TNT cancels ‘Southland’
“Southland” is turning in its badge -- TNT has decided not to move forward with the cop drama.
Its demise comes just weeks after its fifth-season finale, and while that episode brought a slight uptick in viewers, “Southland” wasn’t a strong performer for the network; it hovered around the 1-million mark. Concerns grew for the show, about a group of LAPD officers, when word spread that three of its lead actors -- Ben McKenzie, Regina King and Shawn Hatosy -- were in pilots for new series.
Things became official Friday afternoon.
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“TNT has made the difficult decision not to renew ‘Southland’ for another season,” the Turner network said in a statement Friday. “We are enormously proud of ‘Southland,’ which stands as one of the best police dramas ever made. Executive producers John Wells, Chris Chulack and Jonathan Lisco, along with creator Ann Biderman and our partners at Warner Bros. Television, have given us five seasons of powerful, unforgettable storytelling, for which we are deeply grateful.”
The drama originally made its debut on NBC in April 2009 with a seven-episode season and was set to return, but the network later opted against renewal. TNT revived the show; episodes rolled out in 2010, but the show seemed on the bubble ever since because of its modest fan base.
At least it got this far?
[Updated 3:59 p.m. PDT May 10: According to sources close to the show, the network, producer Warner Bros. and executive producer John Wells are discussing possibly doing a two-hour sendoff for the show.]
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