johnson as �Det. Curtis �Lemonhead� Lemansky.�

THE SHIELD was FX�s first ever original drama series. Coming out of the box in its first season in March of 2002, the intense police drama won the Golden Globe� Award for Best Drama and its star Michael Chiklis won the Emmy� and Golden Globe� awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series (all basic cable firsts). Chiklis was just recently nominated for his third consecutive Golden Globe�.

Since its premiere, THE SHIELD has been a top-five ranked program among basic cable scripted series in household ratings and total households, and is currently second to FX�s Nip/Tuck in delivery of Adults 18-49.

Creator Shawn Ryan and Scott Brazil are Executive Producers, with Glen Mazzara and Charles H. Eglee serving as Co-Executive Producers. THE SHIELD is produced by Fox Television Studios in association with Sony Pictures Television.

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 85 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of distinctive original series and movies, an established film library with box-office hits from 20th Century Fox and other major studios, an impressive roster of acquired hit series and NASCAR.