I couldn't find a thread for this. If there's a thread, please delete or merge.

The series premier was last night.
I liked the show. I'll watch it again next week.

That one guy kept on getting bad feedback from his coworkers.

http://www.nbc.com/southland/

I was wonderring where the thread was. I guess few watched it? I have it on my DVR and will watch sometime over the weekend

Great show... I will watch even if I have to drop others from the DVR

Great show... I will watch even if I have to drop others from the DVR

Glad to hear it was good. I here you on the DVR thing I wish D* would come out with a 3 or 4 tuner box.

Recorded, haven't watched yet.

I was looking at the ratings for Southland in fredfa's "Latest TV News" thread and Southland performed very well in its debut. It retained its audience throughout the night, and didn't have an audience drop off. So I guess viewers enjoyed the show as well.

Good news.

I was wonderring where the thread was. I guess few watched it? I have it on my DVR and will watch sometime over the weekend

Same here

Recorded, haven't watched yet.

Great DVR ratings ;)

Really liked it and it's got that "Colors" vibe going on. If you like the movie Colors I suggest at least recording an episode and giving it a look. It's already set up for season pass on my dvr.

Decent show. Very weak time slot. Unfortunately, it's a slot where I usually sit down at night and do some work before going to sleep.

The show got better as it went along. Had a couple solid moments (the shooting and when the main character was talking to the teenage girl in the hospital).

I'm not crazy about the editing style. A little too short attention span at times.

Not bad overall. Could be very good once they home in on the better parts of the show.

Very weak time slot. Unfortunately, it's a slot where I usually sit down at night and do some work before going to sleep.Obviously, assuming the show lasts, that will change in the fall season as there won't be a 10pm time slot on NBC anymore.

The show got better as it went along. Had a couple solid moments (the shooting and when the main character was talking to the teenage girl in the hospital).I agree, both of those scenes were quite good.

I'm not crazy about the editing style. A little too short attention span at times.I'm guessing we'll either get used to it or it will get into a groove as you mention below.

Not bad overall. Could be very good once they home in on the better parts of the show.

Also, I always thought Ben McKenzie didn't quite fit the role he played on The OC, but so far I like him in the role in Southland.

Watched it last night. They jumped from scene to scene a little quickly, but overall I liked the show.

I loved this show its about time someone made a show about street cops in the black and white units because i was getting tired of detective shows like law&order. this was adam 12 for the 21st century! I wish it was on every night!! NBC is showing the pilot again saturday night!.

Watched it last night. Not too bad but the camera work was so bad at times (probably intentional) that I felt like puking at times! I hate all this excessive shaking, in too close, rapid panning and zooming that is so prolific nowadays.

It's from the same producers as ER, & the shooting style looks similar. The dialogue was a little fast. I found myself rewinding several times to make sure I got everything that was said.

Good show, though. I have a friend who's LAPD. When he was first interested in the career, he went on a ridealong in a black & white. He said it was so interesting that 12 hours flew by like nothing. I felt the same way watching the pilot. Hope they keep it up.

The song at the end was pretty cool. Did anyone else notice that the Training Officer was at a gay bar in the end?

A pretty good show...has promise but I'm surprised at one thing. It seems they don't have a very sharp technical consultant making the show more accurate. There were four or five glaring errors that would never happen in a real situation. Like escorting a suspect back into a crime scene with just one cop around. Many such errors that make it less appealing to someone familiar with law enforcement procedure.

Has anyone read anything about the production on this show? IMDB has a credit for a Red Camera tech, so I assume they were shooting on a Red One. I thought there were a number of scenes that had pretty conspicuous HD video production. It was interesting to see that on a primetime drama as most are either done on film or processed to resemble film. It ended up having a really raw, Michael Mann feel to it that I thought was a pretty interesting style choice.

The song at the end was pretty cool. Did anyone else notice that the Training Officer was at a gay bar in the end?

Yep, the guy talking about getting arrested was the guy the other cops had in the backseat earlier in the show.

I thought it was just ok and will give it a couple of more weeks not sure what I was expecting but to me they just kept switching around to different story lines a little to fast for me.

So far so good for me. I'll stick around.

Watched it last night. They jumped from scene to scene a little quickly, but overall I liked the show.


Reminded me of the 'Shield' type of filming

Fast pace, Lot going on..

I enjoyed this as a return to a police squad style show that's been missing from network for a long time.

What I didn't love was the idiotic bleeping of words. I would assume they did it to give you the impression that it's filmed by a documentary crew but I just thought it was stupid. The show production is too glossy to be a convincing fake documentary so bleeping words detracted from the drama.

What I didn't love was the idiotic bleeping of words. I would assume they did it to give you the impression that it's filmed by a documentary crew but I just thought it was stupid. The show production is too glossy to be a convincing fake documentary so bleeping words detracted from the drama.I can see what you're saying. I thought though that the "bleeping" was good, in that it allowed them to make the show more realistic, using language that would realistically happen. Bleeping the words is as close as they could get to actually saying the words on network TV. I mean, "Gosh darn it" doesn't sound very real to me...

Has anyone read anything about the production on this show? IMDB has a credit for a Red Camera tech, so I assume they were shooting on a Red One. I thought there were a number of scenes that had pretty conspicuous HD video production. It was interesting to see that on a primetime drama as most are either done on film or processed to resemble film. It ended up having a really raw, Michael Mann feel to it that I thought was a pretty interesting style choice.
Only read, perhaps at Reduser.net, that they'd use Red digital-cinema cameras as they did for E.R.'s final 7 episodes. E.R.'s final shows seemed to have a flat look, but it didn't seem as bad for Southland here.

Also curious to learn if they're shooting at ~4k with the Reds, then downconverting to 1080/24p. That could provide a big boost, resolution-wise, as discussed in the current thread about "400 Years of the Telescope." (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1137633), where its producer mentions they did down-scale from ~4k to 1080p.

Southland, being fictional, of course requires camera diffusion filters and lots of selective focusing to blur the backgrounds and save viewers from too much distracting fine detail. Also brings to mind a just-cited comment (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16262964#post16262964) about diffusion filters from a noted cinematographer. -- John

A pretty good show...has promise but I'm surprised at one thing. It seems they don't have a very sharp technical consultant making the show more accurate. There were four or five glaring errors that would never happen in a real situation. Like escorting a suspect back into a crime scene with just one cop around. Many such errors that make it less appealing to someone familiar with law enforcement procedure.
That scene bothered me, too.

However, I really enjoyed the show overall. I'll think I'll keep doing so as long as it stays as good as it was in the premiere.

I can see what you're saying. I thought though that the "bleeping" was good, in that it allowed them to make the show more realistic, using language that would realistically happen. Bleeping the words is as close as they could get to actually saying the words on network TV. I mean, "Gosh darn it" doesn't sound very real to me...

It was never a problem for Boomtown, NYPD Blue or Homicide. They were all gritty police dramas and got around the language issue without needing to bleep stuff for no reason.

Either swear or don't. Either go the whole way with a documentary feel or don't. Shooting as a drama and editing the language doesn't work. It just pulls you out of the scene.

They bleeped words on The Middleman and it was hilarious, because they knew it was out of context.

Its an incentive to buy the DVD someday so you can hear them swear.

Isn't the opening music the same as from the film Primal Fear?

The first half of the episode was good, the second half, not so much. Better then the "Unusuals" but still needs to grow on me.

Ben Sherman, Lydia Adams, and Sammy Bryant are my favorite officers.
It seems that Lydia has a big heart for the general public and goes out of her way to help them. Sammy is nice since he always try's to help that teenage black girl. It's a shame her house got shot up :(
I liked the episode.

I had setup a season pass on my TiVo for Southland but the premier got preempted locally because of bad fires and property damage all the local stations were covering that night. I watched about half of the second episode last night and found it interesting enough to go back and watch the first episode on NBC's on demand site earlier today. I thought it was terrific and showed a lot of promise for the series. The dynamic between the young rookie cop and his sometimes mean but usually competent partner-trainer is very interesting. The scene that indicated the senior cop is probably gay was also an intriguing twist.

I have not yet finished the second episode but hope to do so soon. The part I have seen is not nearly as compelling as the first episode but has been all right, nonetheless.

I've watched both episodes and the show is pretty good. It will be interesting to see how the show unfolds and the characters develop (and there's plenty of them :) ).

larry

Enjoyed the show, but will take a few weeks to figure out 'who's on first' amongst all the characters.

Enjoyed the show, but will take a few weeks to figure out 'who's on first' amongst all the characters.
I agree. I watched the first episode online because it had been preempted locally, although I had already watched half of the second episode, I was so intrigued by the first show that I watched the second episode from the beginning and really enjoyed it. There are a lot of characters and a lot of threads in the series, so it's going to take awhile to figure out who are the players and what are their motivations.

Great episode last night. Sammy and Lydia did not have a lot of roles in last nights episode.
It was nice for the 2 leads (Ben & Michael) to open up and share their background information.
Edit: The whole Tom Sizemore and his buddy cop was wild.

Fast-paced with good writing, acting, editing in this episode. Looks like a worthy series successor to E.R.--even though it's yet another crime drama. Assuming they are using the smaller RED digital-cinema cameras, they seem to be exploiting their portability without too much image jiggling for the frequent on-the-go shots.

Interesting role for Tom Sizemore, which suggested his off-set trouble (http://www.river947.com/movies/data/actor/66053.html) while he starred in the 2002 series, "Robbery Homicide Division," on CBS, re-aired on HDNet.-- John

It was nice to see Sizemore in this episode, but I'm became less interested in this series after the episode. If the show pattern continues in the next episode or two, bye bye for me. If it does actually turn into something good, there's always discs and NF watch instantly down the road.

larry

It was nice to see Sizemore in this episode, but I'm became less interested in this series after the episode. If the show pattern continues in the next episode or two, bye bye for me. If it does actually turn into something good, there's always discs and NF watch instantly down the road.
I too enjoyed Sizemore in this week's show. He is a guy you love to hate and his character in Southland was certainly that. I continue to enjoy the rest of the show, too. I like the developing chemistry between the rich boy rookie and his trainer and howled at the way they got pictures of the out of control Billy Dewey in flagrante delicto. Billy is another guy who it's easy to hate.

Great episode last night. Sammy and Lydia did not have a lot of roles in last nights episode.
It was nice for the 2 leads (Ben & Michael) to open up and share their background information.
Edit: The whole Tom Sizemore and his buddy cop was wild.

Good episode :cool:

The show is like a modern-day (and grittier) version of Adam-12, with the seasoned cop bringing up the rookie (I've been enjoying the latter show on Retro Television Network); it'd be great to see Officers Malloy and Reed in their later days is some kind of cameo roll; it was their beat, after all.

This week's episode seemed to employ more (unwelcome) on-the-go camera jiggling than the previous one. Recall lots of discussion here about this cinema verite technique when it was often used in Robbery Homicide Division on CBS (starring Tom Sizemore) with digital taping. Imdb.com credits two directors, and perhaps different camera folks, so that might account for the differences. Then again, maybe the images just need more immediate back-to-back comparison for accuracy. If a Steadicam won't fix it, maybe they'll try, besides their Red One digital-cinema cameras, some of the temporal oversampling/downconversion experiments conducted by the BBC (http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP169.pdf); that is ~300 fps capture with conversion to various normal viewing frame rates--not slo-mo effects. -- John

The show was weak last night; I missed the two main cops. It seems as if the show has too many "main" characters, enough for two or three separate shows. I say just stick primarily to the two main cops. Too many episodes like last night and I might have to bail. If ABC moves The Unusuals to Thursday night at 10:00, I would go with The Unusuals, without a question.

I am losing faith in Southland. Tammi, one of the detective's dizzy wife, is far more wearing than she is funny. Similarly, Detective Lydia Adams, who I think we are supposed to admire for her hardheaded conscientiousness, strikes me as a self righteous malcontent. Sorry but there it is.

I am having at least as big a problem with the story lines as I am with some of the characters. The whole thing has been far too soapy for my tastes. I'll give Southland another episode or two but this week's attempt was weak, indeed. Speaking of The Unusuals, Southland is not in the same world with it. I just wish that it could come somewhere close to The Unusuals but it certainly isn't happening yet..

Did they run the wrong set of promos last week? I was expecting the show they promo'd (again) for next week?

The show was weak last night.

Agree

My interest is waning.

larry

^^^ Maybe this will help rekindle the love. From Fredfa's "Hot Off The Press" thread at the top of the 'HDTV Programming' page:

TV Notes
NBC picks up 'Southland'
Network orders 13 episodes of cop drama
By Cynthia Littleton, Variety - May 2nd, 2009

Looks like the cops on "Southland" will be back on the beat in the fall. Word is that NBC has picked up the Warner Bros. TV/John Wells Prods. drama for 13 episodes, probably for a fall slot.

NBC execs are hunkered down in New York this weekend making fall pickup decisions in advance of Monday's "Infront" programming presentation to advertisers in Gotham.

The ensembler "Southland" has delivered solid numbers to NBC in the Thursday 10 p.m. time slot since its debut April 9, and the show has been warmly received by critics. Hard-boiled cop drama will presumably slide to a 9 p.m. berth in the fall, as NBC plans to strip "The Jay Leno Show" Monday-Friday at 10 p.m. hour.

Reps for NBC and Warner Bros. TV could not immediately be reached for comment late Friday.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003122.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

I really like this show. I thought the last episode was good. It didn't show the rookie or his FTO but it let us know more about the other characters. I'm a cop and find this show pretty realistic. For the guy that complaned about how police procedure wasn't being followed, happens everyday.

Wow, next week is already the season finale? That sucks, too short of a season.
I was surprised when Lydia Adams was in bed with that guy. She was always so careful about getting hurt in relationships. In the end of the episode, he let her down. Maybe they will patch it up in the season finale?

Sammy's wife is crazy. ha
He's always on the phone "yapping" to her.

NBC announced that "Southland" will air Fridays at 9:00 ET next fall.

Bump.
Friendly reminder: Season Finale is on tonight at 9:00 PM CST.

Good episode; nice cliff-hanger, and big news on the veteran cop being gay (will writers never tire of using this hackneyed plot device; hell, Grey's has used it how many times now?).

The training officer was shown to be gay at the end of the first episode when he was in a gay bar.

Hopefully Russ the detective will survive. He's a good character.

Wish they'd figure out how to use their Red One digital-cinema cameras better. The opening scene (body on hilltop), and others, seemed drained of color. Might have been over-adjusted during post production before the master tape. Don't expect CSI:Miami oversaturated color, but their current washed-out extreme is bypassing the advantages of HD. The jumpy-camera technique got progressively worse until a squad-room scene where it became frantic and distracting, jerking to each speaker in a group. -- John

Great episode. The whole ending and the home invasion was good. Lynda carrying a shotgun was hot :p

The training officer was shown to be gay at the end of the first episode when he was in a gay bar.

Hopefully Russ the detective will survive. He's a good character.

Ah, must have missed that.

Lydia may may be the toughest cop of the Southland bunch. Once Janila moved into Lydia's house I figured that some of the gang bangers would pay with their lives if they took her on. Sure enough. . . . I continue to be turned off by every scene that involves Sammy Bryant's wife. She is weak, self involved, and about as charming as a train wreck. Maybe they will write her out. If they do, sooner will be better.

Southland has turned out to be very good. I particularly enjoyed the closing scenes with the vocal background, Willie Nelson, I think. I'm glad the show is coming back.

Good season finale. Has a chance to be a really good show, however the move to Friday nights come the fall could kill this.

Like others I can't yet keep the characters straight. Who got shot at the end?:confused:

Like others I can't yet keep the characters straight. Who got shot at the end?:confused:
That was Detective Russell Clark, played by Tom Everett Scott. Clark is one of the detectives in the squad. When you add in wives, friends, and significant others to all the cops, it really does take a scorecard to keep track of all the characters. Anyway, I continue to enjoy the show, even if I can't always figure out who is whom.:)

Had this show on just because it came on after the Giants game on NBC affiliate, when I heard a swear word beeped out. Huh? Southland is not a movie; it's a made-for-tv show just like CSI Miami. So hopefully this is not a trend where will hear "tough talking" detectives bleeping throughout shows. Leno used to just delete swear words, but in recent years it beeped them out, even purposely inserting beeps into skits for "comic effect"; that is, not to cover up a swear word, just to insert the beep for a pretend swear word (in essece, the beep becomes a swear word). I guess just a matter of time until they do it in prime time dramas or even comedies.

Threads merged

Had this show on just because it came on after the Giants game on NBC affiliate, when I heard a swear word beeped out. Huh? Southland is not a movie; it's a made-for-tv show just like CSI Miami. So hopefully this is not a trend where will hear "tough talking" detectives bleeping throughout shows. Leno used to just delete swear words, but in recent years it beeped them out, even purposely inserting beeps into skits for "comic effect"; that is, not to cover up a swear word, just to insert the beep for a pretend swear word (in essece, the beep becomes a swear word). I guess just a matter of time until they do it in prime time dramas or even comedies.

You have to understand that Southland is shown in a documentary style at times. So the bleeping of words is done for affect to make it seem more realistic. It has nothing to do with censoring the words. It's all about trying to make it appear like what you just saw could happen in real life.

You have to understand that Southland is shown in a documentary style at times. So the bleeping of words is done for affect to make it seem more realistic. It has nothing to do with censoring the words. It's all about trying to make it appear like what you just saw could happen in real life.

That is irritating. So are we going to have beeps for effect on CSI next year or other dramas yet to come? The next Seinfeld will have characters "beeping" for effect? Common on Leno now....beeeeeeep (laughs) beeeeep (laughs). Now we're going to have it on made-for-tv shows?

Irritating to you maybe, but I take it as a documentary (sort of like cops at times) being shown on TV. Gives it that gritty realism, that a regular show doesn't.

That is irritating. So are we going to have beeps for effect on CSI next year or other dramas yet to come?

The CSIs are not shot in that particular style so it wouldn't be done.

The CSIs are not shot in that particular style so it wouldn't be done.

So you like the f**kcing obsensenities on the show? I guess it does make it more f**kcing realistic. But I think it is is f**cking moronic. Actualy looks like it may be a good show, but I'll wait until it comes out in DVD so I don't have to hear the f**cking bleeps. More realistic and far less annoying.

Actually, it's not unprecedented. There were a few f**ck bleeps in Seinfleds' "The Bubble Boy" and about 20 f**cks in Seinfelds' "The Nonfat Yogurt", enough to wear a criticism was "The crudenss of the bleeps demeans the episodes's sharp wit". I hate it because it's irritating to my ears with the sound emminating from my stereo.

NBC cancels "Southland" after six episodes for Season 2 were already shot and ready to air; "Dateline NBC" will air at 9PM Fridays instead. "Hot Off The Press" thread had all the details in this stunning development (which explains why the show didn't premiere with the other NBC shows as originally announced): http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17322451#post17322451.

NBC cancels "Southland" after six episodes for Season 2 were already shot and ready to air; "Dateline NBC" will air at 9PM Fridays instead. "Hot Off The Press" thread had all the details in this stunning development (which explains why the show didn't premiere with the other NBC shows as originally announced): http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17322451#post17322451.



While "Southland" has enjoyed strong support among NBC brass, after screening the finished episodes from the upcoming second season, the show's content was deemed too dark and gritty for broadcast TV, especially for 9 p.m.

Unf**in'believable!!! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: First My Name is Earl and now this!

This show is better than almost anything on this sorry excuse for a network and they chop it? Crazy. The only things I'll still watch on NBC are 30 Rock, Heroes and CHuck and we all know that two of those won't be here next season. BTW, Trauma and Mercy especially have been horrible! AWFUL NEWS!

NBC cancels "Southland" after six episodes for Season 2 were already shot and ready to air; "Dateline NBC" will air at 9PM Fridays instead. "Hot Off The Press" thread had all the details in this stunning development (which explains why the show didn't premiere with the other NBC shows as originally announced): http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17322451#post17322451.

Damn, that's crazy. Bad move, it was a great show.

NBC has no clue how to run a network. It's hard to believe they are owned by the same GE I used to work for.

WTF NBC!

:rolleyes:

Southland, a cutting edge drama about real life on the streets of L.A., out. Jay Leno, a big-chinned, back-stabbing, George Lazenby of late-night television, getting trounced 5 times a week in the ratings, in. Yeah, great minds over there at NBC. NBC, 4th place going for 5th!

Zucker scores another one! When will someone run him off?!

Zucker scores another one! When will someone run him off?!

It all depends on whether this increases NBC's bottom line.

Quite surprised at this; I know I saw a new promo on NBC less than a week ago....

From thewrap.com, one of the actors talks about getting axed: http://www.thewrap.com/article/twitteverse-gets-nasty-over-southland-8461

I agree that based on the current primetime lineup, this makes no sense. :confused:

Hope, hope, HOPE that someone else picks it up!


***I just realized that this was on the 'Hot off the presses' sticky at the top as well. Worth repeating!

I liked the characters and their backgrounds on this show. The whole cast was very interesting and fun to follow. I can now see why so many people disprove of NBC. ( I still like the Jay Leno Show :p )

Sad to see the show go. It was real good.

http://insidetv.aol.com/2009/10/09/did-the-jay-leno-show-kill-southland/?icid=main|hp-desktop|dl2|link2|http%3A%2F%2Finsidetv.aol.com%2F2009%2F10% 2F09%2Fdid-the-jay-leno-show-kill-southland%2F

Sad to see the show go. It was real good.Yeah....Boomtown comes to mind.....

Yet another opportunity for an axed NBC show to flourish on another network? ABC isn't doing that well at 10P.

Is TNT about to rescue "Southland"? "Hot Off The Press" thread has the story: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17344018#post17344018. :)

I would have to believe that the show's budget, and most likely cast, would have to be cut for it to work for cable.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091019/tv_nm/us_southland

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Keep up the faith, "Southland" fans.

John Wells, executive producer of the recently canceled NBC drama, called actors on the show late last week to tell them he is in talks with two networks about the cop series finding a new home.

Wells reportedly didn't identify the networks, but TNT, corporate sibling of show producer Warner Bros. TV, has been interested in acquiring the series and is considered the most likely contender to pick it up.

Even if a deal is to be made to go to another network, there are indications that "Southland," whose production was shut down by NBC this month, won't resume filming anytime soon. The potential buyer would run the seven episodes from the first season and the six produced episodes from the second as a 13-episode freshman cycle.

TNT nearing deal for 'Southland,'

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=17430663&postcount=43730

It would be a good fit for TNT...I read someplace that they might put it on the same night as "The Closer". That would be OK by me!

As for NBC's stupidity...well, just look what they've done this season, so far. Is anyone really watching from 10-11pm, anyway? I watched the first night and was not impressed. Since then I've been watching other networks or other shows during that time. NBC will either have to see what it's doing to itself (doubtful) or will pay for their dumb programming decisions. I hope it's the latter. :(

DGK

As for NBC's stupidity...well, just look what they've done this season, so far. Is anyone really watching from 10-11pm, anyway? I watched the first night and was not impressed. Since then I've been watching other networks or other shows during that time. NBC will either have to see what it's doing to itself (doubtful) or will pay for their dumb programming decisions. I hope it's the latter. :(


Even with poor ratings, the Jay Leno Show makes NBC money due to the low cost to make the show. Unfortunately, Southland isn't a 8pm kind of show. Hopefully, it can get a second life with TNT enough to get a another season ordered.

Even with poor ratings, the Jay Leno Show makes NBC money due to the low cost to make the show. Unfortunately, Southland isn't a 8pm kind of show. Hopefully, it can get a second life with TNT enough to get a another season ordered.

As low as Leno's ratings are going, we might just get to see what NBCs limit is. Also, the affiliates are screaming that they get no lead in to the news.

I am just glad it looks like we can see the last few episodes of Southland. I am not as secure for more than thatm but we can always hope.

TNT Adds NBC's 'Southland'

Will Premiere Six Unseen Episodes

John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 11/2/2009 11:53:13 AM

TNT has picked up NBC's Southland, which was cancelled by the network before the launch of its second season.

The cable net will have rights to the seven episodes of the police drama that aired last season, and another six un-aired installments shot for this season.

Starting in January, the show will run on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on the cable channel, which is co-owned with Southland producer Warner Bros. Television.

"This is a great win for fans of Southland, and a perfect opportunity to introduce the series to new viewers," said Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin in announcing the pickup.

According to The New York Times, TNT will wait to see how the show performs before making a decision about whether to order new installments.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/367099-TNT_Adds_NBC_s_Southland_.php

Wow. Awesome. Thanks for the post.

woohooo! :cool:

Perfect! "Sons of Anarchy" airs in that same time slot on FX but will be done in December.

Great news!

As I mentioned in the Hot off the Press thread, I do wonder if they will push the envelope a little bit more, and also stop the bleeping of words if TNT decides to order new episodes. I always thought this show was made for TV MA. Of course I doubt it would happen.

Now if the mods could change the name of this thread and replace 'NBC' with 'TNT' it will save us the trouble of starting a new thread. :D

And what a neat scheduling trick by TNT. Tuesdays at 10 used to be owned by NBC when "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" aired there before Leno. Now, with "Sons of Anarchy" on hiatus by early next year, the time slot is ripe for a good drama to come do some real business.

I, too, was delighted to learn that TNT is picking up Southland. I just hope that the network gives the go ahead for additional episodes. I was surprised and disappointed by NBC's decision to cancel the show. That tended to make me want to claim that NBC's suits are dumber than your average network exec. On second thought, nah.:)

Wracking my brain to recall...what was on TNT on Tuesdays at 10? I thought there was something else like Saving Grace (or was that on at 11) or...? I know The Closer is on Mondays...

It's been too long since I've seen my TNT dramas (new, not re-runs). I miss them...will be glad when they're back on again!

I'm very pleased to see Southland will be joining the line-up. I read somewhere that if the ratings are decent, TNT may ask for more new episodes. I hope so!

DGK

I wish they would pick up the Unit as well

Great news, but I no longer have sat.....:(

Wracking my brain to recall...what was on TNT on Tuesdays at 10? I thought there was something else like Saving Grace (or was that on at 11) or...? I know The Closer is on Mondays...

DGK

I think they were both on Mondays. The Closer was on first, followed by Saving Grace. I was thinking that Southland would replace Saving Grace in its current timeslot on Mondays… because if I can recall correctly I thought the show was getting canceled?

My how times have changed.

Last season, my DVR was filled with shows I watched on NBC. With this show moving to TNT, that pretty much kills my NBC viewing, except for maybe "Medium".....oh, wait, that moved to CBS. Ah, but they're remaking "V"....uh, no, that's going to be on ABC this time around.

Well, there's always "Chuck". They wouldn't ever consider canceling that, would they?

If Chuck gets canned anytime soon, I'll never watch NBC again.

I think they were both on Mondays. The Closer was on first, followed by Saving Grace. I was thinking that Southland would replace Saving Grace in its current timeslot on Mondays… because if I can recall correctly I thought the show was getting canceled?

I think that's how it had been for a while, but wracking my aging brain, I think I recall now that The Closer is on at 9pm, followed by ?? at 10pm (right now another re-run of The Closer), and then Saving Grace at 11.

I'm not giving up on Saving Grace yet. There's still more episodes to be shown, right? I'm hoping there's still SOME remote chance it can be saved. I had only discovered the show last year, and quickly was addicted. I've since gone back and watched all the older episodes, as well, and am waiting for new ones in January....I hope....

But in any case, I'm still looking forward to seeing Southland, again! It's only another couple of months to wait...so in the meantime I'll catch up on all the old Closer eps I missed (bought all of the previous seasons on DVD so I can watch them at will).

DGK

2010 bump.
Tonight's the night!

One thing I notice. My E*'s guide says the episode is not new. The original air date is 04/09/2009 (and episode 8.) Heads up. DVR's might not record it, since it's not listed as a new episode on 01/12/2010. I had to manually adjust the DVR to record it. From what I remember, the cast of this show is awesome. Can't wait!

2010 bump.
Tonight's the night!

One thing I notice. My E*'s guide says the episode is not new. The original air date is 04/09/2009 (and episode 8.) Heads up. DVR's might not record it, since it's not listed as a new episode on 01/12/2010. I had to manually adjust the DVR to record it. From what I remember, the cast of this show is awesome. Can't wait!

The episode isn't new. First, they are re-airing the episodes that aired on NBC.

Right. I just found that out.
"Beginning tonight, TNT will show the seven episodes aired on NBC last spring plus the six episodes already shot before NBC pulled the plug on the show."

That sucks.

Right. I just found that out.
"Beginning tonight, TNT will show the seven episodes aired on NBC last spring plus the six episodes already shot before NBC pulled the plug on the show."

That sucks.

It sucks, but if it doesn't do well in the ratings with these repeat episodes... we can pretty much say goodbye to this show. Thankfully the show was on NBC so it will be new for the majority of people.

I'm also re-watching because I've pretty much forgotten what happened on the show. So these repeats will refresh my memory.

The episode tonight on TNT is supposedly commercial free. Would be nice if it was free of TNT's usual screen pollution also.

TNT Premiere to air with Additional Footage.

http://mobile.laist.com/2010/01/12/tv_junkie_271.php

Nice, the move to cable has removed their restrictions and with it the use of the annoying bleeps. I can start watching this again.

They should have pitched this directly to cable to begin with instead of making something that couldn't possibly air on broadcast without censorship.

Nice, the move to cable has removed their restrictions and with it the use of the annoying bleeps. I can start watching this again.

They should have pitched this directly to cable to begin with instead of making something that couldn't possibly air on broadcast without censorship.

I agree. That’s why I was surprised it was on NBC. It just didn’t fit the network with all the bleeping going on, and the type of show they actually wanted to present.

New episode airs tomorrow night on TNT. They will have a marathon of the previous episodes leading up the the new one at 10:00 ET

Topic title changed to TNT HD.

Nice going, Ken H.

Thanks for the update RemyM. Can't wait.

Here's a review (http://tv.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/arts/television/02southland.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper) of the series and discussion of tonight's episode in the 3/2 NY Times. -- John

Wow. The street mob scene was pretty intense.
The public was just throwing down on Officer Sherman.

The prison shower scene was a lil "graphic." I sort of knew that was coming.

I see that Officer Cooper is still giving Officer Sherman the "spoiled noob treatment"

Detective Adams and her new partner have that running track common ground.
Hopefully they start to get a long.
Lydia doesn't have any romantic feelings for her old partner, does she?
I guess it's just a strong relationship.

Great cast, can't wait for next week.

Great, great television. Hill Street Blues on steroids. I love this show, and I'm so glad it's on TNT instead of the dying peacock. I'm so glad it's back. Now let's hope the ratings are good enough for the show to get a full 3rd season. And it's too bad Tom Everett Scott (sp?) apparently isn't going to be continuing on with the show, unless I am misconstruing the "special guest star" title.

Thought last nights episode was pretty riveting. I like the characters on this show an awful lot.

Wondering how well it did ratings wise in the overnights....

:confused:

Regina King is on the Today Show right now.

And it's too bad Tom Everett Scott (sp?) apparently isn't going to be continuing on with the show, unless I am misconstruing the "special guest star" title.

Yeah I picked that up too.

Looking forward to the next 5 weeks after last night and hopefully a 13 week season three that doesn't compete with another great cable series.

And it's too bad Tom Everett Scott (sp?) apparently isn't going to be continuing on with the show, unless I am misconstruing the "special guest star" title.

Yet he was on with Craig Ferguson the other night, promoting the show and saying how great shooting new episodes has been. I'm confused. :confused:

haven't been sucked into a show in a long time. Southland rules.

...and NBC drools.

Wondering how well it did ratings wise in the overnights....

Not great. Only 2.5 million viewers.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=18244151&postcount=50435

Not great. Only 2.5 million viewers.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=18244151&postcount=50435

Thanks. I was surprised to see Southland ads when I was watching CSI Miami the other night. Of course, I FFW'd past them with the DVR, but nonetheless wasn't expecting to see an ad for a TNT show on a major network.

If they're sticking with the Red One digital-cinema cameras, or recent/upcoming upgrades, for the new-episode shooting it'll be interesting to see if they'll tweak the PQ any. Doubt they'd change from the resolution-spoiling, headache-inducing jiggly-camera technique when there's rapid motion. But it looks like there's improved processing software available to perk up images in post production. RED founder/CEO Jannard posted some comparison images (http://reduser.net/forum/showpost.php?p=539912&postcount=10) within his thread covering the ABCs of RED use and all the hardware resolutions (format versus measured). RED or Epic ~4k downconverted shots could give Southland superior PQ--besides its superb drama and pace. -- John

I have had a bunch of stuff going on this week so didn't get around to seeing the season premier of Southland until today. What a terrific episode! As last season progressed, I thought the show got better and better but this episode may have been the best yet.

I am enjoying how Cooper's and Sherman's relationship has matured into one of edgy mutual respect. Cooper still gets on Sherman's case but Sherman now clearly understands and is not bothered by it, and Cooper understands that Sherman is a competent fellow who is becoming a good cop.

I also liked the arc of the episode that showed Adams' denial of the seriousness of Clarke's injury finally change to remorseful acceptance that Clarke was disabled and was through as an active street cop. That was very well handled, I thought. I also liked the casting of Amaury Noalsco (Sucre on Prison Break) as Adams' new partner. He will do well, I think, in this consistently well cast and well written show.

Good episode tonight. Glad they focused in on the casts personal lives again.

I don't see why Sammy Bryant's wife did not tell him what happened at the grocery store.
It makes her mad to think about it, but why refuse to speak to your husband over it.
Always something with her, it seems. :p
Oh, and the rule at the grocery store was just silly.

Officer Cooper is still showing signs of his drug and alcohol problem.

Ben Sherman's date went south, the female seemed interested in him and vice versa.
Petty disrespectful to speak about it on his "night out"? I'm sure he wanted to have a good time and not think about the horrible crime scene.

Dt. Salinger breaking in through the window of his daughter's bedroom was weird.

Last night's episode showed why NBC didn't want to show it at 9:00. The mother and daughters killings seemed to be a "ripped from the headlines" storyline. It was similar to the real life home invasion that occurred in Chesire, CT in July 2007. The father in that was a Doctor, he was the only survivor but was not involved in the crime.

Jumping into the convo.

Love this show! Sooooo glad TNT picked it up.

I thought Dt. Salinger was dead on walking into his daughters room through the window, could he have handled it better, sure, but after the events of that day, he is well within his rights to make a stink about safety.

what is with Sam's wife? Is she just a nut-job? Does she have social skill issues, or have clinical depression or something? Like YoungC said, the club store thing was foolish, but she didnt exactly respond in an "adult" manor :p

I don't think we've seen the last of Ben's setup by his sister, once you get them alone and not with tweetle-dee and tweetle-dumb (sisters friends) I think there will be sparks.

Sam's wife has a bit of a narcotics problem right? ...and is the weakest part of the show.

Otherwise, another excellent episode.

Strong episode.

I figure with all the pressure/stress that Sammy's under (at home and at work) he's going to explode in an episode or 2....!

From what show do I know the girl that Ben's sister tried to set him up with? She looked awfully familiar but I don't remember her character's name and didn't see it listed on IMDB.

:confused:

Love the show.

I find that I want to FF Bryant's wifes segments though.

I do enjoy the the beat cop and detective case work dialog and pacing. But, aside from Sherman and Cooper's back story, I find some of the family life stuff a bit forced and almost like it gets in the way at times.

The actress playing the blind date for Ben, is a familiar face. I remember her from Everwood.

I find that I want to FF Bryant's wifes segments though.

Same here. Since they need to save money since it's on cable now, they should cut her next season.

Well. Let's all hope there's a next season. I don't care about the family bits either, although they might be cheaper to film versus the street scenes (just a guess).

Sam's wife has a bit of a narcotics problem right? ...and is the weakest part of the show.

Otherwise, another excellent episode.

YEs, This was brought up last season along with Sam's own past issues.......It topped off when he brought the dog home that was trained to find drugs and started to bug out when she started to use at home...........

From what show do I know the girl that Ben's sister tried to set him up with? She looked awfully familiar but I don't remember her character's name and didn't see it listed on IMDB.

:confused:

The actress playing the blind date for Ben, is a familiar face. I remember her from Everwood.Thanks for the clue. She is Nora Zehetner (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0954253/). I wonder if we'll be seeing more of her.

Sam's wife has a bit of a narcotics problem right? ...and is the weakest part of the show.

Otherwise, another excellent episode.
Amen! Sammy's doofus wife is a drag on the whole show. The character is awful and, to me at least, the actress is worse. She seems tiresomely screwed up instead of charmingly quirky. Worse, she's not that pretty. That's too bad, too. In every other way, from the rest of the ensemble cast to the writing, I give the show high marks.

I don't see why Officer Cooper was bitching out Officer Brown in the beginning.
His tone of voice was really not needed. Is it a sexist thing? A women is not as strong as a man. It's not her fault her old partner was an alcoholic. Turning him in or not.

Lydia still seems a bit "crushed" over her ex partner, "I miss your voice" or what not.
It was funny how she called her new partner "Hollywood." She smiled at him during that scene.

I noticed Officer Sherman cared about the lawn mower kid. He showed his concern.
Wild about the domestic abuse/stalker. Sad..
I don't feel bad how he struck the man in custody. It's probably against the rules though. Self control and all.

No signs of Officer Cooper's drug/alcohol problem tonight and no signs of the "crazy wife"

Good episode tonight. Needs to be 2 hour episodes :p

I don't see why Officer Cooper was bitching out Officer Brown in the beginning.
His tone of voice was really not needed. Is it a sexist thing? A women is not as strong as a man. It's not her fault her old partner was an alcoholic. Turning him in or not.See below.

No signs of Officer Cooper's drug/alcohol problem tonight...See above.

haha.
That's pretty good.

Amen! Sammy's doofus wife is a drag on the whole show.Certainly an opinion you're entitled to.

The character is awful and, to me at least, the actress is worse. She seems tiresomely screwed up instead of charmingly quirky.Who said she's supposed to be "charmingly quirky"? This ain't "Men in Trees." I'd bet the writers and the actress were aiming for tirelsomely screwed up, in which case, she seems like a fine actress.

Worse, she's not that pretty. That's too bad, too. In every other way, from the rest of the ensemble cast to the writing, I give the show high marks.One of the strangest non sequiturs I've seen. Are you saying that if she were a bit prettier, you'd be willing to put up with the fact that the actress is worse than awful (in your opinion)? That makes no sense at all.

Amen! Sammy's doofus wife is a drag on the whole show. The character is awful and, to me at least, the actress is worse. She seems tiresomely screwed up instead of charmingly quirky. Worse, she's not that pretty.

Wow!

I just don't care for the story line.

Southland’s Regina King: NBC Is Like ‘a Horrible, Drug-Addict Mom’ (http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/03/southlands_regina_king_on_walk.html)

Very engrossing episode at least Ben Sherman's storyline. The other storyline's were powerful as well....Regina King trying to move past losing her old partner and Cooper trying to talk some sense into and probably motivate Chickey.

Powerful. Hope the ratings are increasing.....

Hope the ratings are increasing.....

1.8 million viewers, up from 1.2 million for the first new episode.

Hope the ratings are increasing.....

The three season 2 episodes have gotten (in order):
1.0 18-49 demo/overall viewers: 2.5m
0.7/2.055m
0.7/1.86m

I thought I drank too much :p
6 beers in the morning, 20 after work, and around 30 per day. Woah.

Lydia has a new partner, again?

I prefer Ben Sherman and his partner on the streets. More action or what not.

WTF!

Kind of abrupt....Here today...Gone tonight.

I kept wondering if I missed an episode.

WTF!

Kind of abrupt....Here today...Gone tonight.

I kept wondering if I missed an episode.

Yeah I had the same feeling looks like this was old news:
http://www.prisonbreakbuff.com/2009/10/01/amaury-nolasco-leaves-southland/

The Exit\Entrance was kind of sudden, I wish they had written this a little better.....Besides that prety good episode...

Definitely poorly written. Just as they start coming together as partners he just disappears without any mention of anything. The actor obviously left the show in a lurch. Still not as bad as "'Til Death" who has had 3 different actors playing the daughter character this season.

Still not as bad as "'Til Death" who has had 3 different actors playing the daughter character this season.

And to boot it's sometimes been 2 different daughters each Sunday night (since they air 2 episodes) and the daughters are never in sequence from week to week either.

Amen! Sammy's doofus wife is a drag on the whole show. The character is awful and, to me at least, the actress is worse. She seems tiresomely screwed up instead of charmingly quirky. Worse, she's not that pretty. That's too bad, too. In every other way, from the rest of the ensemble cast to the writing, I give the show high marks.

I agree 100%, keep her on at a minimum, if any at all.

I thought I drank too much :p
6 beers in the morning, 20 after work, and around 30 per day. Woah.

Lydia has a new partner, again?

I prefer Ben Sherman and his partner on the streets. More action or what not.

At the end of the episode did Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) effectively come out of the closet to Sherman in the car on the ride back when he told him that he'd run into the cop who killed himself "while out at gay bars"? My attention was diverted during that exchange as I watched the episode last night and I planned on going back to watch it tonight...but figured I'd ask about that particular exchange to those who'd seen it.

I gathered that Sherman knew something odd was up when he twice glanced over at the older gentleman crying in the church during the service and then Cooper's ex-wife's akwardness when talking to Cooper outside the church tipped Sherman off a wee bit more...or not?

Cooper had already told Sherman he was gay so it wasn't a new revelation.

Cooper had already told Sherman he was gay so it wasn't a new revelation.

Can I ask when? I thought Cooper had never come out of the closet up to that point...?

It was in one of episodes shown on NBC.

It was in one of episodes shown on NBC.

I honestly can't recall Cooper telling Sherman he was gay before this week's episode including the episodes on NBC.

We saw Cooper in a gay bar numerous times, we saw him with Caesar building a wall in his backyard...but I don't recall him telling Sherman outright that he was gay.

Anyone else remember this revelation from the NBC episodes? :confused:

Southland was going along great then it went on break. After the break these "new" episodes look like the writers weren't confident in the show being picked up and started writing differently trying to appease NBC.

Hopefully TNT picks up the show for another season and the writers start writing like they did in the beginning.

I honestly can't recall Cooper telling Sherman he was gay before this week's episode including the episodes on NBC.

We saw Cooper in a gay bar numerous times, we saw him with Caesar building a wall in his backyard...but I don't recall him telling Sherman outright that he was gay.

Anyone else remember this revelation from the NBC episodes? :confused:


I too, thought this was another example of letting us assume things have occurred outside our view.

I don't recall a conversation with this reveal.

Also, the Sherman character is presented as someone who can figure things out pretty good on his own, in most cases.

John Wells has been quoted several places as saying ""He is a gay police officer, [but] certainly at the LAPD that's not an extraordinary event. It will simply be a fact of his life."

Actor Michael Cudlitz has made similar comments. Google works for this.

Personally, if the show lives on, I expect eventually there will be episodes that delve more into Cooper's personal life, since that's the nature of the series. Right now it's the aspect of his substance abuse that has the focus, is all.

I too, thought this was another example of letting us assume things have occurred outside our view.

I don't recall a conversation with this reveal.

Also, the Sherman character is presented as someone who can figure things out pretty good on his own, in most cases.
Another possibility occurred to me. Cooper and Sherman have developed a relaxed working arrangement, and each is aware of both the strengths and weaknesses of the other. Thus, it seems to me to have been entirely possible that Cooper had not told Sherman of his homosexuality before he cooly revealed it in the scene we saw. Then, Sherman, equally cooly, accepted the knowledge without comment. Who knows, though? Maybe more will be revealed down the line.

Good conversations in this thread.

Tonight's episode. Where to begin?

Sammy's wife http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/1284/emotionlol.gif

Sammy had high emotions for his "little brother"
I feel like I say this a lot these days, but where did that relationship come about?
Maybe I missed it or even forgot about it.

Glad Officer Sherman finally got lucky, since he struck out on that blind date a few weeks back.

Not one peep of Lydia Adams tonight, weird. I missed her being in the episode.

Maybe an article one of these days will explore how the show's budget, shooting schedule, etc. is influencing the cinematography. Recall one bright-sun shot last night that looked like the digital-cinema camera was totally overwhelmed: (the two main characters near their patrol car and a brick wall). Mostly, throughout, it often looked like 8mm home movies--mostly from the jiggling camera technique. Possible to block out the technical quality and just enjoy the pace, etc., but IMO it's a shame PQ can't be improved. -- John

"Southland" season two (so far) marathon starting at 5:00PM eastern. New episode at 10:00PM, as usual.

"Southland" season two (so far) marathon starting at 5:00PM eastern. New episode at 10:00PM, as usual.

Were my eyes deceiving me or did the promo say this was the Season Finale For Southland? Any word on if TNT will pick it up and start production on another season ?

:confused:

Were my eyes deceiving me or did the promo say this was the Season Finale For Southland? Any word on if TNT will pick it up and start production on another season ?

:confused:Wow! I don't watch previews or promos, so I have no idea.

I just checked TNT's website (http://www.tnt.tv/). On the homepage, it definitely says, "Season Finale."

Were my eyes deceiving me or did the promo say this was the Season Finale For Southland? Any word on if TNT will pick it up and start production on another season ?

:confused:

No you have good eyes. My understanding was that NBC stopped shooting new shows at around 6-7 so that was all that was available. I have not heard if it will be back but I sure hope so.

Southland (TV series)

Southland is an American drama[1] series created by Emmy Award winning writer Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on NBC on April 9, 2009. On May 1, 2009, NBC announced that Southland had been renewed for a second season with an initial 13 episode order to begin airing on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 9:00 pm, one hour earlier than its original time slot.[2] Shortly before its scheduled premiere, NBC moved the opening of its second season to October 23, 2009, citing the need to promote the show more fully.[3] On October 8, 2009, NBC abruptly announced that the series had been cancelled.[4]

On November 2, 2009, TNT announced it has purchased the rights to Southland's original seven episodes, as well as six completed episodes from its second season. Southland began airing on TNT on January 12, 2010.[5] The network has no plans to change the look of the show, and no additional episodes of the series have been ordered pending an assessment of ratings for the original 13

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southland_%28TV_series%29

I just checked TNT's website (http://www.tnt.tv/). On the homepage, it definitely says, "Season Finale."

Darn. The season flew by quickly!
That's a shame. I don't see how they could possibly wrap up the (final?) season in 50 minutes.

I thought it was an OK season finale.

The storyline with Cooper didn't' seem to wrap up.
Was it his boyfriend or his dealer? Is he going to sober up after all?
That's a shame about his ex wife and her coming to him with the question of fathering the baby.

Det. Salinger and his wife got all messed up at the very end. That left us clueless on the final out take.
I wonder how much he spent on the pearl necklace. She should return it to him, if she wants him out. :p
I thought his wife was pretty. No need to sleep around. I guess his "mistress" was 20 years younger. ha.

The very end with the rapist down was "moving."
Chickie Brown was proud to take him down. "I am a cop. I'm the cop!"
(With all the hatred on her law enforcement position by Cooper.)
I thought she was going to get hurt. In the dark woods a lone and all..

Lydia and Russell said they loved each other. :eek:
I thought when Russell said "I can't do this anymore" he was speaking about their relationship.
Lydia immediately spoke about his job position, being a Detective.

No wrap ups with Sammy and his weirdo wife? That seems odd. Sammy and his wife wasn't even pictured in tonight's episode.

Keep us updated if Southland gets renewed.

I thought it was an OK season finale.


You have to realize that this wasn't originally shot to be a season finale. They were in the middle of shooting a full season when NBC pulled the plug leaving just these six episodes. They might have shot a few scenes over to wrap up some lines but couldn't do everything. I hope TNT picks it up for a new full season to air again sometime.

You have to realize that this wasn't originally shot to be a season finale. They were in the middle of shooting a full season when NBC pulled the plug leaving just these six episodes. They might have shot a few scenes over to wrap up some lines but couldn't do everything. I hope TNT picks it up for a new full season to air again sometime.
I, too, hope that TNT renews Southland. Despite my disappointment about the shortened season, I thought that the show finished on an uptick. The final scene in which the female street cop, who was suffering from a crises in confidence, caught the rapist, was great. She did exactly what Cooper had said would have to be done to catch the bad guy: a lone street cop with good instincts would do it, not a task force. She was the lone street cop and her instincts turned out to be good indeed. Nice.

I have hated every aspect of Sammy's self destructive wife and hope that we have seen the last of her. I don't know who created the character or who cast the actress who played her but both of them should be drawn and quartered.

Finally got to watch this last night. Thought it was more than adequate.

Chickey's (perceived lack of) confidence crisis was tied up nicely at the end...and her correlation of telling Sherman to turn Cooper in contrasted her doing the same with Dewey was a nice reference...in light of the pariah status she carries from doing so.

And Ben stepping up for his partner and NOT outing him to Chickey when Cooper said it was "his dealer" was subtle and understated as well. And I THINK Chickey even asked why Cooper hated her/picked on her and she told Ben that Cooper was a "straight cop"...and Sherman said something to the effect of "ask him yourself" knowing that Cooper slyly clued him in that he wasn't straight.

And as far as Russell and Livia....when Russell said he screwed up by placing the little kid in custody with the aunt/uncle...was that his call? Or was he just pissed that he didn't connect the aunt/uncle to the murder from the start?

I hope the show comes back. But I also felt the same about "Life", "Journeyman" and "Invasion"....and those all flamed out rather quickly.

I actually think this show will be back. The action, and interaction, among the street cops is waht makes this a "TNT type" show. The detectives? Not so much.

I'm confident it will be back because I can't imagine TNT would have gone through the trouble of getting it just to air the episodes NBC took a dump on, seems like too big an investment just to air those 6-7 episodes.

I confident it will be back because I can't imagine TNT would have gone through the trouble of getting it just to air the episodes NBC took a dump on, seems like too big an investment just to air those 6-7 episodes.
I hope that you are right. Despite my detestation of the threads involving Sammy's unappealing wife, I have really liked the other aspects of the show. My twin hopes are that (1) the show gets renewed and (2) we have seen the last of Sammy's wife.

Good episode, but I could tell it wasnt set up as a real season finale.....Hopefully TNT gets some sense and keeeps this show going, stick it to NBC for making the mistake of giving this up...

While I dislike Sammy's wife, I think she is playing the role that they want her to play.....She may not be a looker, but neither are most people in "real life", her looks have nothing to do with how I dislike her, if she were a beautiful actress Id still dislike her, as her character is meant to be this way (of course Im sure youd see a lot less moaning on here about her)......

While I dislike Sammy's wife, I think she is playing the role that they want her to play.....She may not be a looker, but neither are most people in "real life", her looks have nothing to do with how I dislike her, if she were a beautiful actress Id still dislike her, as her character is meant to be this way (of course Im sure youd see a lot less moaning on here about her)......
What bothers me most about Sammy's wife's character is that she is completely unappealing, at least to me. In fairness to the actress playing her, I can't decide whether she is to blame or whether her character is written so unsympathetically, there isn't anything the actress can bring to bear in her performances to make her more likable.

What bothers me most about Sammy's wife's character is that she is completely unappealing, at least to me. In fairness to the actress playing her, I can't decide whether she is to blame or whether her character is written so unsympathetically, there isn't anything the actress can bring to bear in her performances to make her more likable.

I think its the way the character is written to be VERY unlikeable......We see this in real life all the time though people staying with someone even though they are nothing but trouble.......

TNT Renews 'Southland' For Third Season
Police drama gets another post-broadcast season on cable
By Alex Weprin -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/26/2010 3:22:03 PM
Turner's TNT has renewed Southland for a third season. The police drama initially ran on NBC but was picked up by the cabler for its second season last year when NBC declined. TNT has ordered 10 episodes for season three, which will premiere in January 2011.

While the series has not delivered broadcast numbers in its six episode second season, it has performed solidly for TNT, delivering an average of 2.7 million viewers, including 1.4 million 18-49 and 25-54.

"Southland is a challenging, visceral show that engages viewers with its immersive style, provocative storylines and complex characters," said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming, for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) announcing the pickup. "These qualities have made Southland a favorite among critics and appointment viewing for an extremely loyal audience."

^^^ That's great news, Southland is a quality show and there are too few of them left in TV land these days.

Awesome needs indeed.
Good job TNT. :thumbup:

Awesome news.

Will be a LONG wait till January 2011 though. Hopefully they will be able to keep most of the current cast together for the start/completion of filming of season 3.

Excellent!

Outstanding!

Wish it was more then 10, but it's better then 0.

Wish it was more then 10, but it's better then 0.

As do I ;)...This looks like standard SOP dor TNT though... Most of their original shows only do 13-15 new episodes a season. Dark BLue on its first season only got 10 epiosdes as well. TNT may be treating this as a first run (since the episodes that were aired were already made).

Hopefully it does well enough next season to get a few more episodes. A big Thumbs up here though to TNT for 1 sticking it to NBC and 2 for sticking with a great show that deserved to be picked up.

I wish they would pick up riday Night Lights as well

The only question I have is "why would they not renew it?' It is better than any of their current fare.

TV Notes
'Southland' Faces Budget Reduction & Cast Trims On TNT
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com's TV Editor - May 18th, 2010

EXCLUSIVE: Two years after being unveiled at NBC’s upfront presentation, cop drama Southland will once again be introduced at an upfront presentation, this time at TNT’s event tomorrow after the show was recently renewed by the cable network.

“We’re delighted that we’re still alive,” executive producer John Wells said. “So far, we’ve used up the fourth of our nine lives.”

But along with the excitement of staying on at TNT came the reality of having to adjust the series, originally developed and produced for a broadcast network, to the economics of cable. The budget of Southland is being cut by more than a third going into Season 3.

As a result, not all cast members will continue as regulars and those who remain had been asked to reduce their fees and/or the number of episodes they appear in.

Staying on as regulars are Regina King and Michael Cudlitz, who have completed their deals, and Ben McKenzie and Shawn Hatosy who are in negotiations. McKenzie, King and Cudlitz are scheduled to appear at TNT’s upfront presentation tomorrow, while Hatosy had to pull out because of personal commitment.

I wish we had more money,” Well said. ”We are hoping to find a way to have a couple of more regulars if they prefer it that way or recurring if they want to have the opportunity to also appear on other series.”

For instance, after Southland’s cancelation by NBC, series regular Kevin Alejandro landed a recurring gig on HBO’s True Blood where he was upped to a regular with the blessing of the Southland producers. He is still expected to do several episodes of the TNT drama next season. Wells also is looking to bring back in some capacity former regulars Arija Bareikis and Michael McGrady.

Tom Everett Scott started off as a regular on the show on NBC but was switched to a guest star status after the network didn't like his character and wanted him killed. But the producers loved him and kept him alive and now they have had preliminary conversations with Scott to return for next season, possibly as a regular.

And the producers on the show themselves will take deeper cuts than the actors, said to be larger than 30%. But Wells is not complaining.

“I don’t’ want to sound upset about it,” he said. “We got to keep doing the show, and we are delighted that TNT stepped up and that have been very generous. The reality is in the big difference between how you set up to do a show off the bat on cable and how you transition a broadcast show to cable. It’s new ground.”

http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/southland-faces-budget-reduction-cast-trims-on-tnt/

Many of us can think of one cast member we would like to go away. They are keeping the strong characters and that's fine. I liked Tom Everett Scott's character, and hope he does come back.

That's a shame. I hope they might the right decisions.

Noticed my DVR caught the TNT re-airing of the first episode of Southland (2am today). Another one is scheduled for 2am tomorrow. Didn't search the to do list past that point to see if they are continuing through the rest of the week/weekend.

The first episode of the new season? Or the first episode ever? When is this show coming back?

The first episode of the new season? Or the first episode ever? When is this show coming back?

Sorry---first episode of the first season/last season/NBC original airing....pretty complex and confusing to follow eh?

The prior postings above note that the show will be back...but with a reduced budget. I didn't have the time to scroll back through to see just WHEN the new season will air.

I'm reallly excited that its coming back in Janurary. *dances around*

It's back! My DVR has scheduled a new episode Tuesday at 10:00 ET.
http://www.tnt.tv/series/southland/

So glad Southland is back; hope it stays as long as The Closer and Monk. If only TNT would pick up Rubicon. I'm still depressed about that show being axed.

Season 3 starts tonight at 10 ET.

Season 3 starts tonight at 10 ET.

Anyone having a problem with the picture blipping in and out with TNT and csn?

The southland season opener was great.

How about Officer Sherman getting that hot Porsche chick? Doesn't he always have "the ways" with the girls? :p

The bank robbery was action-packed. Good stuff

Officer Cooper needs help. He needs to give them drugs up.

Wow, Sammy's wife is pregnant. She's a kook!! lol

Yes, 'busy' opening work day, from that rape/revenge-murder garage standoff, or gift return arguement, to that bank robbery shootout. Reminded me of the movie "Heat" bank shootout, or the often-televised actual LA bank robbery shootout years back with armor-clad robbers with automatic weapons overpowering police.
Anyone having a problem with the picture blipping in and out with TNT and csn?
No complete 'blipping' out here (NYC's TWC). Did notice some fluctuating focus in one store-interior scene, with the background focus changing. But, on a reduced-budget, TV-series shooting schedule, guess you can't expect all Orson-Welles-"Citizen-Kane"-type deep focus (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=19424060&postcount=23). If they're still using Red digital-cinema cameras, looked like they've tweaked the final video just a bit, as I'd hoped in a few posts above, but suspect ~4k-capable Reds, downconverted to 1080/24p masters, could deliver much crisper HD. Overall, though, the directing, acting and pace still carries the series. -- John

Fantastic episode. My only complaints:
How can two gang detectives not know that a gang leader's daughter was raped and two guys were acquitted of it?
Sammy's wife is still on the show.

Fantastic episode. My only complaints:
Sammy's wife is still on the show.

lol. :p

She did not seem too exited about "the news" as well.

Loved the first episode, and even kind of like the trimmed down cast -- I've often thought they tried to follow too many threads in the past. I especially loved seeing Tom Everett Scott, if only briefly; it seems to me that they are planning on having him back full time next year, hence his comment about the process taking about a year before he is ready to come back -- really good news!

Thank god for TNT.

the bad back cop story is getting old

ripped from the headlines story was too predictable
(cleaning lady stuffed in ceiling)

also like sherman getting in porche ;)

still one of my favs

The new female LEO who's partners with Lydia is crazy. :eek:

Disappointed they're still bleeping words. Guess that's a stylistic choice, but i don't understand it. Really starting to like Sherman, but my fav character is still Adams. Regina King knows how to project hopefulness & compassion in bleak situations without its seeming contrived.

But God help Sammy and Tammi's baby. They're gonna have to start that kid's therapy in the womb.

Disappointed they're still bleeping words. Guess that's a stylistic choice, but i don't understand it. Really starting to like Sherman, but my fav character is still Adams. Regina King knows how to project hopefulness & compassion in bleak situations without its seeming contrived.

But God help Sammy and Tammi's baby. They're gonna have to start that kid's therapy in the womb.

:lol:

:D

I hope they clear the drug seeking / back problem story up to.....just so I'll stop having sympathetic back pains!

What happened with Regina King's partner from last season (not the one who was shot, the hispanic guy) ? I think I might have missed an episode, didn't realize he was gone..?

What happened with Regina King's partner from last season (not the one who was shot, the hispanic guy) ? I think I might have missed an episode, didn't realize he was gone..?

They seem to be playing musical partners with her, she's had at least 3 now since her original partner was shot. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this current one is gone by episode 3 and a new one appears.

What happened with Regina King's partner from last season (not the one who was shot, the hispanic guy) ? I think I might have missed an episode, didn't realize he was gone..?

He left for another show in real life during season two, so his character just went away, nothing was said about it..

They seem to be playing musical partners with her, she's had at least 3 now since her original partner was shot. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this current one is gone by episode 3 and a new one appears.

Maybe this will turn into a running thing like Murphy Brown's having a new secretary every episode. :-D

Maybe this will turn into a running thing like Murphy Brown's having a new secretary every episode. :-D

That's what I was thinking! :D

please explain the reason they took off their vests when they went in pursuit of bank robbers?

please explain the reason they took off their vests when they went in pursuit of bank robbers?

That confused me at first, then I realized they put them over the side windows of the cruisers to keep the glass from shattering from the gunfire ( and to keep from getting hit themselves ).

That AK-47 would have been tearing the crap out of their car and those vests.

I'm a cop. Love the show. No way putting those vests over the windows would work. Those shells would go completely through the car and anything in it. Otherwise still a great show.

-I'm guessing that Sammy's wife won't be able to be "killed" off/"dismissed" now that they've introduced a new "we're pregnant" storyline...unless she's so kooky that she's lying?

-I wonder if Sherman already knows the woman he pulled over in the Porsche? She did look a bit Cougar-ish comparatively speaking age wise to him. Movie star? Friend of the family?

-Was happy to see Salinger in the coming attractions for week 2...and Dewey. I was wondering just what kind of wholesale changes they had made to the cast. And Regina King's partner from last year (who was there for 1-2 episodes) is now on "Chase"--can't remember either his characters name or the actors name.

-I also could do without King's new partner as well.

All in all a GREAT episode. I didn't get around to watching it until last night but this show is one of the few 1 hour dramas I can sit through at night and NOT fall asleep to (somehow working 12 hour days has a way of doing that to you....)!!
:D

^^^^^^^^
i was thinking friend of family

^^^^^^^^
i was thinking friend of family

But didn't she make a point of looking at his name tag before addressing him when he first pulled her over?

I thought this season is off to a great start. It took a while for me to get hooked on it but now I really enjoy it

As much as I have loved Southland, and continue to love it for that matter, I canot abide Tammi, Sammy Bryant's wife. Maybe the writers will get rid of her. One can only hope. I kind of like Adams quirky new partner, though. The way in which she refused to let the rapist get out from under her thumb was a hoot and it all worked well. As always, I thought Officer John Cooper, played by the wonderful Michael Cudltz, was consistently interesting and multifaceted. Cooper's a mess but he's a great cop. I am particularly enjoying the continuing dynamic between Cooper and his young partner, Officer Ben Sherman. As different as they are they make a terrific team.

Sammy's wife!! lol
Poor dude. I guess we're going to see lots of relationship drama this season?

Great episode tonight. Although, there sure was a ton of murders on the MLK holiday.

I'm surprised Lydia attacked Billy Dewey. In her defense though, he was acting like a jackass the whole episode.

Officer Cooper did not do any drugs tonight as well. Although, it was interesting how Billy gave him the "lecture" about the inner thoughts or what not.

I predict Sammy starts dating his partner's hot daughter...HA! Not really, that would be breaking the code.

Sammy's wife!! lol
Poor dude. I guess we're going to see lots of relationship drama this season?

Great episode tonight. Although, there sure was a ton of murders on the MLK holiday.

I'm surprised Lydia attacked Billy Dewey. In her defense though, he was acting like a jackass the whole episode.

Officer Cooper did not do any drugs tonight as well. Although, it was interesting how Billy gave him the "lecture" about the inner thoughts or what not.

Not really an attack; she just face-palmed him. And what the hell is the tuna-boat reference. It was funny, but I didn't get the reference. And Tammi's baby is from another guy, yikes!

Not really an attack; she just face-palmed him. And what the hell is the tuna-boat reference. It was funny, but I didn't get the reference. And Tammi's baby is from another guy, yikes!

From urban dictionary (along with many other definitions):

1. A vehicle containing one or more hot pieces of female a$$.

Guess we're all lovin' Sammy's wife now. LOL

As for Cooper not doing any drugs: I dunno. The way he took down that guy at the end -- his back sure wasn't bothering him.

"Badge Bunny"??? LMAO

I like this show, last nights episode was GREAT!

Guess we're all lovin' Sammy's wife now. LOL

As for Cooper not doing any drugs: I dunno. The way he took down that guy at the end -- his back sure wasn't bothering him.

"Badge Bunny"??? LMAO

It was...he was grimacing in pain.

Sammy, here's your out, dump her for all of our sakes.:D

I got lost a little in the middle as they seemed all over the place, but it all came together in the end. Great show and the PQ looked very sharp last night.

It was...he was grimacing in pain.

Oh, OK, I missed that.

Sammy, here's your out, dump her for all of our sakes.:D

I got lost a little in the middle as they seemed all over the place, but it all came together in the end. Great show and the PQ looked very sharp last night.

My wife mentioned to me that she thinks that Sammy's wife has been on "Desperate Housewives" lately---hopefully that means she's going to be written out of the Southland storyline.

Just hope she gives Sammy his camera back though.....:cool:

I got lost a little in the middle as they seemed all over the place, but it all came together in the end. Great show and the PQ looked very sharp last night.
Also felt the pace was a bit much. Part of the show's appeal is its brisk pace, but thought this episode overdid things--cuts, crimes covered. PQ here, as mentioned earlier, seemed somewhat better than last season, but wish they'd wring better performance from their Red digital-cinema cameras (if still used). Started a thread here about the exceptional contrast and PQ achieved with Arri D-21s, another digital camera used for the UK series, "Downton Abbey," on PBS Sunday. Way different dramas, of course, but don't think a crime drama must actually look "gritty" and have jiggly camera shots -- John

My wife mentioned to me that she thinks that Sammy's wife has been on "Desperate Housewives" lately---hopefully that means she's going to be written out of the Southland storyline.

Just hope she gives Sammy his camera back though.....:cool:

She's a fairly major character on DH now, so will probably leave Southland soon. Wouldn't be surprised if her photographing gang members gets her killed off. She played a lot more sympathetic character on Men in Trees a few seasons ago.

I didn't quite understand the last scene where Ben's mom is explaining what happened to her. Did she lead the guy on to "handle" him and it got out of hand? And Ben's breaking down -- what was that about? Just long time coming or for something specific that I'm missing?

My take, she was trying to appease the guy with sexual favors. The boy comes downstairs and it all went to hell.

And she didn't do anything to stop the child(Ben) getting hit.

And she didn't do anything to stop the child(Ben) getting hit.

or the guy going to jail

I love this show. I can hardly keep my eyes open when I get home at night once I hit the couch because I get up at 4:30 in the AM...but I've had NO problems staying awake for the Southland episodes each week since they came back.

The intensity is amazing. The interaction between characters is engaging. I'm elated to (hopefully) see Sammy's wife sail off into the sunset...yet she's still going to be twisting his stones from the other side of a phone line. Lydia's mother has apparently moved back (from France??). Wonder if will still be the actress from LOST (Rose) playing her mother---if she's shown again. Sherman's revisiting of his path WITH his mother- fantastic how things aren't always what they seem.

It just hit me a week or so ago that Regina King was Ice Cube's sister in "Friday". Of all the roles I remembered her in, somehow I'd forgotten that one!

She's a fairly major character on DH now, so will probably leave Southland soon. Wouldn't be surprised if her photographing gang members gets her killed off. She played a lot more sympathetic character on Men in Trees a few seasons ago.

The last episode was so much about her that I almost missed the fact that she wasn't actually in it!

The last episode was so much about her that I almost missed the fact that she wasn't actually in it!
I inferred two positives from the episode having spent a bunch of time talking about Sammy's wife but never showing her: (1) it looks like the scene is being set for writing her out of the show and, better yet, (2) any episode without Sammy's wife is much better than any episode with her.:)

I inferred two positives from the episode having spent a bunch of time talking about Sammy's wife but never showing her: (1) it looks like the scene is being set for writing her out of the show and, better yet, (2) any episode without Sammy's wife is much better than any episode with her.:)

Agreed, fact is, I don't think I've liked this particular actress in anything she's done, at least those parts I can recall.

Yes indeed. But you know, there are some seriously obnoxious people who are married to likable and well-adjusted ones. We know them (and have to put up with them) in real life, but the major characters on TV shows generally don't. I was thinking Southland would be the series to break that mold -- a sympathetic central character married to (and blind to/tolerant of the flaws of) someone all the viewers absolutely loathe.

Maybe now that Dewey's back, the producers figure their quota of hateful characters is filled.

Wow.

Anybody want to start the conversation about tonight's episode? I wrote up a "mini review."

I hope everything is OK with him. :(

Wow. The episode "Code 4" was fantastic.

The ending, with Nate Moretta being hit on the back of the head with a baseball bad. Did he die? The emotions that his wife and Sammy had were pretty serious. I hope he's not dead. It would be bad if he was written off the show.

How about Lydia's Gizmo story? I guess Gizmo was guilty of ordering the hit against his uncle? The aunt was in on the drugs too? At the ending, the aunt said "How are we going to do anything with the police watching us?"

We did not find a motive for the Birthday cake killing? It was just a gang member earning his reputation or something?

The half naked man on PCP was something interesting. Ben sure knew how to talk to him. Ben said it was some martial arts thing that he learned. It was funny though. I'm sure that made him look good in John's eyes. Since John was giving Ben the "rookie hard time". I think Ben called it fraternity hazing.

Another episode of John not doing drugs. I wonder where that storyline is headed.

We did not see the cute Chickie Brown in this episode.

Sammy & Tammi. I don't see why the restraining order was spoken about. Maybe I forgot, and Sammy was getting raged with the new boyfriend?
Always something with those two. I think it would be nice if he got the DNA testing.
I think it's Sammy's baby. I guess we'll see later. Anybody want to do a "forum bet" and take guesses? lol.

i got impression he died
wife screamed, cleargy came out of room followed by hysterical wife

I thought Nate died as well.

Why were they driving through that area and what caused him to get hit?

@young c: The restraining order probably came about because Sammy tried breaking into the house and Tammi probably was scared that Sammy would do something to harm either of them.

I hope everything is OK with him. :(

I think he's dead.