“Southland” Surprised Us A Little Bit

By fitsnews • on April 9, 2009

We typically refuse to watch mass-marketed network TV shows like NBC’s new drama Southland – if for no other reason than the fact that they’re mass-marketed network TV shows.

We’re not sure what it is … maybe it’s our Fight Club-inspired disdain for mindless consumerism that kicks in.

Plus, an integral component of the mass marketing for Southland was that it was “produced by the people who brought (us) ER.”

And we hate ER. With a passion.

But this show surprised us a little bit.

Look, you’re never going to turn on NBC and see something as cool as Training Day – which won Denzel Washington an Oscar.

It’s just not going to happen.

But the first offering from Southland - which is built around the Training Day theme – was better than we expected.

Sure, there were enough awkward segues and badly-lit crime scenes to let us know we were still watching a TV show, but the fact is it didn’t suck.

Ben McKenzie and Regina King were solid in their starring roles, the script didn’t try to overdo it and there were a few moments where the cinematography actually made us swear we could feel greasy popcorn at our fingertips and sticky floor beneath our feet.

They even nailed the closing credits by selecting The National’s “Fake Empire” for accompaniment, prompting us to make it “Today’s Tuneage.”

Anyway, Southland did well enough to get us back next Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. … which is half the battle for these shows.

Now the show must keep producing to keep us tuning in …

WEB EXTRA

Southland’s NBC Website