Scott Brazil died on Monday at the age of 50 from complications relating to Lou Gehrig's disease and lyme disease. I didn't know him (never even met him), so I can only speak about his loss from a creative standpoint, which is significant. Scott Brazil wasn't a huge name, but he was a driving force behind one of television's best shows, The Shield.
Although The Shield is known as the brainchild of Shawn Ryan—who is primarily responsible for the complex story arcs and emphasis on deep characters—Brazil was the one who kept it all moving over the past five seasons as executive producer and showrunner. He directed 11 episodes, including brilliant season finales "Circles," "Dominoes Falling" and "On Tilt," and played an invaluable role in shaping the look and feel that continues to make the show so distinctive. He was spoke of with great esteem and affection by both Ryan and Michael Chiklis when I was fortunate enough to interview each of them (and please check out this fine memorial by TV writer Alan Sepinwall which includes a remembrance from Ryan and a very eloquent response to the post).
It's painful to know that Brazil won't be there for the inevitably incredible ending to a rare show that keeps getting better with age. But his artistic legacy lives on.
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