Anyone watch Southland?

[SegRat]

After the first episode I can say this may be the best new show on tv. There must have been 5 or 6 holy crap moments.

[Peregrine]

i watched it, it was okay - pretty predictable I thought, you knew he was going to shoot somebody on his first day, all the other cop cliches - but it had some moments, so I'll watch another episode or two.

[GrantDawg]

I actually thought it a bit unoriginal and tame. Like "The Shield" light. I'm watching to give it a shot, but it didn't grab me.

[samifan24]

I liked it a lot and will be watching.

[Swaggs]

I really liked the storyline with the rookie cop, but I thought the rest was just okay. I thought it jumped around between characters/storylines a little too much, but I'll give it a shot for a few episodes, at least.

Potential spoiler, but at the end, when the rookie's partner was at the bar, was it a gay bar? It looked like all the customers were men and the bartenders were all men wearing tight tank tops. Might be an interesting twist to the routine cop-drama formula, especially if he is still in the closet.

[Thomkal]

I watched mainly because it was the ER's creator's new project. Liked it but not overwhelmingly. Liked the interaction between the rookie cop and his trainer, the detective lady. Didn't like the cop that ended up getting shot so that was good. I am unclear whether he survived or not. That was my thought too Swaggs about the gay bar-that would be interesting.

[samifan24]

Spoiler

Yes, it was a gay bar. I wondered the same thing so I Googled the show and his character is gay. Also, the cop who was shot survived, as indicated by the conversation between Ben and Chickie (the girl cop) in the hospital.

I also liked the rookie cop-veteran cop interaction better than the detectives storyline. It will be interesting to see if the show continues to rotate them every episode or if some episodes will be more centered on one or the other.

[PackerFanatic]

My wife started watching it, then stopped - saying I would probably like it too. I will probably watch it sometime this weekend and be the judge of that.

[Thomkal]

Thanks Sami, I didn't hear that conversation so wasn't sure.

[Oilers9911]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I watched mainly because it was the ER's creator's new project.

Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be like ER. *shudder*

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Oilers9911

Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be like ER. *shudder*

Hugely successful for a number of years & profitable for everyone involved?

In the words of a wise man, err, rabbit ... Puh-leeze don't throw me in that briar patch.

[samifan24]

I thought tonight's episode was pretty good. I did expect one thing that happened but there were a couple of times where what I thought would happen didn't happen. It's an engaging show.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Hugely successful for a number of years & profitable for everyone involved?

And why exactly would Oilers care if it was highly profitable if he doesn't enjoy the content? Sometimes you need to step out of your only movie view of TV.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

And why exactly would Oilers care if it was highly profitable if he doesn't enjoy the content? Sometimes you need to step out of your only movie view of TV.

E.R was one of the most successful TV shows of the past 20 years. I thought the first 2-3 years were pretty decent stuff, it lost me when it got more soapy & less story. That said however, it was a success and for a very long time to boot.

If it isn't someone's cup of tea then they probably aren't going to be happy with any similar scripted show on network television & should stick to something else. It's essentially a soap with police trappings or a cop show with soap elements. And if it's going to last, it'll do so by appealing to the same people who liked E.R. -- whether it was a medical show wrapped up in soap plots or a soap with a medical setting.

Damned if I can understand why someone who (as you seem to assume) wanted a show to succeed to not be successful. Seems pretty contradictory, which was my point.

[DeToxRox]

Have this show DVR'd but haven't watched it yet.

I feel like early on a lot of Shield/Wire viewers will tune in because there are no real cop shows out now, but I can't say if they'll stick or not. I know it's why I am watching, as well as a few of my friends.

My hopes aren't up though.

[Taur]

After watching both shows twice I enjoy The Unusuals more than Southland. The Unusuals to me has more enjoyable storylines and back story.

Where is The Unusuals vs Southland poll?


Reminds me of the Chicago Hope vs E.R. days.

[Cringer]

I have never heard of The Unusuals. Southland though, I am enjoying.

I think what it comes down to is that I will give a solid chance to any show which has someone from Band of Brothers in it that is not David Schwimmer. I like Life a lot, and the reason I wanted to even watch this show is because of the rookie's trainer.

Last nights show was good, they have me worried about the girl who was the witness to the drive by and wants to be a cop. Every scene she was in I was waiting to see her get taken out. The ending of the show this week though, eh. Just kind of faded away in a weird way to me, didn't seem like the most solid ending.

[samifan24]

Another solid episode tonight. I thought they did a decent job of beginning to tell Ben's back story. I really liked the way Chickie handled Dewey's getting out of hand, too. Most of all I really like the way the characters are written and the general pace of the show.

[samifan24]

Anyone else still watching?

[SegRat]

Originally Posted by samifan24

Anyone else still watching?

Havent seen this weeks episode yet, but Yes I am still watch and enjoying.

[samifan24]

I was disappointed to see the show's ratings fell yet again for the third straight week. With Jay Leno's new show airing at 10 PM, NBC doesn't have much room for new shows, especially shows like this which "need" to be on later due to content.

[Oilers9911]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Damned if I can understand why someone who (as you seem to assume) wanted a show to succeed to not be successful. Seems pretty contradictory, which was my point.

Did I say I didn't want it to succeed? I meant that I don't want it to be unwatchable garbage like ER was.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Oilers9911

Did I say I didn't want it to succeed? I meant that I don't want it to be unwatchable garbage like ER was.

Oh to be as "unwatchable" as ER was for 15 seasons, averaging some 17.5 million viewers per episode over its run.

Wasn't my cup of tea most of the time but it was more than passable on the whole as network fare goes. Meanwhile, most of the shows that seem to get such rave reviews here at FOFC can't draw flies if they cover the cast in rotting meat. Seems kind of like there's a bit of a disconnect somewhere.

[LoneStarGirl]

I have started to enjoy Southland, especially Regina King's character. My only concern is that they are leaving some characters out each episode. The episode this past week did not mention Dewey, or Ben McKenzie's character (Ben) I didn't watch ER the past 4-5 seasons but I did watch it steadily for ten years or so and they always at least showed each of their many characters in every episode.

I know there have only been four episodes but there as been a lot of action and information packed into each one. This is definitely a show i will keep watching.

[Oilers9911]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Oh to be as "unwatchable" as ER was for 15 seasons, averaging some 17.5 million viewers per episode over its run.

Wasn't my cup of tea most of the time but it was more than passable on the whole as network fare goes. Meanwhile, most of the shows that seem to get such rave reviews here at FOFC can't draw flies if they cover the cast in rotting meat. Seems kind of like there's a bit of a disconnect somewhere.

Unwatchable to me. I really don't give a rat's ass about the 17.5 million that did watch it. Maybe FOFC just has better taste in tv shows?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just FYI NBC has confirmed a second season order for 13 episodes of Southland.

[PurdueBrad]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Just FYI NBC has confirmed a second season order for 13 episodes of Southland.

That is excellent news as the wife and I have been enjoying it greatly. I saw somebody mention The Unusuals earlier and I prefer Southland greatly over that show. I had trouble getting into The Unusuals and I didn't have those problems here.

[samifan24]

That's awesome news!

[samifan24]

Tough guy: "Are you f--king with me?"
Sgt. Cooper: "Kinda"

I love this show already.

[samifan24]

I thought tonight's season finale was really, really good and loved the surprise ending.

[DeToxRox]

And it's canceled before the season premier.

NBC Cancels Southland Before Second Season Premiere
October 8th, 2009 | 0 Comments | Email | Share | Tweet

NBC has canceled Southland, two weeks before the premiere of the show’s second season. Production on the John Wells-produced cop series is being shut down after six episodes. Warner Brothers Television was told by NBC that the show was being canceled by the network. Neither the studio nor NBC would comment on for why the show was halted, but insiders say the dark nature of the cop drama was a factor. NBC said it will do its best to air the six episodes that were already shot and that the quality of the show wasn’t a factor in the decision.

“I’m disappointed that NBC no longer has the time periods available to support the kind of critically-acclaimed series that was for so many years, a hallmark of their success,” Wells said. “We remain extremely proud of ‘Southland’ and are actively looking for another home for the series.”

Southland was originally slated to debut in its new Friday 9:00 PM/ET time slot during premiere week, but in August, NBC opted to push the start to October 23 and air Dateline NBC in the meantime.

[samifan24]

Ridiculous. This pisses me off so much. Can't they give the show a shot in a time slot once one of the stupid, cookie cutter, paint by numbers shows flops and gets canceled? They already invested in the first six episodes, why not put them on air and see what kind of a response they get? Leno at 10 PM has a stranglehold on the network, too. Southland is apparently "too gritty" for the 9 PM slot.

Three of my favorite shows have been canceled in the last year by idiotic networks: Pushing Daisies (ABC), Life (NBC) and now Southland (NBC). So frustrating.

[I. J. Reilly]

Fuck this. Hopefully someone else snaps it up, preferably a cable station who will give it at least a few years. I would think “to dark for network tv” would be a pretty good marketing hook.

[Thomkal]

Too bad, thought the first season was good enough to warrant a second season. NBC just does not have a clue when it comes to television programming these days.

[Swaggs]

NBC needs to be sent down to the minors.

[DeToxRox]

Looks like it could end up on TNT.

TNT In Talks To Pickup Southland
October 12th, 2009 | 0 Comments

When NBC aburpty canceled Southland, there was talk of the show moving to another network. The most obvious network was TNT, which shares a corporate parent with Warners Brothers TV, which produces the critically praised series with studio-based John Wells Productions. Southland, which stars Benjamin McKenzie, shot six episodes of its second season before being shut down by NBC last week.

Now its seems like talks have begun. “We continually look at all programming opportunities that fit our portfolio of brands,” TNT said in a statement. TNT has been active in the cop drama genre, from its biggest hit, The Closer to its most recent offering, Dark Blue, both from WBTV’s sister Warner Horizon.

TNT has yet to decide on the future of Dark Blue, which recently wrapped its first season.

[PurdueBrad]

Damn, this sucks. C'mon TNT, come through here.

[samifan24]

It would be awesome if TNT picked up the show. It'd be worth it. They could run the six episodes in can and then make a decision after a few weeks if they want to keep the series.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by samifan24

It would be awesome if TNT picked up the show. It'd be worth it. They could run the six episodes in can and then make a decision after a few weeks if they want to keep the series.

Whether it would be "worth it" isn't quite the slam dunk you seem to make it sound.

"Worth it" would mean they could make more profit on it than they could on (likely) reruns on existing programs they already own. Whether they could seems iffy at best, as it could easily been seen as damaged goods by ad buyers. And with a short run of six episodes, by the time it could theoretically establish any positive momentum the combination of short lead time & few remaining eps limits the profit potential.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Whether it would be "worth it" isn't quite the slam dunk you seem to make it sound.

"Worth it" would mean they could make more profit on it than they could on (likely) reruns on existing programs they already own. Whether they could seems iffy at best, as it could easily been seen as damaged goods by ad buyers. And with a short run of six episodes, by the time it could theoretically establish any positive momentum the combination of short lead time & few remaining eps limits the profit potential.

When I said it would be "worth it" I meant it more as a seemingly good, low risk investment. As you said, a new show on the channel may be better for enticing eyeballs to the station than countless reruns. If TNT airs the six episodes and don't see the kind of response they hope to see they can cut bait with a minimal amount of losses. I see it as a good, low risk scenario for the channel. My guess is that they do pick it up, give it a go and see how audiences respond.

[DeToxRox]

TNT picks it up.

TNT Picks Up Southland, Airing In January Against Leno
November 2nd, 2009 | 0 Comments | Email | Share | Tweet

TNT has picked up Southland from NBC. The critically acclaimed cop drama was canceled a week before it’s second season premiere, a casualty of Jay Leno’s primetime talk show. TNT will re-air the John Wells series’ original seven episodes NBC broadcast, plus the six new hours that NBC ordered but chose not to air.

Depending on ratings, TNT will order more. By only committing to airing episodes that have already been produced, the deal minimizes TNT’s financial risk and allows the cable network to evaluate the success of the show before investing in a re-start of production. The network plans to run the tough cop drama Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM/ET, opposite The Jay Leno Show. Southland will make its TNT debut on Tuesday, January 12.

[I. J. Reilly]

I don’t know if “picked up” is the right term; it’s nice to know we’ll see the seven episodes but I’m not holding my breath for any beyond that.

[Swaggs]

I'd love to see Southland become successful (in the same vein as Mad Men), just to see NBC continue its free fall.

[Thomkal]

Love that they are putting it up against Leno after NBC kicked it to the curb. I will be very curious to see what ratings its gets vs Leno then.

[samifan24]

I'll be rooting for Southland to continue on past these initial 13 episodes (the six unaired and the seven from the NBC run). TNT is giving the show a chance with a new audience and that's more than NBC was willing to do.

[Thomkal]

Just a bump here to remind you that TNT starts showing the repeats of the original episodes from NBC tonight at 10 pm. Will be very curious how it does against Leno especially when the new episodes start.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Just a bump here to remind you that TNT starts showing the repeats of the original episodes from NBC tonight at 10 pm. Will be very curious how it does against Leno especially when the new episodes start.

Would have to get a hell of a bump from the move to cable, considering it was down to a 1.6 by the time it was finally canceled. That should equal enough to give it a shot at the cable Top 20 for a while but it's still lower than Leno's average, so some perspective is definitely required there.

[Glengoyne]

I was initially peeved that Southland got 'picked up' by TNT, when Life, which was significantly better in my mind, got the axe. Then I came here and realized that there hasn't been a commitment for new episodes. For the fans of the show, I hope it does well. I may even tune it in, and give it another try this time around.


I saw three episodes of Southland, and it just never clicked with me. Life was different, in that it sucked me in right away. I was also jealous that Southland got a coveted spot, when Life was being moved every third week.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

I was initially peeved that Southland got 'picked up' by TNT, when Life, which was significantly better in my mind, got the axe. Then I came here and realized that there hasn't been a commitment for new episodes. For the fans of the show, I hope it does well. I may even tune it in, and give it another try this time around.


I saw three episodes of Southland, and it just never clicked with me. Life was different, in that it sucked me in right away. I was also jealous that Southland got a coveted spot, when Life was being moved every third week.

I loved Life just a little bit more than I loved Southland, too. I'm glad one of the two "was saved," even if it's just temporarily.

[Thomkal]

Just a heads up that the first of six new episodes in on tonight at 10 pm EST. Apparantly there is a Southland marathon running all afternoon/evening if you want to catch up on stuff before the new episode.