Southland

Starring: Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy, Regina King, Ben McKenzie, Kevin Alejandro, Arija Bareikis, Michael McGrady, Tom Everett Scott, & C. Thomas Howell

Seasons: 5 (2009-2013) - Network: NBC/TNT - Rating: 4 Stars

In 2009, the mind's behind ER, gave the network something they weren't prepared for. A police drama, that was so realistic and ahead of it's time, that the network didn't even know how to promote it. NBC would wind up cancelling it after just 8 episodes, but thankfully someone at TNT saw it's potential and gave us four more incredible seasons.

Southland is an in depth look at the LAPD, in a way that has never been done before or since. Each episode follows patrol units on the beat, gang detectives on the job, and homicide detectives on the case. More than that, it shows you the kind of situations they come in contact with on a daily basis, as well as the struggles they go through in their personal lives, as a result of what happens on the jobs. The show tackles issues of injury, addiction, family trouble, and even PTSD. Additionally the show was done in such a way that all the language and violence was kept in, only bleeped and blurred for television, something that has since been removed on DVD and streaming, adding to the grittiness and rawness of the series.

Every episode focuses on a different set of cops, but in every episode you will see rookie office, Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) and his training officer, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz). The chemistry between these two is phenomenal and illustrates just how hard it is to become a cop. You witness all the mistakes, close calls, and shocking moments, up close and uncut, in a way that I've never seen done in a television series before. The detective scenes are equally as intriguing with the gang segments being very reminiscent of HBO's The Wire. Additionally, the homicide cases are well written, and the investigations are so detailed, not rushed the way you sometimes see in shows like Law & Order.

The cast is amazing, the writing is top notch, and the show is more real than anything I've ever seen on television, so why did it only last 43 episodes and get cancelled twice? As I said earlier, when it aired, the language was bleeped and the images were blurred, that's not conducive to keeping an audience happy, especially in today's market. Had this show come out 10 years later, they wouldn't have had to do that and things could have been different. Another flaw I find in the series, is the lack of story lines. Anything that happens in the show, rarely goes beyond two or three episodes. This is a bad thing, because there is nothing to keep you watching. With everything resolved so quickly, if a mildly interested viewer wants to stop watching, they can, because they already found out what happened.

The bottom line, if you enjoy police drama, than this is the show for you. It has a little bit of everything, it is by far the most realistic scripted portrayal of the police, that has ever been done on television, and it is loaded with stars. Every episode will have you on the edge of your seat, and if you're anything like me, you won't be able to stop after just one.