Cancelled by NBC while the series was filming its second season, fans of Southland rejoice; the series has been given new life. Picked up by TNT, the network will re-air the initial seven episodes, plus six new ones. As an added bonus, TNT will air the pilot commercial free, with six additional minutes never broadcast—as industry insiders like to say, the way creators meant it to be seen.
Created by relative newcomer Ann Biderman (though she did win an Emmy for writing an episode of NYPD Blue), the imprint of veteran executive Producer John Wells is unmistakable. An episode of Southland is reminiscent of two of his more popular series, E.R. and Third Watch. The only difference being, the cops portrayed here do their own brand of triage all over the city of Los Angeles.
Fresh out of the Academy, LAPD officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) is out for a training day with experienced Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), who rags on him relentlessly about his 90210 pedigree. While Cooper has an old school, gruff exterior it soon becomes clear that there’s more to him then at first appears. They find themselves tracking down suspects in a gang related shooting, and the young rookie finds himself questioning whether he’s really cut out for police work.
Regina King (who is one of the most underrated actresses working today), plays Detective Lydia Adams, a recent transplant from the gang unit, her eyes are always open, observing everyone around her. In the pilot, she finds herself dealing with a disturbing case involving a missing child. When her shift ends (which it never seems to do), she goes home to care for her elderly mother. Detective Russell Clarke (Tom Everett Scott) is her partner, a sensitive guy described as “an unhappily married father of three.” The series also covers a gang task force, various street cops and the requisite bosses, with glimpses of their home lives which adds an additional layer of realism to the proceedings.
In the absence of great cop shows like The Wire, and The Shield Southland is the kind of show television needs. Dark, gritty, smart dialogue, solid acting, and on location shooting and the use if handheld cameras give the series a realistic look and feel that make it worth checking out.
Southland debuts tonight on TNT at 10PM ET/PT.
