Cancelled by NBC, Southland to Move to TNT
NBC Renewed Then Axed the John Wells Drama; Cable Network Interested
The Southland drama continues. NBC premiered the gritty LAPD cop show last year as a midseason replacement. Starring Ben McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz, and Regina King – and produced by John Wells, who previously produced hit NBC shows, ER and The West Wing – the show initially did well. It was also received well by critics. So despite downward-trending ratings for Southland, NBC renewed it for a second season. It was scheduled to premiere in late September of 2009. Then the premiere date was pushed to October 23rd. Then NBC canceled the show entirely, saying it was too dark; NBC will replace it with Dateline. This decision came after six episodes were already produced and it has generated quite a bit of dismay.
Online Response to Southland, NBC
Twitter and the blog world reacted instantly to the news. With Southland NBC had gotten some critical acclaim; to then cancel the series sent reverberations through the industry. Television critics were dumbfounded. Alan Sepinwall wrote in his blog, "for a show to be renewed and then never air? That's bizarre, and maybe disturbing in what it says about the current state of NBC" (10/8/09). Critics' tweets were equally dismayed. Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly: "NBC cancels 'Southland'. OMGWTF?!" Variety TV editor, Michael Schneider, was equally pithy: "NBC cancels 'Southland'…but in a twist, viewers had already canceled NBC."
TV writers also chimed in and they didn't pull their punches. Kurt Sutter, creator of Sons of Anarchy, tweeted: "at some point don't GE shareholders have to realize zucker's a rudderless buffoon 'n demand nbc clean house." Kay Reindl wrote in a very pointed blog post on the topic: "NBC had promised -- fervently -- that they had NO intention of NOT airing the episodes the studio had already produced. Now as soon as NBC says something like this, I would start packing my office" (10/12/09).
Michael Cudlitz, one of the stars of the show, tweeted about the cancellation: "Honestly, not bitter. Kinda pissed. I still believe the show would have done well on Fri." He then later tweeted: "LA. times says I, 'didn't take the news well'.......... Lol." Many of Cudlitz's other tweets on the cancellation have been far more colorful. He's used Twitter to actively engage fans, encouraging them to write to Warner Brothers executives in support of the show. It hasn't been for naught.
New Life for Canceled Shows?
After the cancelation, Executive Producer John Wells issued a statement that he was "actively looking for another home for the series." Rumors soon circulated, proposing TNT, FX, or HBO as possible new networks for Southland. TNT emerged as an early frontrunner.
Warner Brothers produces Southland. It's also part of the same corporate parent as TNT, so airing the show on TNT would seem like a natural fit. According to Nikke Finke's article, "'Southland' Set For Pick Up By TNT -- If NBC Doesn't Screw It Up," NBC and TNT are close to finalizing a deal. The difficulties likely revolve around money. Broadcast networks like NBC pay higher license fees for shows than do cable networks like TNT, so some compromise would need to be made there. It’s also unclear if TNT would order additional episodes or if it would simply air the six already produced for season 2, possibly paired with the seven episodes of season 1.
Still, it's unusual for cancelled shows to find new life on other networks. Perhaps less so for NBC shows these days – the network cancelled Medium only for CBS to pick it up. That situation was quite similar to the Southland one; Medium is produced by CBS Television Studios, under the same corporate umbrella as the show's new home, CBS.
Were Southland successful on another network, it would only reinforce the notion that NBC has lost its way. Lately the network has been widely criticized, especially for its decision to air The Jay Leno Show in primetime, replacing scripted dramas like Southland. But first the deal must make, no small feat in the television business.
10/27/09 Update: The LA Times is now reporting that the expected deal between TNT and Warner Brothers won't include an order for any new episodes of Southland. TNT will get the seven from season one and the six unaired episodes of season 2, for a total of 13. It will evaluate whether or not to order more once it sees how the episodes perform. For now, the show will not go back into production. Which basically means that Southland is in limbo until next year.
11/2/09 Update: TNT has officially picked up Southland for all 13 produced episodes. The show will begin airing on TNT on Tuesday, Jan. 12th at 10pm. TNT will wait to see how it performs before deciding to order additional episodes.
NBC Renews Then Cancels Southland
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