"The question is whether prime-time network TV needs another cop drama right now given the fact that viewers are far more focused on the economy than big-city crime these days."

That may be the question, but in my opinion more people will still probably tune in to a gritty cop drama than a West Wing-ish show set in the Treasury Department.

Hi, You are probably right. But it will be interesting to see, I think. Cop dramas have not been faring that well lately, but that could be due to problems with specific shows, not the genre. Thanks. Z

I am a huge ER fan. So I saw the overwhelming ads for this show. I decided to give it a shot and watch it online last night. It was amazing. I loved every second of it. I think it has a real shot if people were intrigued by the previews like I was. Guess we will know after tonight. Give it a chance. It was worth it for me.

i hope this show is better then the ones i wach i have seen previews and it seem to be ok. i loved er. im a big fan of er so i hope i can be a big fan to this show to

"My second thought: Ten years ago, I would have raved about Southland, but now, what I mainly feel is been there, done that. I wondered whether I had changed, or the genre had burned itself out and this was just another example of the dying embers."
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It's the latter. We've already seen this with Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, Third Watch, etc. Other than a few interesting moments, it was nothing special or new. The only unique aspect is the lack of background music throughout the show. It allowed the natural sounds (and silence) to come through. Too bad the script wasn't as unique.

Been there and done that. Not only with Hill Street Blues, but also Homicide, Miami Vice, and The Shield. All better because they made you see police and society differently.

This one felt like a police version of ER, trainee and trainer having to deal with the mayhem of their worlds, repeating some of the same general lines at times, only I prefer Green and Carter to this pair.

Too bad because smartly produced, but unoriginal.

Charlie

I guess because I never got into the other cop shows like Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice etc. I can’t say been there, done that. I was intrigued by the pilot and will return to watch the next episode. It’s a breath of fresh air for me because I’m so sick of reality TV. Even though this is about the lives of police officer’s, it keeps my interest and made me want to get to know the character more. I hope it survives because there aren’t t too much good shows on TV to watch these days. I can count what I watch faithfully on one hand.

I thought Southland was great. It fills a void by being more realistic than most of the cop shows on TV right now. It isn't about flashy science and DNA testing, but about regular police work. The realism of it is what I appreciate the most.

I also thought it was great that the cast isn't entirely made up of detectives or SWAT. Its good to see some uniformed officers get some notice for a change.

I will keep watching!

It tries hard to be a cross between ABC and HBO gritty but ultimately it is fairly empty and hard to follow for me. The Supertramp music that cuts off before it makes a statement is pretty much the problem with this show. It is trying to be art house, trying to be gritty, trying to be non-linear, trying to be he best of the worst of everday cop reality. There is promise with the rookie and the superior's relationship. But it too comes across as a disjointed series of lines that are trying hard to be art house or Pulp fiction style cool fused with reality. It's like- If you have the character's talk about this and that- if you discuss the realities of being black in a real and worst case fashion then bingo art work, great must see TV. It doesn't work that way. You don't come up with gimmicks first and then leave it at that. That's the cute comic strip trying to sell merchandise like it is Garfield which is too old school now anyway after the kids got into the latest duplication of the technology they already own That's college level creating or like a production by Max Fisher on Rushmore. Except that his works has the great enjoyment factors built in and the live factor going for them. Fisher's stuff is like driving around outside of town and accidently getting to participate in a wild highschool football game and eat great cheap junkfood and then maybe ride around while there is the ringing of the bell and the honking of the horns after the game. In a hilarious and cool way that experience is great especially because it is spontaneous. And you get to see the real people in spontaneous ways that is a separate art-like statement in and off its self- Max with the kids and so trying to make stuff good and so on how they interact on this level.
On the otherhand Southland does not offer that kind of fun or ability because it is a bigtime Television drama and I can't go to say a cool diner as part of the evening and feel like that is part of the experience or I can but it doesn't feel that way. So I am left wondering where is the plotline, the reason to get interested in the characters, the arc, of if you are going mainstream arty-the non-linear scenes that generate meaning and excitement and the expression life like Pulp Fiction. And the answer is that this is a work that is empty and lacks substance- the traction to make it more successful. I want to like this show a lot more but for example the shooting of the cop seems just like the gimmick of a Max Fisher and again without the cool factors to make it work. I will give the creators an A for using Pulp Fictions gimmick of having the start of the show at the end that is cool but where is the character development, the substance in the plot, and Pulp Fiction showed you could do this without backgrounds of the characters. And that's one of the
biggest problems here- the characters are generic not because they are they are not in fact but because they just give off "cool" lines (cool with that annoying quote sign we make) and there was so much more to it in the Pulp Fiction world. You'd have to ask a French critic to expand on that one but trust gimmicky lines alone did not do it. For starters where was the action? And therein lies the problem: the show doesn't really register much because it's a gimmick. The show and even the direction makes me feel detached to it and like I don't especially care to watch it. Yet I am drawn to it wanting it to reach its potential. This is what I want even though it's a cop show and man the substance in the pie is so unfulfilling. Or it's like going to the place with the great Turkish wraps and fries and it looks like Mc.Donalds when you want turkish with a lot of Turkish people and so on and bite to the place, the expeirence is diminished. Albeit the food is still great in that place.
Southland is only different from the other cop shows that show us the eccentric guy on the street and then the culture around him and how it is cool to watch in that it cuts all of that out. The paragraphs of explanation and morals or whatever and then the chase stuff. But in this case cutting out the chase doesn't make it more intelligent and good, it just makes it less exciting. If you are going to cut all of that out you've got to offer the alternative and in this show it is not there. In Southland, we are only supposed to be focusing on the being cops characters and they are nothing more than the Chick from Cold Case. I get that we are supposed to conclude being a cop is hard and either you can or you can't and if you can't get out of the kitchen. I get that line tacked on about we are doing God's work. It's like look we are showing a black person being positive give us brownie points and tune in next week. But there is nothing to all of that. It's like saying a statement about the importance of a race or group of people to justify the importance of a film. I want to have 3-D examples of the behavior of characters, more things going on in the scenes that cause us to reflect on life in multiple levels and so on. That was why Pulp Fiction one of the originators of this type of non-linear events just happen and little background or set-up works was so great and this is a disappointment. I see how Theo and Vincent are detached by trying so hard to be cool in the Cheese Burger Royal scene in the direction and the dialogue that occurs in that car. Just the fact that it is like a tomb to show they are detached and killing themselves or dead from the rest of society. I get a statement on life that is action-packed, surprising and cool with the bring Mia back to life scene of Pulp. And so on, take it from there.
And I get the arty stuff too with Pulp which is the work of subconsciously manipulating the mind to make this stuff have more punch in our heads. Here in Southland I get a detached, distantish shot of a severed hand or whatever and the dude throwing up in the distance. Much better would have been to follow the rookie in a more you are there, in your face way and have him be surprised in ways that would reveal who he is and get us to like him without background but through action and then suddenly and in your face the superior would put him down like he is the bad guy. Then later make you realize he is there for him and supporting him in a cool way. And also play with the environment more- I love that the show is not a formula piece with the typical structure of law and order but underneath it is that kind of show in the end. And we have an opportunity to see settings like with the guy who talks about the cat where more of this art film non-linear no background stuff can be brought to life like in Pulp fiction. Diners and other fun places can be part of it. Everything is detached in this work- the settings, the characters, evertying even the music. When did it become cool to have the music play like you are trying to say music in music is not cool. If you have music you use it like in Pulp. Did anyone put it down for being so blantant in exploiting songs- maybe but I only heard how it is the greatest soundtrack ever. So ultimately I have to say Southland is a great idea but shallow with no 3D substance to it and based on the pilot this is not going to be corrected. Too bad. Now Alias was a show that not only had cool action in the pilot that was a great take-off on say James Bond but also the substance of getting to know the characters and so on. And the consequences for the actions that surprised you on a variety of levels. The settings were kind of lame in Alias and there was a TV wasteland feel to it on at least one level but the substance just over rode all of that.
Maybe the creators of Southland should have studied Alias and Pulp Fiction before they created this one.
But then when they have to pump Southland in the theater with an hour of ads before the film and maybe that one should have been studied too- that would be Slumdog Millionaire, my eyes were wide open during that one and without saying why don't I like it more. My eyes were wide-open for Southland and I was saying I want to like this c'mon make me like you please and then I feel llike I was cheated. And dammit now I'm going to have to watch Celebrity Apprentice to try to find something to watch on TV for my weekly show or shows. The problem is pretty obvious- you can be a blueprint of this type of art house deal but then you are like the college film but without the factors that make watching the college more of an experience and seeing the kids reactions and going to the university maybe eating there beforehand. Instead you are just the exterior without the filling. Southland has the right ingredients for the pie but they are tasteless and bland and make me feel detached from the diner, and the diner is the right type but too generic so I don't care and I'm seated at the wall as well and facing a blank wall. Oh and the coffee has no punch to it or even a cool mug around it. Future show makers don't make these mistakes- be bold and creative and daring like a Pulp Fiction- don't just paint by numbers or fill in the dots on what you think makes for a cool arty TV show. Wow this is way too copious for a show that we are probably not going to remember. Is there anything better for me to watch on TV coming up?

Hi Donny, Thank you so much for sharing these insights with the blog readers. And your comments are not too copious, they are great, and I thank you for the insight, energy and passion. Z

Bill -

Too long, didn't read.

I saw the previews for Southland in the weeks leading up to its premier, and thought "why not, I'll check it out." Well, kudos to the people who made the trailers, because they did a better job of sucking me in than the show did.

The constant bleeping of swear words was grating to me. First off, if they were trying to be gritty and realistic, great, except the bleeping came off more as comical and hackneyed.

The characters mostly came off as intensely unlikeable or incredibly drab. The sole exception was Ben McKenzie, who I actually thought did a good job. But when your supporting cast is made up of jerks and cardboard cutouts, you can only go so far.

But the real kicker, and the nail in the coffin for me, was the brother's shooting. I'm totally fine with violence, but the way it was executed (no pun intended) was completely asinine.

The gang that shot him pulled up to him in the car and shot him at point blank range, yet he survived. He survived being shot six or seven times in the torso at point blank range. Now to be fair, he was in critical condition, but my god! He's either the luckiest person in history or he's the second coming.

So all in all, not a good replacement for ER, or anything for that matter.

I was looking forward to this show. But was Very disappointed. It stands no chance against any of the CSI shows.

This was a great show, somewhat realistic, needs to be given a chance to grow...I love cop shows, and this is a good one, but will there be enough room for shocks and surprises? So many shows like Hill street blues, Adam 12, Dragnet, and even Law & order. I am surprised they have chosen L.A. There have been so many shows based on California P.D's I will keep watching. Hopefully the writers can keep the cop show fans entertained

Whatever Wallace!!! Get of your Pulp Fiction fix.

Am I the only one who heard "show me your b----" and "don't be a p----" on regular TV???? I have kids-unacceptable! I didn't hear any bleeping on my end.

Hi Denise: I think you can see from my deletion of some of the letters in the two questionable words that I think there are some limits as well in what's acceptable in mainstream language. I am also surprised that more commenters here have not raised the point -- though, I now think I should have, perhaps, done so in the review. Let's hope others will question it, and we have not become so desensitized that we think this is ok in prime time on network TV. Thanks. Z

I LOVED IT!!!

I've never....ever....watched cop shows in the past, so this IS new to me. I think it's great. The premiere show was very emotional for me....I'll watch this every week.

fastest hour I have seen since the beginning of 'lost'

I am so happy to see a new a new series being filed in the greater Los Angeles area.

It seems that L.A. can compete with Toronto and N.Y.

Thanks. Ray