Southland kicked off it's second season (first season on TNT) on Tuesday and I'm once again surprised this show isn't getting more notice. Essentially its a story about a group of LA cops. A pair of patrolmen, a pair of detectives, and a pair of homicide detectives. Each of the cops has something "wrong" in their lives ranging from pain killer addiction to having a bat shit crazy wife. Ben McKenzie of The OC fame is one of the main characters and the guy has acting chops. Michael Cudlitz plays his partner in the show and he's also very very good in the "supervising officer" roll. The show reminds me of the early days of NYPD Blue and is a refreshing change from the gone to shit CSI, SVU, and other cop dramas.
I heard an interview last week on the Adam Carolla podcast with 2 of the stars, and it did sound interesting. I've just finished downloading the first season and plan on watching it this weekend.
I didn't get much love on NBC and someone asked on the last board what this show did that was any different from any other cop show on network tv. Unlike every CSI/Law and Order spin off this show is character based instead of story based. Instead of solving one mystery per show like most story based shows, this one has it's focus and story telling directly on the characters, like say the Sopranos. Im glad this show has been picked up by a cable network, hopefully a trend for the future is seeing good shows that got sacked by the terrible business models network tv use, get picked back up to tell their stories. I am excited to see how the guy from Band of Brother's character deals with his on going drug addiction as well as the cop with the photographer wife. The show does have some good characters.
The show is really, really well done. I was so disappointed to hear that NBC didn't pick it up for a second season. They'd been bitching about not having a show that people followed like the other networks. They finally got one and then shit the bed with it. So its good to see as earlier stated that TNT picked them up. The characters are interesting because of their flaws and manage to do the job in spite of them. Particularly interesting are the way the women are written, flawed, pock-marked and brilliant not simply as eye candy or as just a bitchy girl that can do her job well
Despite being character driven, the characters are only barely not one dimension cut-outs. One cop's got marital problems; one cop can't find a decent guy; one cop is addicted to oxy because of his back pain; one cop is dealing with the fall-out of trying to do the right thing. Despite what you might think, these aren't actually full characters. Each actor is asked to portray a single, defining trait -- which is too bad, because the cast is actually excellent, and takes the scraps they're given a long way. The other problem with the characters is they're boring. Not a single one of the serialized storylines (which is to say, the development of these people) makes me want to tune in, except maybe Ben's but that's only to see when & how he fails.
I think any show just needs time to expand their characters' depth. Honestly, if you go back to any big series' first season after all is said and done they usually do have over simplified character types to begin with. It takes time to add the layers.
I disagree with this assessment. The cop with the back pain who comes across as a super macho guy's guy is also hiding the fact that he's a homosexual. Ben has issues with his father and with the attack on his mother. The homicide detectives have an interesting dynamic too and their boss is definitely hiding something. I think the second season will add the layers like Kubla said. I like the fact that we're learning a little more as we go instead of being aware of everything from minute one.