“Southland”: Primetime on patrol

Posted by Michal on April 21, 2009 | Filed under Interviews, Media Alerts, News & Gossip, Southland, TV News & Reviews | Browse the News Archives

A great new article from Variety about Southland;

Excerpts:

• The most jarring aspect of her research was coming to grips with the depth of the criminal and societal problems caused by gang activity in Southern California. One of the story threads in the pilot of “Southland” was inspired by her experience of sitting alone in a hospital room with the body of a teenage boy who was a victim of a raging black-versus-Latino gang war. (In the pilot, the boy survives the shooting.)

• But the heart of “Southland” is clearly the rookie-veteran relationship between patrol cops Sherman and Cooper, played with cool understatement by Ben McKenzie and Michael Cudlitz.

• Biderman’s not worried about the prospect of her show playing at 9 p.m. rather than 10 p.m. next season once Jay Leno begins his 10 p.m. weeknight residency in the fall. The exec producers are mindful of the thin blue line between heavy drama and gratuitous violence or sexual material, Biderman assures. It’s all about the characters — which include the City of Angels, warts and all. “I’m not interested in the-case-of-the-week mentality,” Biderman says. “These characters are so terrific; our cast is so good. I’m just trying to write the best show for them that I can.”

Read more here

Southland episode 1.02 screencaps

Posted by Stef on April 19, 2009 | Filed under Gallery Updates, Southland | Browse the News Archives

Screencaps of Ben’s performance in episode 1.02 Mozambique are now available in the gallery. Happy viewing!

‘Southland’ solid in week two

Posted by Michal on April 17, 2009 | Filed under Media Alerts, News & Gossip, Southland, TV News & Reviews | Browse the News Archives

NBC cop drama retains premiere-week aud

NBC cop drama “Southland” retained virtually all of its solid premiere-week audience in its second outing Thursday, opening up more distance on its rookie rival “Harper’s Island” on CBS. Peacock comedy “Parks and Recreation” also performed pretty well in its second try.
According to preliminary nationals from Nielsen, “Southland” easily led the 10 p.m. hour with a 3.1 rating/9 share in adults 18-49 and 9.6 million viewers overall — retaining 95% or more of its premiere-week ratings in various categories. In the same hour, CBS mystery series”Harper’s Island” declined by about 15% from its premiere to a 2.2/6 in 18-49 and 8.2 million viewers overall.
ABC’s repeat of “Private Practice” ran third in the hour (1.3/4 in 18-49, 4.6 million viewers overall) and should provide a stiff test for “Southland” when it returns with originals next week behind “Grey’s Anatomy.”

variety

Ben on the “The Today Show”

Posted by Michal on April 16, 2009 | Filed under Interviews, Media Alerts, News & Gossip, Public Appearances, Site Updates, Southland, TV News & Reviews, Video Updates | Browse the News Archives

Ben Mackenzie on the “The Today Show” 4/16/2009

Ben McKenzie and Regina King reinvent themselves as cops on TV

Posted by Stef on April 12, 2009 | Filed under Interviews | Browse the News Archives

Remember how Ben McKenzie became famous for playing the brooding teen from the wrong side of the tracks in “The O.C.”? Well, forget it. He wants you to know he’s graduated to playing real grown-up roles, and playing a cop on the mean streets of Los Angeles in the NBC series “Southland” is about as grown-up you can get. McKenzie’s “Southland” character, Ben Sherman, is a rookie cop who not only has to battle crime, but also fellow officers who want to give the newbie a hard time.

Regina King is also going through a career evolution. She’s used to playing smart-mouthed and sassy females (from her stint on the sitcom “227″ to roles in big-screen flicks like 2003’s “Daddy Day Care” and 2004’s “Ray”), but they’re usually the kind of women who don’t want to break any fingernails. Now she’s playing tough detective Lydia Adams, who also happens to be a single mom, in “Southland.” During a recent conference call with reporters, McKenzie and King chatted from Los Angeles about why “Southland” is a radical departure for them in many ways, and why the series is so different from all those other cop shows on TV.
(more…)

Ben on ReelTalk with Lyons and Bailes

Posted by Michal on April 12, 2009 | Filed under Interviews, Media Alerts, News & Gossip, Public Appearances, Site Updates, Southland, TV News & Reviews, Video Updates | Browse the News Archives

Ben on ReelTalk with Lyons and Bailes:

Click here for more information and to view Ben’s answers to the little quiz he took while in studio. Thanks to Perri at ReelTalkTV.com for the link.