Quick Take: Southland, "Phase Three"
At the least, Southland passes the test of making it over to TNT for Season Two and keeping us interested.
Review: Southland, "Phase Three"
(S0201) I was glad and mildly surprised when Southland got "saved" after being cut from NBC's lineup and brought over to basic cable comer TNT for its second campaign. Traditionally, it seemed like shows that tended to escape cancellation by hopping networks were well established already (Buffy the Vampire moving from the old WB to UPN) or on last legs (Scrubs). Perhaps in this new era with widening opportunity for quality shows to find homes and success in basic cable land (see: AMC, FX, USA, MTV, VH-1, Bravo, TNT for starters ) we'll see this happen more often. Let's hope so.
But back to Southland. This wasn't a mind blowing episode, kicking off Season Two, but it was gritty and interesting, with a solid mix of plot and character and story arc to make you want to tune in next week. I found myself mentally comparing Southland to another recently departed gritty LA cop show (that being The Shield), but I recognize that that's not really fair. They're different shows entirely with different ambitions and aesthetic, and for the heights (depths?) The Shield wound up reaching, there were plenty of simply "pretty good" episodes that you checked out before checking back into your life. (But that final season, those final episodes, and that brutal and searing series finale haunt me still!)
Oh, but back to Southland (again). Phase Three refers to the final part of a rookie cop's training during the first year on the job. Although the cast of Southland is large and the stories distributed fairly evenly from week to week, the goings on of rookie Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) and veteran John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) feels like the center of the show, and I get a bit frustrated and bored when the story moves off of them at times.
And to go off on yet another side note, I've had in the back of my mind for months to check out if Cudlitz also starred in HBO's brilliant World War II miniseries Band of Brothers and, sure enough, turns out I was right (Cudlitz played the charismatic Sgt. Denver 'Bull' Randleman).
Video: Southland, "Phase Three"
Here's a recap of the show from TNT:
Recap: Southland, "Phase Three"
Lydia and Russell’s replacement, Rene Cordero, investigate a possible abduction of an elderly man by a known drug addict. Nate and Sammy investigate a freeway shooting and wind up threatening the integrity of a major undercover operation. And Chickie finds herself in the middle of a mini-riot after her new partner shoots at a 13-year-old boy.
From Around the Web, "Phase Three"
