Michael Chiklis says fans of ‘The Shield’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ will like his new show, ‘Coyote’

(NEW YORK) — Michael Chiklis won an Emmy for his portrayal of bruising dirty detective Vic Mackey in FX’s groundbreaking drama The Shield, which ran for seven seasons through 2008.  Now the actor is back on the beat with CBS All Access’ new drama, Coyote.

Chiklis plays Ben Clemens, a retired U.S. Border Patrol agent who is forced to work for the very people he spent his career trying to keep out of this country. A drug lord takes Clemens’ family and forces the former lawman to smuggle the villain’s pregnant girlfriend across the border.

Chiklis, who’s also an executive producer of the series, tells ABC Audio, “What’s thrilling about this is there’s crossover for sure, people who are fans of The Shield will be fans of this show and fans of Breaking Bad will be, too, because my old dear friend [director] Michelle MacLaren, who shot more episodes of that show than anybody, is my executive producer partner in this.”

He adds, “even though there’s shades of those shows, it’s completely distinct and it’s its own thing. So that’s excellent.”

Chiklis explains further of his character, “He’s absolutely not Vic Mackey, this guy that I’m playing, but the tone and tenor and the authenticity of it and the grit of it is is absolutely there, but obviously dealing with a whole other world and set of circumstances and viewpoints.”

He adds, “We’re really excited about this one.”  

All six episodes of Coyote are now available for streaming on CBS All Access.

By Stephen Iervolino
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