‘Southland’: Season 6 odds discussed by executive producer
While “Southland” may not have the biggest viewing audience under the sun (largely because the finale generated just a 0.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 1.8 million viewers), there’s no denying that this is still one of the best police dramas out there. It’s really one of the few that focuses on the experience of being on the force and the characters more so than just kooky cases, and that has made it into a TV darling no matter where it has gone. (How Regina King is not up for some award nearly year-round is beyond us.)
So is there any hope that there could be something more beyond the season 5 finale? We have a feeling that it’s going to be tough. “Dallas” is another TNT show on the bubble, and its ratings by and large blow this one out of the water. Plus, there are multiple actors on this show (King included) who have signed on to do pilots elsewhere.
Nonetheless, “Southland” executive producer Jonathan Lisco is doing his best to stay positive. Speaking to TVLine in a new interview, he explained that even without being overly optimistic, there is still a chance that his show will get a few more episodes to tell its story:
“It’s funny — everybody in Hollywood thinks that when you work on a show, you have some kind of crystal ball. It’s anything but that. We read the trades and hear rumors just like everybody else. If you believe those, you would think there’s maybe a less than 50 percent chance of renewal. But I really think there’s a chance, and a non-trivial chance, that the show gets at least another season. This season was so compelling and felt so earned and inevitable. And we’ve got so many ideas for reinventing [the show], which I think is the hallmark of Southland. Every season, we’ve done our best to reinvent the show. I have no doubt we could do it again.”
Lisco acknowledged that there would potentially be some cast shake-ups due to all the pilots out there if the show was picked up, but given the nature of the subject matter, it would not be surprising to see some new members of the force from year to year.
What do you think: should “Southland” receive a season 6? If you want to check out the ratings for the “Dallas” finale, be sure to visit the story over here.
Photo: TNT
Dennis Stech
May 5, 2013 @ 1:39 pm
Southland is the best series on TV at the moment. I can’t believe, that TNT is thinking about cancelling it
oceanluvver2
May 1, 2013 @ 7:06 am
THIS SHOW ROCKS!!!!!! yes, i am yelling! tnt, do whatever you have to do to keep this show. use billboards, radio, social media, hookers, midgets, I don’t care. Just keep this show on. I am not ready for this to be over!
Rick2
April 21, 2013 @ 10:14 am
Season 5 was edge-of-the-seat gripping and fantastic
for all the reasons others have said.
There is still a lot of life in this show.
Bring it back for Season 6 — we want to know how the stories unfold!
Rich
April 19, 2013 @ 10:17 pm
I am a Criminal Defense Attorney and this show is the real deal!!! It is realistic and gritty; more importantly, it shows the ethical dilemmas police officers face every day. My friends who are cops articulate the same sort of dilemmas shown on the series…BRING IT BACK!!
Marcus Stone
April 19, 2013 @ 8:44 pm
Bring “SOUTHLAND” back for Season 6. The entire cast is fantastic. One of the, if not the, best cop shows ever on television. If this show was on CBS/ABC on a prime time slot it would be the highest rated show on TV. NBC dropped it after one season. Now we know why NBC is in last place in the ratings. Too many cliff hangers not to bring it back for one more season. Does Cooper live?, Does Ben get charged and thrown off the force? Does his new girlfriend find out how he used her brother? Does his old girlfriend try to kill Ben or Ben’s new GF? Does Sammy admit to his wrong doing with his wife? Does Regina hook up with her old partner? There was a question that was never answered…Ben asked Sammy in one of the episodes if he was sure that his son was his? Is he? How does Cooper’s wife go from running into his arms and sobbing (when he asks her if she wants to have a baby with him) to telling him that there is no way she would ever want to have a baby with him? We need a season 6 to tie up all the loose ends and the Season 6 finale should be a two hour show.