TONIGHT: Southland (10pm on NBC)
Like so many other Los Angeles stories, Southland begins with a fresh-faced cop staring absently at a bullet-riddled corpse laid out on the pavement. That green, pensive young man is Officer Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie), who is learning the ropes of copping in L.A. from a grizzled veteran of the force, Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz). Wealthy Sherman is, for some reason, slumming it as a boy in blue. What delicious irony for The O.C.’s lovable guttersnipe, Ryan!
The first show to tackle ER’s timeslot is no Wire, but that comparison is grossly unfair—not unlike comparing J.K. Rowling to Shakespeare. Just because something isn’t as good as the gold standard, doesn’t mean it can’t also be enjoyable. And when a show features an alumnus from Dead Man on Campus (Tom Everett Scott), you know you’re in for one wild ride.—Drew Toal
More TV, including our review of tonight’s bloody murder mystery Harper’s Island.
