NBC won’t air ‘Southland’ after all
Ben McKenzie in "Southland."
Reports late Thursday were that NBC has pulled the plug on “Southland” before its season premiere. The John Wells cop drama, starring Ben McKenzie (”The O.C.”), debuted last spring in the “ER” time slot to good response, and NBC ordered a second season after just a couple of episodes. Ratings then sagged, but according to the Hollywood Reporter, the decision to cancel the series was made after NBC reviewed the first six episodes of the new season and decided they “too dark and gritty” to air at 8 p.m. (9 Eastern). With “The Jay Leno Show” filling the 9 p.m. time slot five nights a week, edgier dramas have been pushed to earlier hours. “Southland” was supposed to premiere Oct. 23. No word on whether the six episodes already completed will be seen, but Wells says he’s looking for a new home for the show.
I’m disappointed,I really enjoyed the show! I hope it can be revived on another network!
The “The Jay Leno Show” needs to go so these edgier dramas like “Southland” have a place on NBC’s line-up. The “The Jay Leno Show” is dragging NBC even further into the cellar. They need to put Jay out of his misery soon.
I predicted this Leno Effect. No open programming slots at 10 pm Eastern = no edgy, high risk/high reward dramas on NBC. Zero chance of the next NYPD Blue popping up on this network, so no motivation for a discerning viewer to watch NBC. Noncable TV is digging its own grave.
My God, NBC takes one of its best shows, and dumps it! This network is a complete joke. Outside of The Office and Law & Order, there is nothing left. The Leno Show is gawdawful!
This is the future of todays programing, crap like Leno on five nights a week and pushing other programming out because it is cheaper to do. Programs like Hill Street Blues and other classics would never see the light of day in todays PC world. Its ashamed we have sunk so low that we won’t put any edgy programing on because it is not cheap enough and put on junk that thinks its funny to demean people and groups in the name of comedy. We get obsessed with programs that show how people will do anything for the sake of money or demean themselves for a few minutes of fame. No wonder why we as a society have sunk so low. Look at the junk we watch on TV.
I really enjoyed the show–watched it on HULU this summer. I think it’s a shame that NBC pulled it. SOUTHLAND would be an excellent addition to a channel like FX where they take some risks. I wouldn’t even mind if they left in the bleeps lol…made the show felt like I was watching some “real” that had to be bleeped out for tv.
It’s NBC’s loss…just like Jay Leno is NBC’s loss. Shame on NBC.
More stupid rocket scientists at the top of NBC. They make decisions looking like monkeys trying to screw a football.
NBC isn’t the 4th place network for nothing. They earned it!