"Southland" Review

A few years ago NBC aired a drama called “Boomtown.” The Los Angeles set show followed different points of view of police officers, reporters, district attorneys and EMS workers. The show was beloved by critics but struggled to find an audience. After two seasons NBC decided not to pick up the show.

Several years later, one of NBC new spring premieres is “Southland,” another L.A. set cop drama in the same vain as “Boomtown.”

Created by Ann Biderman and the creative minds behind "ER," the show centers on a diverse group of police officers and detectives. The first two episodes are pretty gritty.

The first hour features two shootings, one child kidnapping, a club to the head, and one other greusome demise. The setup of "Southland" is classic: Young LAPD officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) is out for a training day with experienced Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), who rags him about his Beverly Hills pedigree while showing him the ropes.

Cooper is one of those crude, rude cops that never seem to go out of style. The guy who makes it his personal mission to harass the rookie, because he believes that people become cops only if they, as he put it, "can't not be a cop."

Meanwhile, detectives Nate Moretta (Kevin Alejandro) and Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy) are investigating the shooting of a young black man by a gang of highly tattooed Latinos. They have plenty of witnesses, just none brave enough to say anything.

In another part of town, a young girl has vanished from in front of her house and detectives Lydia Adams (Regina King) and Russell Clarke (Tom Everett Scott) are greeted by a litter of friends and neighbors, including one young man who seems to be inordinately informed about the missing girl's habits.

They all come together in a climax that answers the doubts of both Sherman and his hard-to-please partner. It's a lot to digest, presented in a no-nonsense fashion; it almost seems like a real life police report, played out on screen.

Creator Biderman isn't looking for a happy story here. "Southland" reaches for the attitude and realism that is the style of recent critically acclaimed shows on network television.

As Cooper so elegantly put is at the beginning of the shows first episode: "You do what they teach you in the Academy, you'll be dead."

One thing that makes the show work is that it feels extremely realistic. The camera follows along scenes in a documentary style way, making the audience feel as if they are riding along during patrols, or chasing a criminal down an alleyway during a fierce shootout.

Mackenzie does a solid job as the rookie officer; he seems poised to strike it big now after breaking out on "The OC" a few years ago. The rest of the cast is also solid, especially King and Cudlitz who both seem as if they could be actual police officers.

"Southland" is well-sprinkled with sharp humor, much of it sarcastic and dark. The show brings the audience into a scary, sunny world where gangs rule the streets and the cops' joking and banter between eachother is the only thing that keeps them sane. Creator/writer Biderman tries to keep the talk between cops as realistic as possible, bleeping out curses and having them say phrases like "badge bunnies."

Some of the characters seem a bit cliché, but with a little time their characters will be fleshed out and may become more interesting.

"Southland" is compelling throughout both episodes. It's exciting, smart and realistic all in one package, which is a rarity on television these days. The gritty location shooting around L.A. adds to the realistic effect of the show, much like some of "24"'s past seasons that took place in L.A.

Through two episodes the ratings of "Southland" have been pretty good, but if the audence stops tuning in, "Southland" could share the fate of former drama "Boomtown."