Oh, this is going to tick off sooooo many people.
NBC has decided to cancel Southland! They have finished filming six episodes for season two but NBC suddenly pulled the plug on the show. There's still a chance that a cable network could pick it up. I can picture the show on FX or TNT or USA. Or maybe NBC could put it on Bravo? Nah, then they'd have no room for Real Housewives of Bangor, Maine.
I can't say I watched every episode of the show, but it certainly had potential, and I was interested in how they were going to resolve what happened to Tom Everett Scott in the first season finale.
Another reason fans are going to be ticked off? The show is going to be replaced by another episode of Dateline. Producer John Wells says: "I'm disappointed that NBC no longer has the time periods available to support the kind of critically-acclaimed series that was for so many years, a hallmark of their success. We remain extremely proud of Southland and are actively looking for another home for the series."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-08-2009 @ 10:17PM
gonnabechef said...
Holy crap! I was really looking forward to this coming back. I know it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I really liked how they let the actors fill quiet moments on the show. It didn't feel the need to be loaded with dialog, and that made it seem a lot more realistic.
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10-08-2009 @ 10:35PM
gottacook said...
I can only hope this cancellation marks the turning point for the "pseudo-documentary" approach to both comedies and dramas, which has metastasized during the past few years among scripted U.S. shows. I can't watch any of these shakycam shows, no matter how good the acting and writing may be; I've tried. Southland underscored its own pseudo nature by bleeping out words, and thus earned my scorn starting with episode 1.
10-08-2009 @ 10:33PM
Arsh said...
I hope so much that another network picks up this show. I really dig it.
Screw you, NBC.
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10-08-2009 @ 10:53PM
Ryan said...
People are still watching shows on NBC?
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10-08-2009 @ 11:08PM
pinsleric said...
I guess you've never heard of The Office.
10-08-2009 @ 11:05PM
brodeur said...
wow...NBC really does want to kill the network drama. i'm really starting to hate "TV" as it exists today.
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10-08-2009 @ 11:17PM
Red Golem said...
At least we have the Green Car Challenge to take our minds off of it.
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10-08-2009 @ 11:20PM
Jack Stevens said...
4% of total TV is watched on NBC not including sports in this house.
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10-08-2009 @ 11:23PM
Jack Stevens said...
So now the only good show on NBC is actually on DirecTV...FNL...and heres is to hoping that Southland gets picked up by a network that knows what to do with quality shows. Wow, all the NBC bashing seemed a little premature at first. Now, jaywalking is about as good as it gets there. This is sad for TV.
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10-08-2009 @ 11:28PM
Ryan said...
I've been looking forward to this show since NBC renewed it last season, so I'm a lot angrier than I would have been if they'd just canceled it then.
Just one more thing to blame Leno for. Is Chuck next?
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10-08-2009 @ 11:42PM
CParis said...
Agree! This came on in the spring in that 10pm Thursday spot - long held by ER. Now that's roadblocked by Leno, where do the dramas go?
The funny thing is that the other networks in NBCU's stable have been doing well with original programming - USA, Syfy, Bravo - NBC not so much.
10-12-2009 @ 1:14PM
amanda82977 said...
OMG PLEASE not Chuck!
I am a huge Southland fan (love Ben MacKenzie). I thought that it was good because it was grittier than Law & Order or any other procedurals. I am starting to get severely dissappointed in NBC outside of Thursday nights. I have only watched bits of Leno & I am truly not amused.
NBC needs to push Dateline to the unwatched nights of television like Friday & Saturday nights. They are saying that those types of shows (including Leno) are cheaper to make but honestly all that makes me think is that NBC is cheapening the audiences experience. Horrible. OH & the new slogan of "more colorful" that I recently saw in Entertainment Weekly was for the Thursday night lineup... of all white people... So where's the Color??? :D
10-08-2009 @ 11:45PM
evie said...
Too bad. It was definitely a quality show. One issue for them is that they didn't follow the same people every week. But each episode was a little gem in a world of formula dramas.
C'mon, USA. Characters matter.
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10-15-2009 @ 11:24PM
A.E. said...
So true. Bring Southland to cable and let it flourish. TNT or USA, if Character Matters or You Know Drama, time to put your money where your mouth is with those slogans of yours.
10-08-2009 @ 11:48PM
Richard Markuson said...
Well fu@k you NBC - eat s4it and die
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10-08-2009 @ 11:48PM
Jeff N. said...
NBC should be dismantled. Pretty soon it will be 15 hours of the Biggest loser, 10 hours of Jay Leno, and 1 hour of Law & order SVU.
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10-09-2009 @ 12:05AM
Edward said...
I think this is a show that USA can turn into a gem with 13 episodes per season.
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10-09-2009 @ 12:10AM
killer_twinkie said...
That sucks. I agree with Ryan that it wouldn't have pissed me off as much if it hadn't been renewed already. It's also a good reason why you shouldn't end your first season on a cliffhanger. You can have it be a little bit of a cliffhanger while at the same time giving closure should the series not return.
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10-09-2009 @ 6:18AM
zurabinho said...
RIP NBC... The first season wasn't perfect, but that's the whole point of renewing a show : it had potential, 7 episodes were not enough to exploit it. I guess it's all because of NBC's recent huge mistakes (Crusoe, Kings, The Philanthropist launched in one year's time, costing a lot, and no one watching them). And I agree with you : why did they renew it then, and why did they let them film six episodes before announcing this ?
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10-09-2009 @ 6:43AM
AussieKen said...
So painful. I really enjoyed this show.
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