The speed with which TV networks cancel new shows these days can make your head spin. If a show doesn’t perform within one or two episodes, it just disappears from the schedule. They traditionally give a bit more time to renewed shows. That’s not the case with Southland. It’s been cancelled before its second season debut.
From executive producer John Wells, Southland follows a group of police officers on the tough streets of Los Angeles. Having debuted last April, the ensemble cast includes Benjamin McKenzie, Kevin Alejandro, Arija Bareikis, Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy, Regina King, Michael McGrady, and Tom Everett Scott.
The series began airing in the former timeslot of ER, another show that was executive produced by Wells. It initially looked like NBC had the makings of a hit with 9.86 million viewers and a 3.2/9 in the demo. Unfortunately, the numbers started to seriously decline after week two.
Surprisingly, amidst the decline, NBC decided to give the series a 13 episode renewal at the beginning of May. Southland’s numbers kept going down and hit an abysmal low of 4.64 million viewers and a 1.6/4 on May 14th.
With the network’s plan to air The Jay Leno Show at 10pm, five nights a week, the network had few Fall timeslots available for the gritty cop drama. Execs settled it on Friday nights, a little-watched night for network television.
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Southland was initially scheduled to return on September 25th but was later rescheduled until October 23rd. The spin was that this would allow the network to give the show some more promotion time, after all of the other new and returning shows had debuted. Episodes of Dateline have been airing in the meantime.
Now, the peacock network has decided to drop Southland altogether. The Hollywood Reporter reports that NBC executives felt that the second season episodes were too dark for network television, especially in a 9pm timeslot. Dateline, which is much less expensive to produce, is more in line with the amount of revenue that can be gleaned from a low viewership night.
This cancellation marks the end of a 15 year relationship between NBC and Wells who has been an executive producer on some of the network’s biggest shows; ER and The West Wing.
For his part, Wells isn’t throwing in the towel on Southland just yet. Production on the series has been shut down after six episodes but the cop show will be actively shopped to other broadcast and cable outlets.
He said, “I’m disappointed that NBC no longer has the time periods available to support the kind of critically-acclaimed series that was for so many years, a hallmark of their success. We remain extremely proud of Southland and are actively looking for another home for the series.”
There’s no word on when or if the peacock network will air the six completed episodes of season two.
What do you think? Did NBC make a mistake in cancelling Southland? Was their real mistake renewing it when they knew they weren’t going to have a 10pm timeslot for it?
My husband told me he read about the show in the paper the other day and it said its supposed to return BUT only on a cable network/channel. For some reason the article said it was too “racey/dirty” for NBC….which does NOT make any sense to me BUT this is what I heard.
Are you F*&%#!ing kidding me? Cancel “Southland”?! NO!!!! I am giving up on NBC. That was the best show I have seen on network TV in years. The acting was spectacular, the writing was fresh, and the story lines were riveting and cutting-edge. I was sooo looking forward to this season. I am blown away by the idiocy of this television network and their short-sightness in programming. I will never watch Jay Leno 5 nights a week – and to cancel such great scripted programming for him is absurd. I will follow “Southland” where ever it ends up – I… Read more »
Having Jay Leno dominate 33% of the prime-time viewing slots, leaves little hope for Southland, or any other show for that matter, to succeed. Not sure the rational behind that. Maybe I’m in the minority who doesn’t enjoy Leno that much, but well done NBC on your modest variety of programming.
I loved this show! The writing was great, the acting was great and it was a good show. NBC stinks.
So here I am looking on NBC.com to see when they will air the second season of Southland so I can set my DVR. So I see it on their line-up but I don’t see a return date so of course I go to Google and ask for the return date I get the response that the show has been canceled much to my surpise I was so looking forward to this show coming on I hv been checking each week to se when it will air again I so hope that they find a new network or at least… Read more »
With the demise (apparently) of ‘Southland’ before its second season opener, I now have no reason to watch NBC. They botched it several years by not giving ‘Boomtown’ a chance, they flubbed by giving us then taking away ‘Raines’, they screwed up by not giving ‘Life’ a decent chance at success, and they even cancel of of the funniest shows I have ever had the honor of watching-‘My Name is Earl”. At the rate NBC is going, they’ll being back ‘Manimal’. I used to like NBC for its programming and willingness to take a chance (‘Hill Street Blues’) but now… Read more »
It was a shame to cancel this show, but it makes sense with their supposed “blame game” to try and pass Leno’s bad ratings off on the shows leading up to Leno. I would also agree that moving an expensive to make show to a “dead” weeknight wouldn’t have helped the show’s plight.
Here’s to hoping SouthLAnd will find a new home, as I will buy the show as soon as it hits the iTunes store.
maybe CBS can take it since it looks like everything they have is gold. I love NCIS, NCIS LA, The Good Wife, All three of the CSI,etc. Most of my shows are on CBS and I really enjoyed Southland it would have been the only show I would have watched on NBC.
Wow, this is really disappointing – you just get to like a show and they rip it off the air and put nothing on in its place – I have nothing against Dateline, but how many nights a week can that air? I was really looking forward to the new season – I guess this is why all my favorite shows are on CBS – they are not afraid of grittier programming???
For more info on Southland, and how you can help it find a new home, go to:
http://community.livejournal.com/southland_tv/
You can also go to Twitter. Search for Southland and SaveSouthland
One of the few shows I was looking forward to this year. NBC is really making some questionable decisions lately. The Leno show is a ratings failure. Southland was a well written, well acted, well produced show. Now we have shows like Trauma, while I will admit was a bit better last week than the first week, but still not good. I am hopeful someone picks up Southlands. This is probably one of the worst TV seasons so far this year. Nothing is really a must watch. FlashForward is decent and the mystery will keep me watching, but I was… Read more »
Write Warner Bros. TV, the producers of Southland, to show your support for the show.
Peter Roth
President
Warner Brothers Television
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank CA 91522
Tel. 818 -954-6000
Fax 212-954-7667
Bruce Rosenblum
President, Warner Bros. Television Group
Warner Bros. Entertainment
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
Phone 818.954.6000
Fax 212-954-7667
Ken Werner
President
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Warner Bros. Entertainment
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
Phone 818.954.6000
Fax 212-954-7667
WHY DOESN’T THE U.S.A. NETWORK PICK THIS UP? THEY HAVE BETTER SHOWS THAN ALL THE NETWORKS COMBINED>>>>
I too loved Southland. If I could not watch it when it was on I would tape it and watch it later. Old school I know. Southlad is a show worth watching. I have called NBC and sent them an email. If NBC does not have the courage to continue airing Southland I hope another network has the sense to pick it up. The actors, plots, and everything else are fantastic. Let’s take this into our own hands and call NBC and the other networks and ask that Southland can still be aired. Only as citizens can we achive our… Read more »
Dear National Broadcasting Company, I got sick last night. High fever, uncontrollable chills, heavy chest, wretched cough. It was nasty. I was miserable. In fact I was so miserable, I would have ripped open my veins and injected some heroin just to feel at ease with my sickness. But now, not even heroin could ease my pain. This morning, my physical sickness could not match the emotional ill I felt when I learned you canceled “Southland.” I kept thinking to myself that it doesn’t make sense. I mean, it was clear you weren’t open to giving the show much of… Read more »