5751 replies to this topic

[Nikki125]

From NBC.com:

From Emmy Award winners John Wells, Ann Biderman and Chris Chulack comes a raw and authentic look at the police unit in Los Angeles. From the beaches of Malibu to the streets of East Los Angeles, "Southland" is a fast-moving drama that will take viewers inside the lives of cops, criminals, victims and their families.

It appears to be a run-of-the-mill cop show, but at least it focuses on beat cops and not detectives, which has been done to death. If it's anything like Third Watch, I'll be satisfied. Kevin Alejandro and Tom Everett Scott are in it, so I will definitely check it out.

The show premieres April 9th at 10pm.

Edited by Nikki125, Mar 22, 2009 @ 6:24 AM.

[Clare]

I've had a hard time watching cop shows since The Wire but the cast list is interesting and I loved Third Watch too so I'll check it out.

And Benjamin McKenzie is all kinds of Yum.

[noisack]

This show sounds like a more self-important High Incident to me. But hey, between Michael Cudlitz and Shawn Hatosy (who knew the LAPD was so Irish?), I have no choice but to hope it's decent 'cause I'll be watching, suck or not.

[AimingforYoko]

This show sounds like a more self-important High Incident to me.

I was going to say it sounds a lot like that David Keith show on ABC, turns out that's the one. I can't see this doing any better.

[Amelie06]

I'm so excited for this show. It looks like there is a great cast assembled here. I'm not going to lie, Ben Mackenzie is hot. I will give this show at least 4 episodes based on Ben alone.

[Senator X]

I enjoyed High Incident and I really like stories about LAPD patrol cops because my brother is one. I liked the Danny/Julien parts of The Shield. Throw in Ben McKenzie and Regina King and I'm in.

[LoveBen]

THE FUTON'S FIRST LOOK: "SOUTHLAND" (NBC)

The Futon Critic posted the first review for Southland. Read it here (spoilery!)

http://www.thefutonc...90401_southland

Kristin Eonline Spoiler Chat

Suzanne in Hickory, N.C.: Any scoop on the series finale of one of the greatest shows of all time, ER?

Shane West told E! News, “I do know the punch line for the finale…and it’s something that everybody [should] tune in and watch. They end it very well.” BTW, the pilot for Southland (the time-slot successor to ER), starring Ben McKenzie, is awesome. You will definitely still have something good to watch on NBC at 10 p.m. after ER goes off the air.

http://www.eonline.c...l_guest_in.html

Midseason TV Preview: What Should You Watch?

SOUTHLAND (NBC) - Thursday, April 9, 10 p.m.

Cast: Benjamin McKenzie, Tom Everett Scott, Regina King, Michael Cudlitz, Kevin Alejandro, Arija Bareikis

Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) is a rookie cop who’s being shown the ropes by his partner, John Cooper (the great Michael Cudlitz). As he learns about the streets and struggles with a cop’s life in L.A., which includes shooting a man dead on his first shift, the audience learns along with him. As McKenzie says, “This [cop's life] is a way of being. This is a tribe you are entering, and you are going to do it for the rest of your life, or [you are going to] die doing it.”

Verdict: With this cast, a John Wells gritty cop drama in ER’s old time slot is almost an unbeatable proposition.

http://www.eonline.c...=rss_topstories

From nbc.com -- Character Profiles (spoilery!)

Ben Sherman: http://www.nbc.com/s...herman/1075797/


John Cooper: http://www.nbc.com/s...cooper/1075791/


Lydia Adams: http://www.nbc.com/s...-adams/1075795/


Ben Mckenzie on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote Southland


Ben will be appearing on The Ellen Show on Thursday, April 2.

From the show’s website:

BEN MCKENZIE (“Southland”): He was the dreamy one on “The O.C.”! Actually, that may not narrow it down, but I do know he’s handsome. Now he’s starring as a rookie cop on the new series “Southland”… from the creators of “ER”! And he’s such a gentleman! Last time he was here, he brought me some homemade guacamole! (I’ve got my fingers crossed that tortilla chips are next!) He also told about the abandoned pit bull named Oscar that he adopted — and I can’t wait to get an update!

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/thisweek/

[KarolineCat]

First episode is up on hulu - Southland - Pilot

[flickchick85]

Hmmm...I wasn't planning on watching this show b/c I generally hate procedurals, but I decided to watch the pilot on Hulu b/c I was bored, and I'm really glad I did. Waaaay different/better than I thought it would be based on the rather annoying promos. This seems kinda like the network answer to The Wire or The Shield, and while I don't think there's any way it can measure up to either (it is on a broadcast network after all), I think I'm really gonna like this show. The cast totally clicks for me - I didn't even know Regina King was in this, and she rocks so that was a nice surprise. Same with Kevin Alejandro and Shawn Hatosy. But what really surprised me was the writing/directing. I always appreciate it when shows leave most of the melodrama at the door and don't try to manipulate me, so thanks for that, Southland. It got a little speechy/hammy there toward the end, but few pilots are perfect, so I'm definitely on board for the foreseeable future.

Oh, and I think if Ben McKenzie were playing David in Kings, I might actually like that character. He plays a very convincing and relatable rookie. After seeing how good he was in Junebug, it's nice to see him becoming more than "The Kid From The OC."

Edited by flickchick85, Apr 3, 2009 @ 12:52 AM.

[captain sam]

Yeah, the pilot was a lot better than I thought it would be. I appreciate the cast; it looks like they'll be going into some angsty places, but in a low-key way.

[justjoan]

Really? I thought it was pretty dull. I mean, it was fine, I guess, and it has a great cast (Regina King and Michael Cudlitz yaaaaay!). But overall it just felt like Generic Cop Show v. 329. Pure paint-by-numbers stuff. I'll probably keep watching for now, but only because, again, the cast is strong, and because I'm interested in their plans for Cudlitz's character. But other than that, eh. The writing was good enough, but... eh. "Good enough" isn't a very high bar. Still, other shows have started generic and gotten interesting, so we'll see.

After seeing how good he was in Junebug, it's nice to see him becoming more than "The Kid From The OC."

Heh, totally true, but I still called him "The Kid From The OC" throughout. Poor Ben!

(Should I spoiler-bar this for now? It's all pretty vague.)

[Snark Shark]

First episode is up on hulu - Southland - Pilot

I wonder if that will effect the ratings at all? Or are Hulucasts now actually counted?

Ben Sherman

Did they think McKenzie couldn't remember another name? He's already played a "Ryan". I HATE these "same name as the actors" things, and hope it was just a coincidence.

Given all the "heir to ER" b.s., why have they screwed up in part by NBC giving away the coveted timeslot soon to Chin-o? WAY to derail the "legacy" NBC!

[shotgunserenade]

I thought this was pretty promising. Plus, Ryan arrested Oliver! However, was Tom Everett Scott supposed to give off a creep vibe? I thought the acting from all of the guest actors(the three girl witnesses, and the little sister of the boy who got shot) were great.

I read that there was a gay character, and I thought it was Shawn Hatosy. However, I'm guessing that Michael Cudlitz was at a gay bar at the end of the episode.

[Zbyszko]

I don't watch many cop shows, but I really liked the pilot. But then I would watch Ben McKenzie in anything.

[noisack]

I'm guessing that Michael Cudlitz was at a gay bar at the end of the episode.

No need to guess. It's made pretty obvious.

As I feared from the trailers, there's a kind of heavy, portentous tone to the pilot that I wouldn't be crazy about on a weekly basis. But it worked well enough in a one-off situation, and if they dial down the Cudlitz character's preachiness, they'll be halfway there. I don't know if it was just because of the use of a digital camera, but there was a definite Michael Mann vibe to the pilot, although not quite as brooding. Aside from the Cudlitz/McKenzie pairing, I didn't get a very good sense of the relationships between the regulars, but the cast is certainly large enough to give them room to work.

I thought the acting from all of the guest actors(the three girl witnesses, and the little sister of the boy who got shot) were great.

Agreed. I especially loved that one girl witness with the quiet air about her.

[chilindrina]

I saw this on Hulu today, and I really liked it. Though I'm a sucker for LA based shows.

But so far, it's got my attention and I'll be tuning weekly. But, usually when I like a show starting from the pilot, it gets canceled. Hope that doesn't happen here.

Edited by chilindrina, Apr 6, 2009 @ 9:59 PM.

[EllisCarver]

I hope that kid who got shot recovers, if only to remember that "I don't bang" = Not a place.

[niklj]

I thought the pilot was okay, but this show seems to take itself waaay too seriously and trying too hard, especially with the detectives' personal lives and with the camaraderie between the cops. But I'm glad that Ponyboy is getting some work and that dude from Dirt as well.

I was so confused on Ben's character. Is he Ben McKenzie? Or what? They kept referring to him acting and whatnot...

Anyway, I'll watch the next episode at least. I don't think they've found their voice yet.

I hope that kid who got shot recovers, if only to remember that "I don't bang" = Not a place.

Gangbangers will shoot you no matter what you say.

[shrunken violet]

Not sure about this show and haven't seen the pilot yet. Can't stand that guy from The O.C. (ducks!), but I think that Third Watch was one of the best things on network TV ever, and ER certainly was worthwhile viewing for many years... so I'm inclined to give John Wells the benefit of the doubt. We'll see. The McKenzie guy might be a deal-breaker, but if it's not all him all the time, I might be able to get through the first ep.

[KarolineCat]

I was so confused on Ben's character. Is he Ben McKenzie? Or what? They kept referring to him acting and whatnot...

As I understand it, Ben, the series one, is a cop, but from a very privileged family in LA, so when exOliver gets arrested, he recognises him and assumes that this is some kind of a "Punked" tv show.
And why the writers couldn't change the character's name when they had got Ben Mc? There is a lot of confusion ahead.
Good review from "The New York Times" - Southland

[noisack]

Good review from "The New York Times"

With one glaring plot inaccuracy. The kid shot by the gangbangers doesn't die, at least not by the end of the episode. Fact checking at the Gray Lady isn't what it was. Doing less with less, no doubt.

[Bigwheels1971]

...and if they dial down the Cudlitz character's preachiness...

I haven't watched the pilot because I want to watch it at 10 tonight but that is the only part of the promos that seriously turns me off. Every time it comes on, I can't help thinking, "Are the writers serious? Who talks like that?"

Edited by Bigwheels1971, Apr 9, 2009 @ 1:28 AM.

[Sandman]

"Are the writers serious? Who talks like that?"

No kidding! Did the Cudlitz character skip police college and just watch Training Day too many times? Yeesh. Those promos aren't exactly building my confidence in the show.

[samsnee]

The pacing could pick up a little, and there were some too obvious twists and turns, but overall I liked it. Ben McKenzie is the reason I wanted to watch, as I think he's a good actor. Most of the cast clicked well. And the use of The National's "Fake Empire" scored bonus points at the end.

[OLynn]

Wasn't expecting to like this but I think I'm in. Got me to put down the laptop. That counts for something.

[jmz]

Inserting profanity just to bleep it out isn't adding to the realism, it's just *bleeping* annoying. Good show though.

[chochpbiscuit]

I liked it enough to keep watching. I was starting to get sick of the promo, so I'm glad it finally aired. I'm gonna have to get used to it being so stylized, I guess that's the right word.

Did the Cudlitz character skip police college and just watch Training Day too many times? Yeesh.

Heh. I didn't know how to describe it, but this works.

[Elais]

Couldn't make it past the first 15 minutes. Must not be into the cop shows anymore, I guess! Nice to see the show worked better for other foks.

[Mirella]

I originally watched to see Ben McKenzie, but I pretty much loved the whole cast. Good show.