Southland,” the latest addition to TNT’s prime-time lineup, has action, twists, heartbreak and a key rescue operation. Viewers might also notice there’s been a lot of excitement on screen, as well.
After a rocky first season on NBC, “Southland,” which chronicles the chaotic professional and personal lives of Los Angeles Police Department officers and detectives, has returned to Tuesday nights on its new cable TV home.
Marked by coarse language and a documentary-style approach, “Southland” gained unwelcome notice late last year as a high-profile casualty of NBC’s failed experiment with “The Jay Leno Show.” The series’ producers and stars were stunned when it was dumped.
That anger turned to celebration when TNT negotiated a deal to pick up the series. Since January, the cable network has ramped up to relaunch by broadcasting previously aired episodes and by heavy promotion.
Still, the police drama’s escape from arrested development hasn’t totally erased the bitter feelings left by the NBC ordeal. The Leno experiment infuriated many in the creative community who accused the network of abandoning scripted dramas.
John Wells, one of the executive producers of “Southland,” is putting his focus on a fresh start after the upheaval.
“It was definitely painful, but I’m delighted the way it has all played out,” Wells said in an interview. “TNT has done a terrific job of promoting the show, and it’s great to have a second chance to be seen. Now we’re hoping that people respond.” Michael Wright, TNT’s head of programming, said “Southland” was a perfect fit for the network’s slate of franchise dramas that include “The Closer” and “Hawthorne.” The network also was eager to fill a vacancy that will soon be created by the departure of the Holly Hunter drama, “Saving Grace,” which returns for its final season March 29.
NBC prime-time entertainment president Angela Bromstad said that she “loved” the series but pointed out that it “did fall off considerably in the ratings because of . . . its serialized nature.”
“The truth of the matter is, I think it probably found a better home in cable,” she added. Other executives suggested the series had gotten “too dark and gritty” for broadcast TV.
Wells didn’t take umbrage at the particular remarks but added that it’s going to be a long while before the painful episode fully fades.
“I have sympathy for those executives who have to defend something that was not their decision,” Wells said, but “the whole experience was not a good one, and I don’t expect the bitter taste to go away any time soon.” Instead, Wells wants to devote his energies on securing a third season for “Southland.”
“We’re having a wonderful experience at TNT,” he said.
