Southland

Wall Street JournalDorothy Rabinowitz

Prattle is, in any case, a minor note compared with the crackling pace of the first script, its evocative mood of menace at every turn, each police car racing to destinations that will reveal who knows what tragedy or unspeakable sight.

Hollywood ReporterRandee Dawn

It's compelling from minute one to credit roll--exciting, smart, realistic and brilliant, all in one brightly lit package.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

What Southland has, already, is its own swagger, a get-outta-my-way style of moving and talking that says it's going for the raw edges we see on cable shows like "Breaking Bad." Southland pulls it off, too. If Thursday night's premiere episode is an indication how it plans to roll, it's a keeper.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

Tough-minded, suspenseful and shot in an unnerving bleached light, Southland is by far the better drama--Thursday’s pilot is one of the most gripping opening episodes of any network crime series.

Kansas City Star

Southland is built to be bigger, and in that sense it succeeds immediately, thanks to excellent casting (especially Michael Cudlitz and Regina King as a cop and a detective), gritty location shooting around L.A. and storytelling that doesn’t hold the viewer’s hand.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Action and tight-squeeze situations outweigh eloquent pronouncements about 100 to 1 on this drama from ER's John Wells. It may not be the greatest show on Earth, but it's the most powerful cop drama in a few years.

Chicago Sun-TimesMary Houlihan

The acting is top-notch, the editing is fast and furious and the photography is rich, giving the show a fresh feel. But the first episode never really breaks new ground in cop land.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

Southland, which comes from “ER” executive producers John Wells and Christopher Chulack, is the more serious and satisfying drama, though it could use a little more of the lightness of The Unusuals.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

The casting on Southland is a plus and so is Biderman's intent not to make it easy for viewers to succumb to "pilotitis."

New York PostMichael Starr

Southland has a "Cops"-like feel with jittery, hand-held cameras pointing every which way. Dramamine, anyone?--but it works with the show's you-are-there format. A promising start.

Slant MagazineMichael Murray

In spite of this art-school eagerness to please, there's an appealing lyricism that permeates Southland.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

If the genre is no longer groundbreaking, it's still compelling in skilled hands.

VarietyBrian Lowry

Wells and company have delivered a cop drama with its own racing pulse, albeit for a network that's uncomfortably close to flatlining.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Of the two new cop shows this week, Southland is the more serious and realistic. It also demonstrates the potential for greater depth in its exploration of characters and their stories.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

Ben also seems to come from some money, a situation that's bound to create conflict but may also add to the uncomfortable sense that he (and we) are watching bad things happen from a too-safe distance.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

The show is what it is--no surprises, no disappointments.

PopMattersLesley Smith

If visuals are not mundane in Southland, neither is the dialogue, especially the incidental repartee that oils coexistence in a high-stress profession.

Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara

In theory, Southland could turn out to be a rich and textured cross between, say, "Hill Street Blues" and "Crash" with a little "Training Day" on the side, but the pilot, for all its horrific crimes and grimy street scenes, is strangely bland.

Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall

It looks great, makes good use of Los Angeles locations and has a solid ensemble cast (including Regina King and Tom Everett Scott as detectives). But it feels emotionally empty in the same way "Third Watch" so often did.

TimeJames Poniewozik

Ten years ago, Southland would have seemed revolutionary on TV. But now it does feel like network playing catch-up with cable.

Washington PostHank Stuever

The pilot episode is laden with so much setup for countless other characters that the network should have supplied a flow chart.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Southland is unbearable--a pretentious, foul-mouthed, overly arty chore that will leave you with a headache should you linger too long.