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I am – Hercules!!

Longtime “ER” showrunner John Wells temporarily takes over the “ER” timeslot Thursday with “Southland,” a new drama about cops working unpleasant Los Angeles neighborhoods. It was created by Ann Biderman, who co-wrote with Michael Mann the “Public Enemies” movie.

“Southland” stars Ben McKenzie (“The O.C.”), Tom Everett Scott (“That Thing You Do”), Shawn Hatosy (“Alpha Dog”), Regina King (“Jerry Maguire”), Michael Cudlitz (“Band of Brothers”), Michael McGrady (“The Thin Line”), Kevin Alejandro (“Ugly Betty”), and Arija Bareikis (“Crossing Jordan”).

It uses language “Hill Street Blues” couldn’t when Mick Belker, Andy Renko and Howard Hunter inhabited the timeslot 30 years ago, but you had to wait for DVD (or maybe the TNT repeats) to hear a lot of the language unbleeped. Otherwise, it seems roughly as strong an effort as Wells’ “Third Watch,” a show with which I was never too excited.

USA Today gives it one and a half stars (out of four) and says:

… painfully dreary … It's hard to say what's more annoying: the script, which sprinkles the dialogue with vulgarities bleeped and unbleeped; or the jumpy camerawork, which relies so heavily on super-tight close-ups that you figure the lens must have gotten stuck. …

The New York Times says:

… Thursday’s pilot is one of the most gripping opening episodes of any network crime series. That’s partly because “Southland” leaves behind the hokey forensics fetishes of “CSI” and the soap-opera anguish of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”; it bypasses the trend of eccentric, mind-reading detectives in favor of the harsh realism and moral ambiguities of cable shows like “The Shield” and “Rescue Me” and even, to a point, “The Wire.” …

The Los Angeles Times says:

… the pilot, for all its horrific crimes and grimy street scenes, is strangely bland. … McKenzie's rookie is so squishy it's hard to care if he stays a cop or not, while the idea of him being the son of some director or producer could wind up being brilliant or inserting an unnecessary squirm factor. Cudlitz's Cooper may have everyone's back but his brand of obnoxious is far from endearing (I don't care if it is a defense mechanism), and frankly, it was difficult to keep the rest of the cast straight.

The Chicago Tribune says:

… There are intriguing indications that the earnest and engaging "Southland" wants to be more than just another cop show, which is to its credit. …

The Washington Post says:

… Lieutenant Who? Sergeant What? They come in, read their lines, they exit. Then this other guy, the chauvinist pig officer, gets shot! (Was he important?) … There's a heavy dose of piety woven in as "Southland" forgets its "Wire"-iness and instead gets "Crash"-y. … There's nothing to Hulu here, folks. …

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… If the pilot, which was all NBC sent, is any indication of the direction of the series, it's off to a fine start. …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

… If "Southland" can maintain this level of artistry, it may grow into a keeper.

The Newark Star Ledger says:

… The show is basically "Third Watch" West, minus the paramedics and plus a dose of salty language (some bleeped, some not) not heard on network TV since "NYPD Blue." It looks great, makes good use of Los Angeles locations and has a solid ensemble cast (including Regina King and Tom Everett Scott as detectives). But it feels emotionally empty in the same way "Third Watch" so often did, assuming that its high production values, attention to detail and sheer spectacle will fill in whatever layer of humanity isn't there on the page. It pulls the annoying move that too many insecure cop shows feel the need to try in their pilot, the one where a character (in this case, Cudlitz's training officer) dismisses a complaint about procedure with a line like, "You're watching way too much TV, dude." Simply asserting that your show is more real doesn't make it so. (Also, the show loses some street cred by having Cudlitz repeatedly compare McKenzie's character to someone from "Beverly Hills, 90210," when Cudlitz himself played Shannen Doherty's date to the West Beverly senior prom.)…

The Boston Herald says:

… uneven but intriguing … Here’s hoping NBC gives the series time and room to tell its stories. “Southland” is a neighborhood worth exploring.

The Boston Globe says:

… knows exactly what it is from the get-go, and that is appealing. "Southland" is a pre-"CSI"-styled police procedural, modeled after "NYPD Blue" but set in LA - nothing more, nothing less. …

Variety says:

… a cop drama with its own racing pulse…

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… It's compelling from minute one to credit roll -- exciting, smart, realistic and brilliant, all in one brightly lit package. Unexpected and thrilling, "Southland" shoots us into this terrifying, sunny world where gangs rule with impunity and the cops' patois of humor and lingo is the only thing that keeps them sane. …

Talkbacker “mpfanatic” says:

i was surprised how much i enjoyed it very much the shield for a network though benjamin mckenzie is so one note but i still like him whatever def worth checking out

Talkbacker “flickchick” says:

I really hate procedurals, but this one held my attention the whole time and seemed to leave out most of the melodramatic BS that the other "law shows" like to throw in every week. The cast really clicked for me, too. It definitely felt more Wire/Shield than Law & Order/CSI. Not that it could ever live up to the Wire or the Shield being on a broadcast network, but I definitely liked the vibe.

Talkbacker “Fuzzinate It” says:

I enjoyed it! I don't really get the sense that it's a procedural, yomomma... I agree with others that it tickles the spot I've been missing gettin' tickled since The Wire and The Shield ended. It definately had that... ER slow burn thing though, too. I'm curious to see the next few episodes now. …

Talkbacker “Champoozie_Jones” says:

I went in to this one kind of expecting to be under-whelmed but came out pleasantly surprised. It’s not the kind of show where the good guys win out in the last few minutes of the show making the big save. Bad shit happens to innocent people and sometimes all the cops can do is clean up afterwards. There were times when I thought I was watching Fox’s “Cops.” The shaky camera work and the bleeped curse words kind of lent itself to this feeling at times, but all and all I liked it. Calling it Third Watch in LA seems a little off-base to me, however. Third Watch always seemed a little too polished, the actors a little too pretty. Southland, at least this first taste we have gotten, seems more gritty and more realistic. I’ll definitely be tuning in to this one.

Talkbacker “Moviegimp” says:

From the previews of this show I didn't think I would care for it and didn't plan to watch it but it was far more interesting and entertaining than I thought it would be. Thanks for posting the link I wouldn't have bothered on my own and missed out. This could be a really good show. Hope they have the stories and can keep the high quality. It is not like all those other cop shows on tv right now.

Talkbacker “fanboy71” says:

Not bad. But the writers need to brush up on laws. Police can't just search a car stopped for a traffic violation without consent or probable cause. And the Black Female detective could not have gotten a search warrant for the blonde guy's house based solely on her hunch that he was a pedo bear. Not a bad show though. The Shield and NYPD Blue it is not.

Talkbacker “Razorback” says:

It was good... but it didn't make me care much about anyone but the rookie. Maybe if they focus more on him, I will care. But the side plots, or whatever you want to call them, were kind of dull.

Talkbacker “Screwbini” says:

Not bad but not particularly original. I guess I'm another one of those spoiled by The Wire (the best of all time) and The Shield. I did like Regina King, but I think she deserves a better show.

Talkbacker “guido505” says:

I enjoyed it. I was kinda surprised as I usually don't enjoy this type of show. I enjoyed Michael Cudlitz in Band Of Brothers so I thought I'd give this a shot. Pretty decent.

Talkbacker “Saen” says:

What was good... Michael Cudlitz training that kid from the OC. They were the best part of the show by far.

Whats Bad: Too many cops to watch, Id cut out a pair of cops, and then have the show about the unis (Cudlitz and Mckenzie), and the detectives (King and Scott). Its like they are forcing 6 main characters on you. 4 is enough!

Talkbacker “MrInsidious” says:

Not to shabby... I will be interested in seeing where they go with character development. Really enjoyed the main char as the young officer on his first day.

Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry

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