When Southland premiered last spring it showed strong numbers and gave NBC its only real bonafide hit (based on premiere totals) for the spring. But as its short first season continued those ratings began to erode to the point where some weren't sure if the show would get picked up for a second season. Ultimately NBC showed it's faith in the freshman cop drama and gave it a chance this fall. NBC is once again showing its faith in this series by pushing its premiere date all the way back to October 23.
NBC claims that the reason for the move is due to the already crowded Friday night premieres on other networks, which include the PR Marketing machine that is Dollhouse, and the relaunching of Medium, on a new network this season. Jay Leno is also set to launch to fairly high numbers with so many people wonder just what his new show is going to be all about. In addition to pulling Southland out of the Friday night premiere clutter, it also gives NBC an extra month to market the new season, and to shoot for premiere numbers closer to, or higher, than last spring. So while fans may hate having to wait an extra month, in the long run the decision could serve the show's success quite well.
Source: Variety
