LIKE its countless predecessors, NBC’s new cop drama, “Southland,” has all the requisites.
Chief among these is the wide-eyed rookie, Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie) and his seasoned partner, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), whose gruff exterior — you guessed it — masks an inner turmoil from too many years seeing too much heartache on too many LA streets.
But if tonight’s series premiere is an indicator, “Southland” also has a heart and soul — and that alone sets it apart.
Set in and around LA, “Southland” features a big cast but its main character is, for all intents and purposes, a rookie with a background that’s all Beverly Hills glitz. Or so it’s intimated.
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“You do what they teach you in the academy, you will die,” says his new partner, Cooper, during their first grueling 18 hours together.
This is one cop show that goes to great lengths to keep it real. These are profane, often politically incorrect cops who swap smutty banter and use real curse words — which are bleeped in what I believe is a prime-time first. Lip-readers, beware.
On the screen, “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.