TNT picks up NBC’s axed show ‘Southland’
Atlanta-based TNT has picked up NBC’s cancelled show “Southland.”
The cop drama, which debuted to decent ratings last spring, was a victim of NBC carving out five hours a week for Jay Leno. The show was deemed a bit too violent for the 9 p.m. hour. Its cancellation, though, was a bit of a surprise. John Wells (”ER,” “West Wing”) is the executive producer.
Instead, TNT -which has had great success with cop shows – will pick up the six unaired episodes NBC had originally commissioned, plus the first seven that aired on the network this past spring.
Loading ...TNT has not committed to creating new episodes beyond the original 13. Network decision makers will first gauge how well the show does first.
“Southland” will debut on TNT Tuesday, January 12 at 10 p.m.
One of the regulars on the show, Tom Everett Scott, starred in a failed TNT show “Saved,” about EMTs in 2006.
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13 comments Add your comment
ChippersLoveChild
November 2nd, 2009
10:23 am
I loved this show, I’ll be looking forward to seeing the other episodes and hopefully many more to come.
Greg
November 2nd, 2009
1:10 pm
This is a very good show…If you liked NYPD Blue..then you will love this show! Dumb move by NBC. You dump a good show for Jay Leno to save money? How is that working out for you?
Roadrunner
November 2nd, 2009
1:25 pm
I have another opinion why NBC cancelled Southland. It was quality programming!! Can’t have any of that on NBC. Great move TNT! We’ll be watching.
say what?
November 2nd, 2009
1:30 pm
I love Regina King. One of those child stars who did not get a jail sentence or go to drug rehab. Glad to see that this show is coming back. Bad move for NBC, great ratings for TNT.
Gretchen
November 2nd, 2009
1:37 pm
This is one of the few shows that hubby and I enjoy together. We also liked Saved–I hope this doesn’t follow that path. Southland is a great show. Glad to see someone picked it up. Hopefully they will order more eps and keep it.
hagood
November 2nd, 2009
1:39 pm
i thought the first and the last episode were great but the ones in between were pretty boring. i might set my dvr to record it on tnt we’ll see…
TXDawg
November 2nd, 2009
1:45 pm
This was the best Cop Show, since 3rd Watch went off the air (CSI Miami and the NCIS shows not included)!! I mean, there were some minor things I would have tweaked, but it definitely has a lot of the current shows beat out.
GO BOB Whitfiled
November 2nd, 2009
2:05 pm
http://nigelandmarco.com/content/nfl-star-bob-whitfield-calls-nigel-and-marco-show-and-dishes-some-good-dirt-his-ex-wife-sher
Panther4Life
November 2nd, 2009
2:47 pm
I’m happy to see TNT pick this show up. I really enjoyed it.
Cammi317
November 2nd, 2009
4:11 pm
I love this show too. I am happy that TNT picked it up. This is a real dummy move…reminds me of when ABC dropped Monk. USA is probably still laughing.
Curly
November 2nd, 2009
6:54 pm
And rather than show it in HD, they are going to show it in standard definition and just stretch it out to fit your whole screen! Isn’t that great??
PTC DAWG
November 2nd, 2009
10:14 pm
Leno at 10, what a JOKE…I haven’t watched once.
AJ
November 3rd, 2009
8:16 am
Cammi317 – ABC only showed Monk repeats. See this article: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117872773.html?categoryid=1295&cs=1
ABC has made a last-minute addition to its fall lineup: The hit USA Network drama “Monk.”
Following a successful summer experiment, Alphabet will make repeats of “Monk” a regular part of the net’s sked for two months, starting Sept. 26. Skein will air Thursdays at 8 p.m.– opposite “Friends” and “Survivor”– as a lead-in to ABC’s much-hyped reality/drama hybrid “Push, Nevada.”
To make room for “Monk,” the premiere of the Hallmark Television-produced family hour “Dinotopia,” which had been set to air Thursdays at 8 p.m., has been pushed back to Thanksgiving night (Nov. 28.) Move will likely come as a relief to Hallmark, which had been struggling to complete complicated special effects for “Dinotopia” in time for the skein’s Oct. 10 debut.
ABC will pay just shy of $300,000 for 8 more episodes of “Monk”; net will also air the skein’s two-hour pilot in October as part of the pact.
News of ABC’s pickup was reported Saturday on Variety.com.
Following “Monk’s” successful bow on USA, ABC execs approached the cabler about repurposing the skein, which stars Tony Shalhoub, on ABC over four weeks in August. Alphabet execs were encouraged by the skein’s solid perf in a Tuesday at 9 p.m. slot despite very little advance promotion and monster competish from Fox’s red-hot “American Idol.”
“It’s been great for us and it’s been great for USA,” said ABC Entertainment prexy Susan Lyne of “Monk’s” initial run.
As for the decision to extend the repeats to the regular season, Lyne said the move gives ABC fresh programming for a very difficult timeslot, while also allowing “Dinotopia” a smoother launch.
“It gives us a chance to premiere ‘Dinotopia’ in a less competitive environment,” she said, adding that with Hallmark’s rush to finish episodes of the series, the timing was “serendipity.”
Touchstone Television originally produced “Monk” for ABC, but the network passed; however, as part of a deal selling the show to USA, ABC included a clause allowing the skein to have a second window on ABC.
There’s been industry buzz in recent weeks that Disney topper Michael Eisner might ask old pal Barry Diller to give ABC first crack at the second season of “Monk,” with the skein airing first on ABC then on Diller’s USA Network.
ABC insiders dismiss such an idea, saying the skein is too important an asset to USA, which is trying to build a new identity under topper Doug Herzog. Other industry execs, however, believe Eisner might be able to convince Diller that the backend profits for “Monk” could be much bigger if the skein snagged first-run exposure on ABC.