Almost two months after completing its most recent run, TNT has officially renewed critically acclaimed cop drama Southland for a fifth season. Set to begin next February, season five will consist of 10 episodes that follow Sammy (Shawn Hatosy), Sherman (Ben McKenzie), Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), and Lydia (Regina King) through the streets of Los Angeles as they investigate (and solve) crime.

There had been talk of expanding the episode order for Southland from 10 to 13, but for now, at least, the number of installments is staying put. The show, famously dropped by NBC before landing at TNT in 2010, went up in the ratings during its most recent season, a rather impressive feat considering how crowded its Tuesday timeslot was for much of its run.

Going into season five, Lydia won't be as involved in the grueling side of being a detective, thanks to her pregnancy, while Cooper has to adjust to a new partner after Tang's transfer, Sammy recovers from a car accident, and Ben is forced to come to terms with how much the job has changed him. And this being Southland, you know Dewey's not too far behind, likely with a crude remark or tall tale ready for his fellow officers.

Considering the amount of change during season four, there's likely to be a casting announcement later this year of another officer to join the force. With Sammy and Sherman enduring the typical partner growing pains and Lydia finally finding partner stability with Reuben, Cooper is the lone regular without a partner following Tang's betrayal and subsequent departure. But the question is: is there anybody tough enough to handle riding along with Officer John Cooper?

Are you ready for more Southland next year? What did you think about season four, which wrapped in March? Should the show bring in anymore officers?

Southland Renewed for Season 5 by TNT

I really loved how the title was utilized during the "Underwater" episode of Southland. First, Ben was getting a piece of the local action and dove with her, revealing a great shot of them having fun under water. When Cooper and Tang found a naked man running down the street, he was doing it because he just felt a bit "under water" that day and needed to think. With the new captain in town all the P2s felt the heat and found themselves under water with the job. Pretty much every case and every cop found themselves drowning in one way or another. Brilliant title.

In a "there but for the grace of God goes I" moment, Cooper and Tang found a purse on the sidewalk with an arm attached. Detectives got to track down the vehicle involved and Lydia found a woman's head lodged inside the hood of a silver SUV. The driver, under water fiscally and on his mortgage had just found a job, had a couple drinks to celebrate and drove home. Thought he hit a coyote. Cooper and Tang found out her husband definitely wouldn't have argued the point with him, and laughed with joy at her death. It's too bad they couldn't use his reaction to help with the killer's sentencing. The law just doesn't work that way.

Lydia's new partner is having a hard time with detective work. He lives in shades of gray, and can't bring himself to punish someone who has already spent years behind bars for a false conviction. His reaction was understandable. The simple fact is none of us knows how we will handle a situation until we are in it. It's easy to point fingers and say "I would never!" But, would we? Lydia is right, our system is flawed, but it's the best we've got. That's why it takes someone with a very special touch to protect and serve. In another shout out to the title, Lydia literally went underwater taking down the perp. The house and pool used looked a lot like the one in Lakeview Terrace, not that it matters. Lydia let Reuben decide for himself what would happen with the evidence by leaving him alone with it. I wonder what choice he made.

Captain Rutger is a hoot, isn't he? The way he handled Granbo was pretty damned impressive. Who was she? Rifles, handguns, Kevlar and cats? Only in LA. I don't recall the previous captain. Was he or she killed in the shooting? Speaking of the shooting, did you notice there was only the briefest nod to what had happened? That's something that happens a lot on Southland. A story ends, and there isn't a lot of explanation. Life goes on and so do the characters. While I do wonder what happened with Lydia's old partner, for example, I don't really care and not knowing doesn't have any impact on my enjoyment while watching Southland. 

Rutger got lucky that nobody was filming him with their iPhone, but Ben wasn't as lucky when he clocked a school girl for slapping him. Sammy had his back, even though it wasn't deserved. Something's going on with Sherman. The pressure is getting to him and he's not holding it back. If he doesn't get it in check, he's going to find himself under a lot more than scrutiny than being the "it" man on a YouTube video.

Dubbed The Walking Dead, Cooper and Tang brought down a giant guy together, earning her the new nickname of Wu Tang and leading Cooper to defend them with "walking dead my ass." It's a scene that would have played much differently had Cooper still been a physical mess. Together, the little gal with the feisty attitude and the big guy with the bad back can bring down monsters. Their partnership is developing really nicely, and if things play out as they have so far, they might even be friends. Since the show seems to be delving into a little bit of the cops lives outside of the job, this might be a fun friendship to see played out.

All in all another great, understated and powerful episode of Southland.

Southland 4.2 "Underwater" Review

As I shared last week, I had the incredible experience of chatting on the phone with Mr. Michael Cudlitz, John Cooper of Southland. This is the second part of that interview. You can read the first part here. I hope you enjoy it.

Does the final scene, the shooting, have any lasting ramifications during the season?
No, not really, just residually, like most things do in our show. You know, like they asked who was it? Just some guy. I don't know if you noticed but it was actually the guy who was mouthing off to the woman outside the coffee shop.

I love how interwoven the stories are and how they blend from one incident being investigated by one squad that then turns into a murder scene.
Yes, I think we're getting much better at that. We're trying to keep this world as large as possible. The scene of me and Lucy, when I'm watching her video and she's watching me, there are about 15 cops all watching a video of the shooting. The idea is that the department is so large and everything is so vast and there are all these things happening at one time. I think shows try to make things so so small. It's huge at times and then paths cross in the most unlikely ways. At times we remind you it's an extremely large department but also how small the world is.

In bringing up the video of Lucy's character, I would have never guessed that to be the content of the video. They did such an amazing job of leading the viewers on and springing the truth on them. And the look on John's face when he realizes what the squad has been razzing her about. I loved it.
Yeah, they almost make you think it's a sex tape or something. Good! It sounds like you were really affected by it.

It's by far my favorite beat cop show on television.
We went through a lot of shows the year after us, and there is one coming up, DeNiro's show about New York rookies on the street. Rookie Blue, actually, is a lot of fun. It's a soap opera and it doesn't try to be anything else. I love it for what it is. When I saw them with their little necklaces and earrings and stuff, I thought ok, you're not really cops, but I'm going to enjoy it for what it is. They're not running around saying they're The Wire.

You stay really active on Twitter and on other social media. As a fan, being able to interact with you all makes me feel more invested in Southland.
That would be exactly what I would say. I would hope it lets the fans feel a little closer to the characters and to the show itself. I've said this from the beginning. I think social media served a large part in helping TNT pick up Southland. They had a very quick answer as to whether anyone was watching it when they had thousands and thousands of people yelling YES online immediately. I have come out very vocally on Twitter, even at the beginning when I only had 600 followers and I said, you know what, any article, any post about the show, make yourself heard. Don't tell me about it, tell them about it.

I think it's great that TNT has organized itself in a way to provide Twitter coverage not only for the network, but for the show with @Southland_TNT and there are various publicity people on the site and I hope the producers are paying attention as well.
I think they watch all of it. But it also needs to be watched in the right way. There are people on there abusing their voice, as it were. You can very quickly organize a large group to be disproportionately vocal.

Like the Nielsen families?
Well, yeah, and even that has to be watched  how it's used. It's all polling. One voice equals this many voices. Well if a hundred people say something it actually translates into 100,000 or something. I think DVR numbers and plus 7s make a difference, especially on cable.

When you see fantastic shows that aren't being watched, it is so depressing. I am lucky that given my writing I can affect someone. Not many perhaps, but I can at least have the hope that someone is listening to me.
Well, if you affect even one person who knows someone who is a Nielsen family, they can tell them to watch, you've touched a million people.  I think all the baby steps make up the much larger picture.

When Season 4 was renewed, did they talk about throwing in a Season 5 of Southland in with the renewal? Where does it stand?
No, we're year to year just like the other shows. Of course, if our numbers initially increase by a million people they may say early on that they want another season because they'll know there's a future for the show and it's good press. Right now, the only thing that's missing is about a half a million to a million people. We were heading in that direction toward the end of last season so we're really excited about what this season has to offer. We were on a positive upward trend.

Lucy Liu is joining us, Lou Diamond Phillips is with us for an episode. I think we have very much to offer, you know, if the vein of a Dexter where you tune in for wonderful guest stars coming in, people who "get" the show. We don't cater to the guests, but they are excited to be a part of what we have already created. We're not bringing Lucy on because of the old Heather Locklear move of the 80s, they're bringing her on because they think she'll be a good fit with the show and obviously I needed a new partner.

A lot of people questioned her casting, but it really does work.

That final scene of the first episode really kicked it into gear. That makes me want to see what's coming forward. Are there other guest stars this season?
There are, but none as long as Liu. Lou Diamond may be back. C Thomas Howell is on a lot more this year.

It seems like a lot of characters on Southland end up in rehab.
Well, John went because of his back and the pain medication he was taking due to severe pain and I think a lot of people could identify with that. He comes back lighter and in a lot of ways different than he was last season. It's nice to see John get out of the car and not have to be assisted. There's a whole different energy that is really exciting to play. I'm really finding John again, all over again.

I get to run and jump, get hit and fight and fight back! It's a lot of fun.

What else are you doing in 2012? Anything outside of Southland?
I have a film that I produced and starred in with Melanie Griffith that we just finished that will be doing the festival circuit in 2012. It's called The Grief Tourist. And we'll what happens with that.

Is that a comedy?
It is not a comedy. It's about as far from a comedy as you can get. It's very much in the vein of Zodiac. The guy tracks serial killers as a hobby and every year he goes on a pilgrimage and follows in the footsteps of the killer he was studying that year. Living in their shoes for four or five days. It's a wonderful character study about a guy who is in search of intimacy and has issues with it. We're in the final stages of all the artwork and it went out to all of the festivals this week.

I wish Mr. Cudlitz all the best with Southland Season 4 and his movie The Grief Tourist. Southland airs on TNT Tuesdays at 10pm Eastern time. Don't miss it!

Southland: Chatting with Michael Cudlitz (Part 2)

Giving reality shows a run for the money, SouthLAnd returned tonight with a season 4 premiere, "Wednesday" that is as raw and gritty as you will get on a show about cops. If you watched through the first three seasons, you've become accustomed to the realism with which the show is produced and the characters portrayed. They hold nothing back and the stories are better for it.

SouthLAnd's return brings a reboot of sorts. Ben (Ben McKenzie) dropped the gauntlet on Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) and demanded he get help. Hard to hear from a boot, but it was taken in the right spirit and John Cooper returned a new man. Lydia (Regina King) was dealing with a partner who treated her like gum on the bottom of her shoe, which was only exacerbated when Lydia (unknowingly) started dating said partner's much younger son. Seems the entire family has taken a sabbatical, and any chance to get Lydia out from under the thumb of an oppressive partner and back to the strong detective we knew in earlier seasons is welcome.

Ben, ever a boot and still in training, is now partnered with Sammy, preparing for life as a single father. Ben holds his job in the utmost respect, and while he still has a lot to learn, compromising his values isn't in the cards. He is immediately at odds with a new officer, Ferguson (Lou Diamond Phillips), a tactless veteran of the streets who's harried by his job, just wants to get it done and get home. Don't expect him to be bursting out a tune from La Bamba any time soon.

The intro of Ferguson is finally a match for Dewey (C Thomas Howell), equally as ignorant and in bad taste as himself. I've always thought the casting of Howell as this disagreeable pain in the ass to be brilliant. It's against what anyone would have expected of him from his youth, which makes him all the more compelling to watch.

Lucy Liu joins the cast as Cooper's new partner, Jessica Tang. Young and good looking, there's a running gag throughout the episode about a video of her on YouTube and the men razz her mercilessly. The ribbing prompts her to ask for John specifically as her partner because he's not going to be interested in what she has to offer, so to speak. When I heard she had been cast, I was skeptical. Once she graced the screen, all doubts were wiped away. Liu owns the role and watching this new pairing on the Hollywood beat is promising.

Some of my favorite stories from "Wednesday" that set the bar for things to come:

• Lydia dealing with a former CI who pushed her giving heart to the very edge. She walks a very fine line between being too close to her cases and just close enough to get the most out of her suspects. The same is true of her informants. The CI was incredibly annoying and pushing her limits, but Lydia refused to give up on her. She didn't get what she wanted, but Lydia didn't turn her in either, which she had every right to do. Finding her at the end, stuffed into a cooler floating in the ocean she had never seen rocked Lydia to her core.
• While Ben and Sammy were running down a shooter, Ferguson and Dewey were left watching the victim. The shooter ended up dying in a public restroom between two crappers while a little kid poked a stick into the open wound of the vic, nobody bothering to stop him. That scraped Ben's last nerve and he and Ferguson practically came to blows.
• Jessica's dire need to eat out of "Truck Norris" for lunch was hilarious. At first I thought she wanted to go to the truck because Chuck Norris was there. Confusing, that. When an old dude commits suicide right in front of Cooper and Jessica, she's just pissed to learn the truck had left and they missed lunch.
• A shooter fires into the station and Ferguson shows what he's made of, gravely wounded in the process. Nobody has a clue who he is or why he's there. While everyone is watching news coverage of the shooting, Jessica is watching Cooper as he watches her video online. Never in a million years would I have imagined what he saw. That they were able to string us along for the entire hour and blow our minds with the truth is what makes SouthLAnd one of the best damn dramas on television.

If they would have played the entire season in one night, I would have watched every episode. A fantastic debut, new partnerships to explore and all with the backing of TNT - they really do know drama.

Southland: "Wednesday" 4.01 Review

I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Michael Cudlitz of Southland earlier this month via telephone in a lengthy interview. While I could juice it up and add my own quips and analyze his thoughts, I thought he did an incredible job of that himself.

Below is part one of a two part interview. The second part will be published after the show airs so that you can get some insight into Southland's premiere episode, and hear Michael tackle different topics such as ratings, social media and what other projects he has coming up.

I've seen the premier of Southland and it is absolutely fabulous!

We are so proud of the show, and we're doing what we really a want to do so far as tell the stories we want. TNT is so fantastic about being behind us. Everyone always jokes, 'Oh, are you just selling the show?' Yeah, we're selling the show but it's easy to sell because we're doing what we want to do and we live or die by that. If the show goes off the air tomorrow, we will have felt like we did what we wanted to do. Not like oh, the network wanted us to do this because maybe it would work, but really it didn't. This is a business of excuses of we'll have none of that.

Can you imagine what the show would be like if NBC hadn't passed on it three years ago?

It would have been a very different show. They have so many other issues going on with their network, and with networks in general, to get a hit these days is such the anomaly. Every year there is one or two hit shows on networks, but some years go by where there is just nothing.

Cable has been able to give viewers programs that make you think and make you want to watch television.

I think the last big his was NCIS LA, in terms of numbers and really blowing the competition out of the water.

But I don't know anybody personally who actually watches the show. I'd love to know where these people are.

Hey, let me know if you find out. I'd love to give them a few Southland fliers.

The things that take place on Southland are so gritty and so real, it just amazes me.

I always say this, we're not telling new stories. Everything that you've seen on our show you've probably seen somewhere else, but we're telling it in a way that you've never seen it before.

Like I said, I've seen the premiere and I think it really upped the ante and changed things up. Your character, at the end of Southland season 3 really hit rock bottom and you got an opportunity to redeem yourself in season four by not only coming back as a completely new John Cooper but you also got to come back as a new Michael Cudlitz with your physique. Was that fun for you?

What do you think? It was great! Do you think we sold it, do you think I come off as completely fit. In terms of everything about it. Not just the opening scenes in the gym.

I could tell you looked different just from the commercials, you were the uniform in a completely new way. Did you have to gain weight for the past season or how did that all come about?

I put on about 12 pounds by the end of last season. I did it as a posture thing, for the way John carries himself. I knew he was not able to be as active as he had been, with being on the pills and being lethargic so I knew it would change him not just in terms of the way he carries himself but in weight. So I did, I stopped doing my cardio, slipped off my diet a little bit. You see me in the car, especially episode 9, when I'm sleeping in the car and it's just  hideous. I see it and I'm sort of disgusted by it (he laughs).

They came to me about two months before hand and said we know you had an idea this might happen, but we really want you to come back fit. We want you to really take that seriously. Nobody said I had to lose weight, but I just took it as an opportunity as a reason to turn up the work outs in my life and in John's life, visually.

I got to see it on the big screen. It's something they do to get the whole crew energized. It's an extremely collaborative environment. The scenes don't live unless everyone's doing their jobs. Right down to the guy who's grabbing you a bottle of water because you're locked into the car by cameras. Everyone is integral to the process, unlike anything I've ever been on.

What's it like for Cooper to return to the Hollywood beat and what does it do for the story?

If you look at the crimes this year, there are much more gang related and gang specific crimes that Sammy and Ben are dealing with and if you look at the stuff that me and Lucy are dealing with, it's much more personal and domestic crime, which tends to lend itself to a lighter tone. Even though the stuff can be pretty hideous, the people you're dealing with are more ridiculous figures than dangerous figures.

It seems like Lucy's character is a little lighter than John would be, especially during a specific scene in the premiere when she's overly concerned with catching her favorite lunch truck.

There is a little bit of wonderful, dark humor in there. It helps remind everyone why they are there and that they all have a different agenda and a different way of approaching the job. There are a lot of cops out there that think that adult consensual crimes should be eliminated. If you want to kill yourself, go kill yourself. If you want to drugs in the privacy of your own home, go for it. If you want to pick up a prostitute, go get one. These are things that do not necessarily effect anyone else. By extension they do, and because they are illegal they do.

Do you expect Ben and John to come to any sort of understanding this season? I've always thought under different circumstances the characters would make great friends.

There's an interesting dynamic between them. The way I describe it is as a parent and a child. He will always be John's boot. These are my charges that I am responsible for. It's an interesting dynamic when we meet, there is nothing loaded on my end when I say anything, but John has enough experience to know he fucked up enough that needs to give Ben times to come to terms with it. I think by the end of the season the audience will be pleased with where that relationship goes.

Will you be exploring John's sexuality during the season?

We do a little bit. In episode five, but it's more about who John is than who he is dating.

It seems like mention of it in the past episodes have been intertwined with his drug usage and in doing that it painted his sexuality in a negative light. It would be nice to see the more human side of John and his sexuality outside the realm of his addiction.

Sure. And I think we will have some of that clarified in episodes having nothing to do with drugs and being nothing other than who he is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fourth season of Southland premieres Tuesday, January 17th at 10:00 on TNT.

I asked Michael for a takeaway, why should people watch Southland? His answer: Because it's one of the best damn things on television. Right after the show they'll be extremely happy and if they haven't watched it before, give it a shot!

I couldn't agree more. Be sure to follow Michael Cudlitz on Twitter @cutlitz.

Southland: Michael Cudlitz Talks Up Season Four

At the end of Southland's third season, major change happened. After dealing with the loss of one of their own not long ago, the LAPD members had their partner assignments jumbled up for the first time in the show's run. Lydia's no stranger to a rotating cast of characters joining her in the other car seat, but Sherman/Cooper have been together since episode one and Sammy's still feeling a little lost without Nate around.

In the season four sneak peek, we get a taste of the new character played by Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels), whose participation in the TNT drama was announced this past August. Though we don't get a lot of personal details in the brief clip, it's plain as day that Cooper's found a partner that can go toe-to-toe with him immediately and properly bust his chops whenever the moment calls for it. Sherman and Sammy are paired this season, as well, and I think that they can bring a little balance to one another, with Sherman's newfound confidence helping to dissuade whatever remaining fears Sammy may still be having.

But before you head into season four, be sure to check out the character profiles for each of the main four LAPD members to refresh your memory. In the span of less than 10 minutes, you can relive Cooper's addiction to pills, Sammy's marital trouble, Lydia's brush with fame (and infamy), and Sherman's growing pains, plus check out a full season three rewind to see how they all intertwined. Southland may center on pairs of officers and detectives doing their job to protect the streets, but at the end of the day, everybody on that force is connected parts of the living, breathing that is the LAPD.

The fourth season of Southland premieres Tuesday, January 17th at 10:00 on TNT.

Southland: Season 4 Sneak Peek and New Character Profiles

Southland won't be premiering its fourth season until this January, but news has started to come in as to where things will stand when we rejoin Lydia, John, Sammy, and Ben. One big piece of news is that Lucy Liu has joined the cast as a member of the LAPD; there are no character details that have leaked nor have the number of episodes Liu will appear in been confirmed, but she's said to appear throughout the season.

Though primarily a film actress, Lucy Liu may be best known for her Emmy-nominated performance in Ally McBeal as Ling Woo, the vicious villain that terrorized Cage & Fish for several seasons. Her last role in live action series television was in the second season of Dirty Sexy Money, though Liu has done animated work and a successful Lifetime miniseries in the time since.

What do you think about Lucy Liu joining the cast next season? What role do you think her character will play in the dynamic of the show?

Lucy Liu Joins TNT's Southland for Upcoming Season

Today marked the day that the NBC-turned-TNT show Southland's second season made its debut on DVD. And what better way to celebrate that release than with a giveaway! That's right, TVOvermind readers: one of you could win a copy of Southland: The Complete Second Season on DVD: and all you have to do is Tweet!

Like all TVOvermind contest, the rules are so simple. Sometime between now and Saturday, May 28, simply get on your Twitter account and tweet the following:

I'm following @TVOvermind for a chance to win a copy of #Southland season 2! http://bit.ly/jiP6M3

Easy, right? And it's certainly worth it. We'll let winners know that they've won sometime next week, so keep Tweeting until Saturday, May 28 at 9/8c -- that's when the contest ends.

Season 4 of Southland will start airing in the fall, following up the conclusion of season 3's run which happened in March. If you don't want to enter the contest and would rather just buy the set, head on over to the WB Shop and do just that.

TVOvermind's Southland Season 2 DVD Giveaway!

TNT has announced that gritty cop drama Southland has been renewed for a fourth season. Though no premiere date has been announced just yet, I'd imagine it'd be around the time that this season premiered, which was in early January. The show was picked up for another 10 episodes after enduring severe budget cuts this season and having ratings near or above their averages from last season. Southland is one of TNT's most critically loved shows and has maintained a steady, vocal fanbase after having some pretty tumultuous beginnings. After premiering on NBC Thursday nights as the type of edgy counter-programming to the network's comedy night that produced a phenomenon in ER, the show was canceled before the second season ever aired, with NBC saying that the show was just too dark for their line-up. Cut to TNT coming to the rescue, airing the first six NBC episodes along with the episodes that had already been produced for the second season in one big block.Now that Southland has more or less established itself, can we please get the show some Emmy attention?!

TNT Renews Acclaimed Drama Series SOUTHLAND

TNT's critically acclaimed drama series SOUTHLAND will return for a fourth season. TNT has ordered 10 new episodes of the gritty, realistic cop drama, which wrapped up its third season March 8. SOUTHLAND stars Michael Cudlitz (Band of Brothers, A River Runs Through It), Shawn Hatosy (Dexter, Public Enemies), Regina King (Ray, Jerry Maguire) and Ben McKenzie (The O.C.). The series has averaged 2.9 million viewers this season, up 6% compared to the second season.

SOUTHLAND comes to TNT from John Wells Productions and Emmy(R)-winning producer John Wells (ER, The West Wing), in association with Warner Bros. Television. Created by Emmy(R) winner Ann Biderman (NYPD Blue, Public Enemies), the series is executive-produced by Emmy(R) winners Christopher Chulack (ER, Third Watch) and Wells. Chulack is also a primary director of the series. Andrew Stearn (Shameless, The West Wing) is co-executive producer.

"SOUTHLAND has been acknowledged by many critics as one of the sharpest, most entertaining and most authentic dramas on television today," said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "John Wells, Chris Chulack and their teams created a brilliant roller coaster ride this season, with countless riveting scenes and unforgettable character arcs. We are extremely proud to have SOUTHLAND on TNT and to bring it back for a fourth season."

TNT's renewal of SOUTHLAND marks the latest chapter for a series that found a new home on television's premier drama network in 2010, after an outpouring of fans and critics campaigned to keep the series alive. SOUTHLAND has redefined the police drama genre with its raw, authentic look at the lives and work of Los Angeles detectives and beat cops. Shot on location in the streets and neighborhoods of Los Angeles, SOUTHLAND captures an environment where similar situations can and often do occur in real life.

In SOUTHLAND, King stars as Detective Lydia Adams, who this year has faced a difficult adjustment period with a new partner and a suspension over leaked crime-scene photos. Officer John Cooper (Cudlitz) is a seasoned cop whose addiction to painkillers is interfering with his performance on the job. His partner, Officer Ben Sherman (McKenzie), came to him as a rookie but is now growing up fast on the force. Detective Sammy Bryant (Hatosy) is part of the LAPD's gang task force who is still reeling from the murder of his partner.

About TNT

TNT, one of cable's top-rated networks, is television's destination for drama. Seen in 100.5 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy(R) winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; HawthoRNe, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher; and Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells (ER); as well as the upcoming Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle, and Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting in late 2011, The Mentalist; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R); and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Read more:Breaking News - TNT Renews Acclaimed Drama Series "Southland" | TheFutonCritic.comhttp://thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/03/22/tnt-renews-acclaimed-drama-series-southland-518314/20110322tnt01/#ixzz1HMAKBZey

Southland Renewed by TNT

Southland is one of the best cop shows currently on television.  It is now in its third season airing on TNT after NBC foolishly cancelled it after only a few episodes.  I have to admit, when it first aired on NBC, I was taken aback by the grittiness of the show and all the bleeps that are needed because of the language used.  Now, I am so glad it was given a second chance, and I realize that the same grittiness and language are part of what makes the show unique and real.  However, the best part of the show are the characters. For those of you who do not watch the show there are some spoilers in the below article.

Southland follows different levels of police working the streets of Los Angeles.  The first set of cops are the patrol cops, lead by the team of the "rookie" officer Ben Sherman played by the OC's Benjamin MacKenzie and his "mentor" officer John Cooper played by Michael Cudlitz.   At first you may think that this is just another show where the young inexperienced new guy does not know anything about policework and has to be shown the ropes by another older, wiser cop.  There is some of that, but then the show takes it further, giving the two characters rich back stories. They throw at you the fact that officer Sherman became a cop because his mom was raped and he was beat up by the same attacker when he was a child.  Then it is revealed that officer Cooper is a closet homosexual who is also addicted to pain pills.  When you add these two characters together to partner up and patrol the mean streets of L.A. you get quite a combination.

The second set of detectives are the homicide detectives, lead by Lydia Adams, played brilliantly by Regina King.  Detective Adams is the fearless female cop, who is not afraid to mouth off to her superiors, and who eats, sleeps, and breathes her job.  That is portrayed in the fact that she has a non-existant love life and is hardly ever home.  She also cannot keep a steady partner after her long time partner detective Russell Clarke, played by Tom Everett Scott is shot and injured.  She cannot keep a partner because she cannot get along with any of them.  That is because she is not a fan of cooperation, as she needs to be the one in charge.  Lydia knows how to use a shot gun and is not afraid to use it, yet she also has compassion for the victims and family members of the cases she investigates.  That is why she gets things done and solves the cases the other detectives cannot seem to solve.

The last set of detectives are the cops in the gang squad centered on detectives Sammy Bryant and Nate Moretta.  Bryant and Moretta  are also shown to have complicated personal lives.  Bryant's marriage is on the rocks and Moretta is trying to balance his family life with his job.  At the same time, being the great cops that they are, they are not afraid to mix it up with the most dangerous criminals in all of LA to solve murders.  Kevin Alejandro, who plays Moretta is a wonderful character actor featured in many television shows over the past few seasons, most recently on Parenthood and True Blood.  In fact, according to some sources his job on True Blood is the reason that detective Moretta was unfortunately just written off the show.   It is however, the nature of his exit that proves Southland is an excellent television show.  The last five minutes of the episode that just aired Tuesday, entitled "Code 4" was some of the most powerful and heartbreaking television I have seen in long time.  A truly believeable and amazing acting job was done by Shawn Hatosy who portrays detective Bryant.  Moretta's departure also sets up a great story line for the rest of the season and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

While Southland is in a highly competitive time slot against some other great shows such as the Good Wife, Parenthood, and White Collar, it is really worth checking out.  Isn't that what we have DVR's for anyway? If we are not using them so that we do not miss out on quality shows such as this one it is a real shame.

Why You Should Be Watching Southland

Southland fans have reason to celebrate. The once dead-on-the-vine hardcore cop show has been rescued yet again. Although, to hear TNT talk it hardly needed rescuing. The cable channel issued a press release informing fans that Southland will receive a ten-episode third season based on its performance. Who really knows what performance means in the cable channel world, but we are glad Southland will continue.  Here's the word from TNT:

TNT Renews Acclaimed Series Southland for Third Season

TNT has booked a third season of its critically acclaimed drama Southland, from Warner Bros. Television and Emmy®-winning producer John Wells (ER, The West Wing). The network has ordered 10 episodes for the third season, which is slated to begin airing in January 2011.

“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). “These qualities have made Southland a favorite among critics and appointment viewing for an extremely loyal audience.”

Created by Emmy® winner Ann Biderman (NYPD Blue, Public Enemies), Southland takes a raw, authentic look at police work in Los Angeles. The series focuses on officers, detectives and members of a gang unit as they endure the triumphs and tragedies that populate their lives both on and off the job. The series is shot on location in the streets and neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

Southland’s ensemble cast includes Kevin Alejandro (Drive, Ugly Betty); Arija Bareikis (Crossing Jordan); Clifton Collins Jr. (Capote, Star Trek); Michael Cudlitz (Band of Brothers, A River Runs Through It); Shawn Hatosy (Alpha Dog); Regina King (Ray, Jerry Maguire); Michael McGrady (The Thin Red Line, Day Break); Ben McKenzie (The O.C.); and Tom Everett Scott (Boiler Room, That Thing You Do). Southland is executive-produced by Wells, Biderman and Emmy® winner Christopher Chulack (ER, Third Watch), who also serves as a primary director of the series.

TNT picked up Southland after the series was dropped by NBC prior to the launch of its second season. TNT presented an encore of the seven-episode first season beginning in January 2010, followed by a premiere run of the six-episode second season beginning in March 2010.

For its second season on TNT, Southland has averaged 2.7 million viewers, with 1.4 million adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. The show enjoys great loyalty among viewers, as shown by the use of time-shifted viewing. According to the most recent Live + 7 deliveries, the second season of Southland has grown its total audience by 50% compared to Live viewing (26% compared to Live + Same Day). Among adults 18-49, the boost is 68% vs. Live (32% vs. Live + Same Day). Among adults 25-54, the bump is 62% vs. Live (33% vs. Live + Same Day). The show’s median age (47) is the lowest of any TNT original series.

Warner Bros. Television (WBTV) is one of the entertainment industry’s most respected providers of original content, producing award-winning drama and comedy series for both broadcast network television and cable. WBTV is currently producing 20 primetime series, with at least one show on each of the five broadcast networks. New programs include the one-hour drama The Vampire Diaries, the #1 show on The CW; the half-hour comedy The Middle and the hour-long V for ABC; the one-hour action-drama Human Target for Fox; Miami Medical, from Jerry Bruckheimer Television, for CBS; and the upcoming Shameless, from John Wells Productions, for Showtime. Continuing programs include TV’s #1 comedy among Adults 18-49 in The Big Bang Theory, TV’s #1 comedy among Households and Total Viewers in Two and a Half Men, the #1 new program of 2008-2009 among Households and Total Viewers in The Mentalist, the Julia Louis-Dreyfus–starring comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine and veteran drama Cold Case for CBS; the #1 new program of 2008-2009 among Adults 18-49 in Fringe for Fox; Chuck for NBC; and Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Smallville and Supernatural for The CW. WBTV also produces The Closer for TNT.

TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; HawthoRNe, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott; the upcoming Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; and Southland, from Emmy®-winning producer John Wells (ER). TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and Numb3rs; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Southland Gets a Third Season