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UPDATE: 
I'm told the network will make these announcements probably Monday. That NBC considers the John Wells/Warner Bros-produced cop show Southland enough of a hit to pickup for 13 episodes demonstrates how hard-up the network is. And NBC Universal doesn't even own the series and instead is paying through the nose for it. On Thursday, Southland scored only a households 4.4 rating/7 share, and in the key demographic of adults 18-49, just a 2.1 rating. Same thing with Parks And Recreation which unfortunately isn't worthy of Amy Poehler's immense talent. The sitcom from Universal Media Studios registered a households 3.3 rating/5 share, and among adults 18-49, a 2.3 rating.
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Hit Shmit, at least it’s a great quality show. One of the best new dramas in years.
Go Regina King and Ben Mckenzie!
There’s a reason audiences have run away from this show — Southland is a predictable, by-the-numbers Third Watch rehash. At least this time John Wells is plagiarizing from himself. Maybe this 13-ep pick-up was the cost of getting those extra ER episodes, because there is sure as shit no logical reason on earth why NBC would pick up this show after its performance these last two weeks — by the way, this thursday it was up against a REPEAT of Criminal Minds and it still dropped 2 tenths of a rating point at the half hour.
i enjoy the show but can’t stand nbc, knowing them it will be gone in a year.
It’s one of the few NBC shows worth watching, and I hope it catches on, because I like it’s “day in the life” format. But I’m starting to doubt if NBC knows how to sell shows anymore.
So uh… what time slot is NBC going to stick this show in? 10 pm is ruled out, thanks to Leno… at least on weeknights.
This is a great show but there are way too many characters — I wish it centered more on Ben McKenzie’s rookie cop character, who should be able to nab a best actor nod. Now that Harper’s Island has been shifted to Sat and CBS put a new Criminal Minds and Private Practice back — maybe it should shift to another night as planned since Jay is coming along.
The best new show on TV right now is ABC’s Castle on Mondays at 10 — if you are not watching it, you are missing great tv. Even USA today’s save our shows poll had Castle at #4 — which was shocking to them but not to us viewers of this great comedy mystery show.
Hmmm. Not even NBC Universal, huh. How is that programming for the margins working out, Jeff? Really pulling in the profits on this one, eh. I guess this is an attempt to make Leno look good.
That snark aside, congratulations to those working on Southland for the extra episodes. I’m always happy to see people on an hour long drama get more work. May we all continue to be employed.
It got it’s ass kicked by a Criminal Minds repeat. Silverman is an idiot. This week it will drop below a 2 watch. Then what Ben?
how many other network (or even premium cable shows) deal with the lack of rape kits in the city. hopefully the audience will find this gem.
It’s a great show, but I think the ratings would get some help if it wouldn’t air entire episodes without the two main characters with no explanation whatsoever…
Best show I have seen in a long long long time
btw what happened to kings ?
I’m surprised it got picked up. The show has some of the worst Wells writing in years. Not sure if it could get anymore cliche. Watching it, I was like ‘this isn’t my city…’ they made LA look like frickin’ Somalia as far as a constant ‘civil war zone’.
Channeling the classic film COLORS which featured Penn and Duvall, this show is a massive failure in my mind. Inept at its Finest is what it should be called.
Say what you want about NBC Nikki. I have much to say myself but at least this is the network that’s finding ways to keep good shows like Southland and Friday Night Lights on the air. I am sure these are business decisions as well but the bottom line is that by the time the season after next rolls around, I will have had my Dillon Panthers around for five seasons. That’s a lot more than many of my favorite and excellent TV dramas have gotten over the years (I’m talking to you ABC)
On Thursday it came in third place behind a rerun of “Criminal Minds” on CBS (7.3) and the season finale of “Private Practice” on ABC (6.3). Its rating of 4.5 was just a shade above that of “The Office” (4.4), and continued a pattern of losing its audience for the third week it has been on the air. NBC overall was down 19 percent for the night compared to the same Thursday last year. And for all that, the network thinks it deserves a 13-episode pickup, in a time slot that will be lost to Leno come this fall.
I don’t know what Zucker and Silverman have on other NBCU officials, but it’s gotta be something good to have programming nonsense like this occur when you are the fourth-place network.
One of the few dramas I can actually watch. Well done. Hopefully the numbers come together cause it would be a shame for this one to go away.
NBC should be applauded for supporting this show.
It’s tough-minded, gritty and shows an L.A. that
people rarely explore. Most of all – it has a great
diverse, ensemble cast…. thank God not everyone
on this show is white, young and modelesque…
Regina King is exceptional… Just wish these people
had a little more of a sense of humor… a little more
gallows humor please…
Regina King is magnificent in this. A strong, non-barbie doll black woman in a powerful Series Reg role? On primetime network? MIRACLE.
NIKKI (my dear friend) Stop…you hate NBC…got it. Southland is in fact one of the best dramas to emerge from development in years. It needs to trim the cast and find it’s overall tone. It is down, but the reality is quality often takes time. You may have heard of few of these shows: Cagney and Lacey, Hill Street Blues, St Elsewhere…etc. You are on the wrong side of history on this. Stop it already and just do Ben already!!!
Good show but I also liked Kings. I don’t get tv.
It’s a terrific show. They should cut 3-4 characters and focus more on Ben McKenzie and Regina King, and they’ll have something special.
Did anybody else think it was weird that the star of the show, Ben Mackenzie, wasn’t seen at all in Thursday night’s episode? Wassup with that?
Im glad as I think Southland is a really good program with alot of potential(at least creatively). Networks are going to have to get used to programs with 7 million viewers a week because that’s were the majority of TV shows have gone. Certainly under 10 million. There’s so many channels and so many programs. There not all going to pull in 15 million viewers a week. There just NOT!
chuck
we need more great characters who are chicks!
I can’t believe John Wells did this show. The writing is horrendous. Is he even involved? Clearly these people have never watched The Wire, The Shield, NYPD Blue, Hill Street…. It’s hard to believe these people did ER, West Wing or even Third Watch. Wow. Shocked.
Im sure the show is good but The Shield was better. The Shield raised the bar. Everybody talks about Regina King, might have to check it out.
“thank God not everyone on this show is white, young and modelesque…”
I know, even real white cops don’t look like that. When we Hollywood learn that that formula no longer works. The audience wants realism and not reality TV.
southland is solid but wonder if it’s original enough to have staying power. parks is horrific. just sign up amy poehler for a new show that’s not painful to watch…
Poor ratings by network standards but for NBC, which is now a cable channel, anything north of “Quarterlife” can reasonably be considered a hit. Agree on Amy Poehler.
Diverse cast? There are six white guys standing on the steps. Other than Regina this show lacks so much diversity it’s not funny.
Hey, is that picture from the 1950s or from Salt Lake City’s police dept? Or both?
As of 2008 there are more Latino LAPD officers than white. Blacks are over 12% of the force, Asians just under 10%. Only about 30% of LAPD are white males, yet Hollywood’s reverse affirmative action ensures they are overrepresented and front-and-center in casting and story focus.
Even in so-called post-racial America, Hollywood longs for (and prolongs) the days where our heroes, leaders, protagonists and idealized images are almost exclusively white males. This practice isn’t just happenstance. It’s intentional and deliberate; it’s consistent, pervasive and strongly defended.
Hollywood might as well join the GOP in being stubborn to change despite declining popularity and dwindling support, all while not adapting to changing US demographics.
Look at the publicity photo for “Southland” at the top of this article. 8 people. 6 of them are male. 7 of them are white.
This sure isn’t the LA I know!
what does this mean for chuck?
its genuinely naive to reduce tv programming decisions to whether or not the show is a “hit” in its first 3 weeks.
But WHERE is Chuck? I know they’re delaying their decision, but if they pick up these two, not picking up Chuck is just stupid.
Southland is one of the few network shows I watch. Outstanding show, great acting, wonderfully shot and edited. I gave up on most network shows years ago, but Southland is a keeper.
I cannot believe all the compliments on this series I’m seeing on here. Are you people sure we’re watching the same show???
Southland blows more than Paris Hilton. The writing is juvenile and the cliches are laugh-out-loud frickin’ funny as all get out. I was waiting for Steve Martin to emerge as Inspector Clouseau and say in a thick fake french accent…Ahahhahahaha I tricked you my fellow suckers.
Drama? Try watching Life or the cancelled before its time Boomtown. Or Friday Night Lights which transcended Berg’s 2004 film inside of a single hour of television.
I pray for the industry of tomorrow. Somebody here will probably suggest rebooting CAVEMEN which was cancelled after two episodes a couple years ago.
GO TEAM A.D.D.!
so let me get this straight, southland and park & recreations are low rated and have been renewed, while CHUCK is hight rated with a harder time slot is on the bubble ???? NBC what are you doing ?????
Southland is a hacky version of The Shield with delision of Hill Street Wells once a true original has fallen prey to the ease of thievery. This piece of crap will soon be a joke on Family Guy
Even though I’m friends with a couple of actors on the show and am happy they’re working–which is and by itself a pretty good trick these days–I still sorta annoyed by the straight rip off of Joseph Wambaugh (If you’ve ever seen his films/series–The New Centurians, The Blue Knight, Police Story–you’d know the scenes I’m talking about. John Wells owes Wambaugh an apology and a few dollars since not only is Wells riping off Wambaugh badly he’s even recycling his words.
This show needs to replace the gr in gritty with a sh. Unbelievable.
NBC = Nothing But Crap
Amy has that Boston, Davis look so she’s still cool. But the show may not make it past week three next year. I’ve seen the show a couple times. It’s okay, but it is like the office. The boss is very funny, with his dead pan, Regan hair etc. But it’s too much like the office. The over the shoulder camera, close-ups etc. The TV set must be next door to the Office set and rotated each day. Let Amy rip, I mean falling in a hole, was an episode. Drinking from a wine basket and the video going on the Internet. Lame. The humor is too subtle, let her be a baby mama, a Lucy something over the top that the boss has to bring back from the brink each episode. It’s like she’s stuck in 30 rock mode the pun of every joke, but not the instigator. An administrative hearing, Yikes. Hire me to punch it up I only want 150k per episode.
Just A Guy,
As you probably know it wouldn’t be the first time Wells plagiarized or, as Lincoln said, wrested his bread from the sweat of another man’s brow. He got caught redhanded ripping off the book Homicide for his short-lived show Polish Hill. Under threat of a lawsuit from David Simon and Barry Levinson, CBS made Wells rewrite the pilot of Polish Hill. In short, Wells is a hack, so it’s no surprise he’s ripping off Wambaugh, Colors and other LAPD-themed works for this dull-as-a-cop’s-donut show.
Southland’s solid. It’ll find an audience.
Southland is pretty good. Suffers with all the usual other John Wells writing problems including the ‘hip’ song at the end of all the episodes. Regina is great. Ben is great. Socially, there needs to be a more racial diverse lead cast-one black woman-all white cops. Duh. After a while it’s hard to watch the same old white guys interviewing a mom crying about the gangs. Flip the script and get away from the cliches and this show could last.
You know what I find funny about this show is that promote that they have a gay character and that’s so unique and edgy. THE SHIELD had a black male gay character. THE WIRE had a black female gay character and HOMICIDE had a bisexual character and it was just part of their shows it didn’t hit you over the head with it. Do your homework hacks. Really. We watch TV, you have to too.
MLE — I’m with you. Even The Shield had more diversity. Remember when Homicide had Yafet Kodo and Andre Braugher and that other black guy. This show really feels like it’s for Lifetime and is only airing in Kansas. It’s like a network decided to do a show right after Colors came out. When was that twenty years ago.
NBC is so lost. They could do a promo for feces on and call it a hit. Just put Leno on your whole schedule. You are guys are LOST.
Southloser!!
Of course NBC is picking up those shows. They have to. If they cancelled every shit-rated show, they’d have nothing on their schedule.
Fantasy:
All of the Upright Citizen Brigade team up on Parks and Recreation. Tina can drop by with Dratch to say hi. Hell, make it a huge Chicago reunion show and film it in, just to piss off Daley.
Folks,
Ben Silverman is a total idiot and has no concept as to what good shows are from bad shows. If the rumors of Park and Chuck beign renewed are accurate, this is just another step in the utter stupidity of a once-proud network. This guy seriously needs to be fired and major changes need to be made at the Peacock before it flys the coop! MAYBE they can mention something about Las Vegas and a possible series finale!
“amy pohler’s immense talent” ???
I just checked. John Wells hasn’t written any of the episodes which might explain why it’s so bad. The writer is Ann Biderman. She wrote Primal Fear. Maybe she wrote this right after that and forgot to polish it for 2009.
Why can’t he get good writers? This makes no sense. What’s Sorkin doing? There is no reason why things have to be this bad.
Finally with “Southland” the programmers at NBC have a perfect 10 p.m. show. Doh! That’s right the same guys have given away (mortgaged) the 10 p.m. slot to a sixty year-old comic. FIVE-DAYS-A-WEEK. WTF? Won’t-see-TV. Oh well, if they’re smart they’ll stick with “Southland.” It’s the best new show in years. Granted it’s not for the same demo that tunes into “The Hills” but when people find it it’ll be “Hill Street” for the 21st Century. “Southland” captures the ethos of the LAPD better than any program/movie I’ve ever seen.
Christopher Grove — You should go watch the Shield, the Wire. Hill Street — are you on crack? Go and sit outside your house and watch a bird. This show is horrible.
Actually Det. Nate Moretta is LATINO, people. He’s played by Kevin Alejandro.
I like Southland. It’s the best show I’ve watched since True Blood and the only show I look forward to each week (along with True Blood. Can’t wait for June 14th!)
I could do without Dewey and Sal’s characters though. Now Parks and Chuck, easily two of the worst shows ever to air.