After working on scripts for NYPD Blue, TV writer Ann Biderman moved to the other coast and created the police drama Southland, whose working title was LAPD.
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The series — starring Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy, Regina King, and Ben McKenzie as Los Angeles police officers — ran for one season on NBC and four on TNT, winning the hearts of critics and viewers alike. Vulture's Matt Zoller Seitz called it "the most compelling cop show since Season 1 of NBC's Homicide , and perhaps the most gritty and real," and a 2020 survey found it to be one of the most underrated shows on TV.
Southland also won a Peabody Award in 2012. "Like every great police drama, the daily grind offers versions of what it means to be human and humane, violent and compassionate, cynical and committed," Peabody voters said. "Cop shows are a staple of television because they provide a crucible in which such cases are tested week after week. This show never backs down from the pressure."
The talented guest cast also kept Southland's drama alight. Here are 10 familiar faces from the show, which debuted 15 years ago on April 9, 2009.
