Southland

:

Season 2
  • Network: NBC , TNT
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 9, 2009
Season #: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

  1. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    100
    Here's to a long and fruitful run in the new home. Tuesday night proves exactly why Southland deserves one.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    91
    The tremendously exciting second-season premiere — the first of six new episodes — plunges us into numerous L.A.-cop story lines, the best of which finds Regina King's Lydia dealing with a cocky new partner
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Tom Shales
    90
    Southland is a show of high caliber and riveting brilliance, instantly one of the finest hours of TiVo-worthy drama anywhere on the tube.
  5. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    83
    King, Cudlitz and McKenzie carry this drama, in note-perfect peformances. They make Southland a worthy part of your Tuesday night stakeout.
  6. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    80
    Just reciting plots can make Southland sound like a soap opera, and in some ways that's what ensemble shows are. But this one is more than that.
  7. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    80
    This gritty series about L.A. cops does have a niche cable sensibility, but it's exceptionally well made, with sharply drawn characters and, happily, more intense focus on the best of them in these initial patrols.
  8. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Nancy DeWolf Smith
    80
    TNT's cop drama Southland is like a hot date on a Saturday night. Just waiting for another episode to begin each week is a thrill, and once the show gets going the rush is like nothing else on TV.
  9. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    70
    There's a cool, no-nonsense attitude about Southland that may make it more challenging for viewers to embrace than some other shows, but this cop drama has so many strong performances and enough nuanced writing that it remains one of the better dramas currently in prime time.
  10. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Mike Hale
    70
    The solemnities of the writing are balanced by some excellent performances and superior production values.
  11. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    70
    The personal business is interesting enough, if here and there inexplicable--like life, I hear you sigh--and does help make sense of why the characters act so needy around the office. But what Southland does best is to portray police work as a job--boring, trying, exciting by turns.
  12. PopMatters
    Reviewed by: Cynthia Fuchs
    60
    Much like last season, this one already has Adams and Ben standing in for viewers. Their insights, or their reactions, mold yours.
  13. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    50
    It’s a bland, interchangeable bunch, with most of them having a single identifiable trait.

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Best TV Season of 2010
89
#89 Most Discussed TV Season of 2010

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 67 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 67
  3. Negative: 3 out of 67
  1. Peter
    Aug 25, 2010
    9
    very very good. my favorite hbo show, but my 2nd favorite. im really looking forward to 3rd season. i really wish that one character wasnt gayvery very good. my favorite hbo show, but my 2nd favorite. im really looking forward to 3rd season. i really wish that one character wasnt gay though because i am afraid of homos! the only other problem i have with it and all hbo shows is that each season is too short. anyway, this show is very very good and even inspired my older bro to become a cop.… Full Review »
  2. Superbuddha
    Jan 19, 2012
    2
    Not everything in that show is bad. The casting is ok and actors visibly try their best. Pretty much everything else is a disaster, theNot everything in that show is bad. The casting is ok and actors visibly try their best. Pretty much everything else is a disaster, the writing is specially poor, with bad dialogues, poor character development and plots that make no sense.
    Bad also the very weird editing and the musical theme.
    I very much understand the decision of the network not to broadcast this second season and to drop the show altogether, because under this current form Southland was unsalvageable.    … Full Review »
  3. KimmyTee
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    Southland is such a good show. The show is always interesting and continues to keep me tuning in for more. The characters are very interestingSouthland is such a good show. The show is always interesting and continues to keep me tuning in for more. The characters are very interesting and they have had some wild surprises. I don't know how anyone could call Southland a horrible show when its the exact opposite. I couldn't believe it when NBC cancelled but I am hoping that TNT continues to bring us more Southland.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »