Axed police drama “Southland” may have found a new home. The gritty drama from producer John Welles (“ER”) was axed by NBC after just one season, while cast and crew were actually busy making the second season.
Six episodes of the sophomore season were in the can when NBC announced their decision to pull the show, something that actually made it more difficult for Welles and company to try and find a new home for their baby, as insiders claim NBC expected to be paid upfront to allow whoever bought the show to air those episodes. A compromise deal appears to have been reached, however, with the TNT network the strongest contender to be the cop show’s new home.
In addition to the six episodes of the second season, Warner Bros, who produce the series, also still have seven unaired episodes left over from the first season. Michael Cudlitz and Ben McKenzie star as LA beat cops in the drama series, which NBC informed Warner Bros it had decided to cancel just two weeks ago. The network is now airing “Dateline” in its place. Welles, who had a long relationship with NBC via “ER”, made no secret of his unhappiness with the network’s decision, and is one of a number of drama producers who feel their shows are being ill-served as a result of the special treatment being given to the low rated (but cheap to make) chat show “The Jay Leno Show”, which has now taken every 10 pm weekday slot (where “Southland” used to air) on NBC.
