No schmaltzy music, no music period

No, I ain't 1 of those 'get off my lawn' old farts. But I love realistic drama, and in real life, you don't hear a musical score as a detective sadly looks down on a dead kid or dramatic crescendo when cops are about to bust thru a door. The acting in Southland is fantastic, the set design perfect - it looks like cinema veritae thru camera obscura, we're right there as observers and can get lost in a scene, like when Cooper is staying there with a woman run over by a bus or when Sherman & Bryant enter a suspicious house clearing room by room. Nothing against the musicians who score tv shows, but 1 of the things that make a good drama stand out is getting sucked in feeling like you're right there, which this one does phenomenally - part of which is, no music distracting u, reminding u that you're watching a show. Why don't other dramas realize this? NYPD Blue was good, but many a scene well, not ruined but pulled back into the reality that you're watching a show, by the overwhelming music. The Wire was revolutionary in its realism, and the feeling that you're right there was part of its greatness. We need more shows not only with the great writing and acting like Southland, but also allow us to get sucked in, & feel like we're there. I have The Shield but ain't watched it yet - does it have this quality too, that feeling like you're there with the cops, the tension?