Southland's powerful Season 3 finale ended with a moment two years in the making: Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) checked into the hospital to undergo back surgery, admitting his painkiller addiction and submitting himself to a medical detox.
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Of course, Cooper only did so after his trainee, Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie) — who was involved in a rooftop foot chase and wrestling match without backup because of Cooper's poor physical health — threatened to rat him out to police brass. It was an intense showdown —one that fans have waited a long time to see. "I would have preferred that this would have happened four episodes ago," Cudlitz tells TVGuide.com.
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On Southland, violence can happen anywhere, anytime.
The show first demonstrated that in the Season 1 finale when Tom Everett Scott's Russell was gunned down by his neighbor. Russell ultimately survived, but in Tuesday's episode...
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Jeers to Southland for turning into LAPD Rehab.
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I have no doubt that police officers and their spouses suffer from substance-abuse issues at a high rate along with the rest of the population, but it seems like everyone's copping on Season 3 of TNT's crime drama...
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TNT has ordered a 10-episode third season of Southland.
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The gritty cop drama, which TNT resurrected after NBC canceled the show before its Season 2 premiere, averaged 2.7 million viewers during its second season on the cable channel. The numbers were below the network's average, which left the show's fate in question.
"Southland is a challenging, visceral show that engages viewers with its immersive style, provocative storylines and complex characters," Michael Wright, executive vice president of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies, said Monday in announcing the renewal. "These qualities have made Southland a favorite among critics and appointment viewing for an extremely loyal audience."
Southland creator on finale: "Every character is faced with a huge crisis"
Created by Ann Biderman ...
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Southland's Season 2 finale doesn't feel much like a finale — because it wasn't intended to be.
The episode (Tuesday at 10/9c on TNT) was originally the sixth of a 13-episode second season ordered by NBC before the network canceled the show before its fall 2009 premiere. As such, the "finale" is missing some of the cliff-hanger trappings that TV viewers have come to expect.
Read Ben McKenzie's celebrity blogs about Southland
"We had no choice," creator and executive producer Ann Biderman tells TVGuide.com about ending the season with this episode. "But there's something kind of great about it. We go out with a bang. We go out with everyone's lives being tested and challenged. I do feel it worked out all right — there's really a lot of drama here."
Indeed, the emotional stakes have never been higher. Officers John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) and Chickie Brown (Arija Bareikis) all ride together in search of a rapist who's impersonating a cop. For Ben, the case is personal...
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