Southland is an American television drama series created by Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television described as a "raw and authentic look" at Los Angeles and the lives of the LAPD officers who police it.
The series premiered in the USA on NBC on 9 April, 2009. The network ordered two seasons but only aired the first before they cancelled the show. It was bought by TNT and aired there for another four seasons. There are 43 hour-long episodes in five seasons.
Southland premiered in South Africa on M-Net Action on Thursday 13 May 2010, at 19h00. It moved to DStv's M-Net Series channel for the final two seasons and later aired on TopTV's Top One channel and on M-Net Series Zone (Season 5 only). See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 5 premiered on M-Net Series Zone on Saturday 19 October 2013, at 20h00. Thereafter new episodes broadcast in a triple bill, weekly. There are 10 episodes in the fifth and final season.
Synopsis
From Emmy Award winners John Wells, Ann Biderman and Chris Chulack comes a raw and authentic look at a police unit in Los Angeles.
From the beaches of Malibu to the streets of East Los Angeles, Southland is a fast-moving drama that will take viewers inside the lives of cops, criminals, victims and their families.
Michael Cudlitz plays John Cooper, a seasoned Los Angeles cop assigned to train young rookie Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie). Cooper's honest, no-nonsense approach to the job leaves Sherman questioning whether or not he has what it takes to become a police officer.
Cudlitz and McKenzie are joined by other cast members including Regina King, who plays Detective Lydia Adams. Adams lives with and is the primary caregiver of her mother.
Her partner, Detective Russell Clarke (Tom Everett Scott) is an unhappily married father of three.
Michael McGrady plays Detective Daniel Sal Salinger. Sal oversees fellow gang detectives Nate Moretta (Kevin Alejandro) and Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy).
Arija Bareikis plays patrol officer Chickie Brown, a single mom who dreams of being the first woman accepted into S.W.A.T.
Seasons
Note: the show moved from M-Net Action to M-Net Series from Season 4. The first four seasons did not air on M-Net Series Zone.
Season 1 (7 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 13 May 2010 | Finale: 24 Jun 2010 | Thu, 19h00
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 29 Jun 2011 | Finale: 10 Aug 2011 | Wed, 21h00
Season 2 (6 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 1 Jul 2010 | Finale: 5 Aug 2010 | Thu, 19h00
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 22 Apr 2012 | Finale: 27 May 2012 | Sun, 21h30
Season 3 (10 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 10 Feb 2011 | Finale: 14 Apr 2011 | Thu, 19h00
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 18 Mar 2013 | Finale: 20 May 2013 | Mon, 21h00
Season 4 (10 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 19 Jul 2012 | Finale: 20 Sep 2012 | Thu, 21h30
Season 5 (10 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 28 Mar 2013 | Finale: 30 May 2013 | Thu, 21h30
Channel: M-Net Series Zone | Premiere: 19 Oct 2013 | Finale: 9 Nov 2013 | Sat, 20h00