Whitaker Joins 'The Shield'

A perfect addition to an amazing show.

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Monday, September 26th 2005 at 5:45 PM

While I still have not seen season four of "The Shield" due to my stubborn nature of having to wait until it hits DVD I have not had the chance to check out the highly acclaimed performances of Anthony Anderson or Glenn Close, and now it seems like in a year I will have yet another new character to anticipate as The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Forest Whitaker will be joining the cast of the FX cop drama.

With the fifth season set to debut in January, Whitaker will play Detective Jon Kavanaugh, an ambitious newcomer to the Los Angeles Police Department's Internal Affairs division who is tasked with investigating rogue cop Mackey, played by series star Michael Chiklis, and the strike force he leads.

Show creator Shawn Ryan told THR, "He's going to be a great foil for the guys on our show… Forest has always impressed me with his range. He's got an incredible sweetness and soulfulness but also strength. It's a rare combination for an actor and that appealed to me with this character."

The cool thing about these shows on FX is with the limited number of episodes per season they can snag top name stars since the shooting schedule is not the same as the 24-27 episode seasons of most network dramas. Whitaker's addition to the cast should be well worth the watch, I can't wait.