Southland was cancelled after five seasons.
On May 10, 2013, TNT announced the gritty LAPD drama would not return for a sixth season, ending a run that started on NBC and got a second life on cable.
Despite being hailed as one of the best police shows ever, with strong critical scores and a loyal following, the decision came down to persistently low ratings that couldn’t support the costs.
Southland gave viewers a raw, unfiltered look at Los Angeles policing. Created by Ann Biderman, it used handheld cameras on real streets to achieve documentary-style realism, focusing on officers’ personal lives and moral complexities rather than tidy resolutions.
The main cast included Ben McKenzie as Ben Sherman, Michael Cudlitz as John Cooper, Regina King as Lydia Adams, and Shawn Hatosy as Sammy Bryant. It stood out for its authenticity in a genre full of formulaic procedurals.
NBC’s Early Axe Before Season 2
The show hit roadblocks right away. Southland premiered on NBC in April 2009 and earned a Season 2 renewal, but in October 2009, just before new episodes aired, NBC cancelled it.
The network pointed to scheduling chaos from The Jay Leno Show taking the 10 p.m. slot, which squeezed dramas and made the 9 p.m. hour tougher. Execs also felt the dark, intense tone didn’t fit broadcast prime time, especially as initial ratings (strong at first, around 7-10 million) softened.
The cancellation left six Season 2 episodes shelved. The cast and crew were devastated, but TNT rescued it, airing those episodes in 2010 and ordering four more seasons.
TNT Revival and the Necessary Tweaks
Cable gave Southland room to breathe; without broadcast censors, it meant bolder, grittier stories. Still, the pickup included budget cuts: shorter seasons (usually 10 episodes), fewer ensemble stories, and a tighter focus on core partnerships like Sherman and Cooper to keep expenses down.
The quality stayed high. Later seasons often earned near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and it built a dedicated audience even if broad numbers stayed modest.
Low Viewership Sealed the Final Fate
TNT’s cancellation was straightforward economics. By Season 5, viewership hovered around 1.4-1.8 million per episode (the finale hit about 1.8 million, up 15% from prior seasons), solid for cable but not enough to offset rising production costs in 2013.
The network’s statement called it a “difficult decision,” noting they were “enormously proud” of what ranked as one of the finest police dramas made.
NBC-era numbers were higher early on, but cable never matched them. Some leads pursued other pilots at the time, hinting that the writing was on the wall.
The Cliffhanger Fans Still Hate
The series ended with Season 5’s “Reckoning,” where Officer Cooper was shot in a brutal confrontation—left wounded and uncertain. Viewers slammed it as one of TV’s most infuriating unresolved endings.
Online reactions exploded with frustration, petitions for revival, and debates. The cast later defended it, saying the ambiguity reflected the unpredictability of real policing.
These days, Southland is finding new life on streaming platforms like Netflix, where it charts occasionally and hooks fresh viewers with its grounded, no-BS approach to cop life.
NBC killed it on tone and bad slots; TNT, on straight ratings math. Either way, Southland endures as an underrated standout in crime drama history.