The 24th Hour: Cop Drama “Southland”

An article by WhoDey    No Comments

Editor’s Note: The 24th Hour is our place for non-sports related shenanigans.  Enjoy!

This past spring, NBC introduced a new cop drama called Southland.  It was only offered an initial run of 7 spring episodes, but boy did it impress.  While it wasn’t exactly a ratings bonanza, it found some measure of critical acclaim – and it deserved it.  It combined both a gritty, realistic feel with a number of flawed characters that the audience could easily relate to.  The stories of several different officers were interwoven perfectly – from detectives trying to balance a desire to do their job well with their personal lives, to one beat cop reluctantly sticking up for her alcoholic partner despite the bad situations it puts her in, to the rookie cop being taught hard but necessary lessons from a grizzled veteran.  The production work was also fantastic – lots of hand held camera work and close up shots helped further the dark and real feel of the show.

Initial reports were NBC had liked the reaction to the show enough to bring it back for a second partial season this fall.  In fact, six episodes for a second season have already been produced.  However, when NBC decided to bring back Leno, this time at 10pm, Southland found itself without a time slot.  It’s easy to see why NBC wanted Leno – sure, the show may stink and the ratings may be mediocre, but it’s cheap!  The network initially contemplated moving Southland to 9pm, but there were concerns over the level of violence and adult themes in the show possibly being shown to a younger audience.  So, the decision was made (at a late juncture) to axe the show.

Good news!  According to this LA Times article, TNT will likely purchase at least the 6 episodes already produced.  It’s unlikely the show will be seen until the Spring, and it’s probably equally unlikely that TNT would create any new episodes, but we may have at least seen a delay in the death of the show.  TV needs more shows like Southland that don’t quite follow the formulaic approach that has dominated cop dramas since the the end of NYPD Blue.