FX Renews Shield, Dishes Dirt

FX has picked up a seventh and final season of The Shield. Thirteen new hour-long episodes are scheduled for late 2007 or early 2008. The series’ sixth season, 10 episodes long, begins in early 2007.

Shield creator, executive producer and writer Shawn Ryan will continue in those roles for the last two seasons, which will bring the series’ episode total to 88.

The provocative show, FX’s first original drama, has been one of basic cable’s biggest hits since its debut in 2002, becoming ad-supported cable’s first series to win a Golden Globe for Best Drama.

FX also confirmed it had picked up 13 episodes of Dirt, a new original hour drama about a tabloid magazine and starring Courteney Cox.
The series was created by Matthew Carnahan and will be co-produced by FX, Touchstone Television and Coquette, Cox and husband David Arquette’s production company.