The Return of SouthLAnd!! Season 2, Ep 1: Phase Three

It is with a great deal of excitement that I sit down to write this blog post. It's my first write-up of SouthLAnd in almost a year, and I couldn't be happier sitting here after watching the first new episode of the show in almost as long. I've spent the last several weeks positively giddy with anticipation, and all that waiting has finally paid off.

After an intermission that felt like it would never end, it is my pleasure to say that the best "cop show" in history is back on the air. After its short first season (all 7 episodes of it), NBC canceled the show, citing that it was too expensive to continue producing. I ranted at length about NBC's lack of intelligence in previous blog posts, but really, their idiocy turns out to be TNT's gain. And it works to the benefit of fans of great TV everywhere.

SouthLAnd is back, and it is better than ever!

I'd like to start with a very important note. As I said before, SouthLAnd was canceled just prior to its season 2 premiere on NBC. The show was thankfully picked up by TNT, but I don't think I'd be sitting here writing about this amazing show if it were not for the extraordinary efforts of a dedicated group of fans who rallied around the show after its cancellation, eventually spurring TNT to pick it up. All fans of this show owe both this group of fans as well as TNT a huge debt of gratitude, as without them, we would have been left stranded with no conclusion to the great story lines set up during season 1. So, if you're reading this and you love the show, drop on by their website at SouthLAndTVFans.com and give them some kudos. They've also got a great little contest going on - go ahead and enter it.

Anyway, since January, TNT has been airing the first 7 episodes of SouthLAnd. Last night we were treated to the first episode of the previously unaired season 2 - "Phase Three." What a way to kick off a season.

Best cop show in history? Yeah, I said that. I've long been a fan of police dramas - NYPD Blue, Law & Order (of all shapes and sizes), Homicide, The Shield, pseudo-cop dramas like CSI and NCIS, etc, etc. Of them all, I can tell you with assurance that this is the best of the bunch.

SouthLAnd's second season marks the return of all the characters that I loved so much from the first season. Michael Cudlitz returns as the fantastic and entertaining hardass John Cooper. The brilliant Regina King comes back as Lydia Adams, one of the best female characters that I've seen on the small screen. Of course, Ben McKenzie returns as my favorite character from the show, Ben Sherman, the rookie cop who gets the privilege of riding around all day taking harassment from Cooper. All return in full and powerful form and they remain the best reasons to watch this show.

One of the things I was most excited about at the end of last season was the expanded role that Shawn Hatosy (Det. Sammy Bryant) was getting in the show. This episode saw that role fall off a bit, but I remain hopeful that he will get more screen time as the show progresses.

Of course, I actually find myself wanting to say such things about most of the characters. The show sports a remarkably large cast of characters. Where most shows (*cough* Heroes) would just fall over trying to keep audiences engaged in their stories and their lives, SouthLAnd really succeeds. Much like all of my favorite TV shows, SouthLAnd is propelled by its characters. Each character is an individual and a deep one at that. In my first ever write-up of a SouthLAnd episode, I noted that the show was one of the few on TV that made me care about the characters in more than a fleeting fashion. As such, I really want all of them to have more screen time. Perhaps TNT will consider making the show 2 hours every week... ;-)

As always, the show puts forth a great storyline, focusing on the repercussions of the season 1 finale and starting in with some new, and potentially very exciting story lines. The show opens with a riot and the tension never really lets go as it phases into the kidnapping of an elderly gentleman, a car chase complete with gunfight, finally ending with a train yard chase.

Additionally, we see some tension emerge between the aforementioned Detective Bryant and his partner Detective Nate Moretta as Moretta's former partner from a different division is introduced, and it is clear that Bryant is uncomfortable. Given the stress of Bryant's personal life, I think it will be interesting to see how this turn shakes itself out.

Also of interest is that the writers seem to be writing Lydia's partner Russell Clarke out of the story. It appears that Clarke's surgery may leave him sidelined. We were introduced to Lydia's new partner very early in the episode, and his charismatic annoyance (in a good way) is an almost guaranteed sign that he'll be sticking around for a while. The end of the show finds Lydia speaking to Russell about the future, and the results look bleak. Color me sad.

The title story comes from the fact that Sherman is about to move to phase three of his probationary period on the force. As he moves into this third phase, in which he actually gets to have his own car, I find myself a little concerned that he won't be riding with Cooper any more (or so it would seem). Their interactions make up a very large portion of what I love about the show, so I am definitely hoping those interactions still take place.

One of the things that I noticed about the show for the first time today is that, other than situational music, the show utterly lacks a soundtrack. In a time when a powerful score is used almost as much as acting talent to drive the emotional involvement in a show and its characters, SouthLAnd dares to let the acting talent of its cast do all the work. Its a ballsy move, if you stop to think about it, but it pays of in spades. The show feels like a documentary from top to bottom - from the way each scene is shot, to that lack of music, to the depth and realism of its characters.

In the end, its utter realism is what makes the show so compelling. This is not your father's Law & Order; this is gritty and real and powerful. The is what every cop show that's come before wishes it could have been. I'm pumped to finally be watching new episodes.

Anyhoo, stop by each and every week for a full episode write up should you be so inclined. Also, I'll remind you again (now that you've read this post) that you should swing on by and say hi to the good folks at SouthLAndTVFans.com.

Quote of the Week
Perp: "Read me my rights and get me the fuck down!"
Cooper: "Actually I don't have to read them; I have them memorized. Did you pee your pants?"

Leave some comments and let me know what you think!
Follow me on Twitter: @nunchux.