OK, so it’s not the first time we’ve heard a producer trying to keep hope alive for a canceled broadcast network show. Now Hollywood Reporter’s Nellie Andreeva reports that Southland’s executive producer John Wells, called the show’s actors late last week to tell them he is talking to two networks and trying to find a home for the cop series.
Andreeva also reports that even if a network like TNT (which is owned by the same company as Warner Bros, which produces the show, and is reportedly interested) picks the show up, filming wouldn’t resume any time soon. Instead, the network would take last spring’s seven episodes and combine them with the six un-aired episodes to form a 13 episode season.
Ultimately I could see exactly that happening, and even at TNT. But I don’t think that necessarily bodes well for the show getting additional episodes produced. Unless a deal could be struck quickly that involved buying the rights for the six unaired episodes from NBC, it could be a long time before any decision is made on new episodes. I don’t see the writers, actors, etc. wanting to pass on other opportunities that will come along while Southland’s future waits to be determined.
Of course, when a show is on cable, it runs on a different shooting schedule, and it seems like actors don’t have too much difficulty doing more than one show at a time if at least one of those is on cable (preferably both.) So there’s still a chance. I wouldn’t have too much faith in it, but I do think there’s a better chance of Southland’s revival than pretty much any other currently dead show.
Southland is not dead yet. I’m hoping TNT or USA will pick it up.
I miss Southland
I like this show better than Castle and Fringe.
Well, obviously Southland has to go. If we don’t count Castle and Lie to Me (Because they aren’t both really cop shows in the traditional sense) it’s the only cop show that is actually good. And a good cop show on a network, that’s a no-go. Those are reserved for FX and HBO unfortunately.
John Wells: Keep you faith!
Me: I will.
We should start a hate nbc site seems they cancel all the great shows las vegas, southland etc.. =(
I don’t see the writers, actors, etc. wanting to pass on other opportunities that will come along while Southland’s future waits to be determined.
That all depends on the language of the actors’ contracts, which none of us know. If Warners is shopping the show around, then that presumably means, for now at least, that they haven’t let the actors out of their contracts.
I think the actors will consider the contracts broken if they are not being paid.
I have given up on NBC, the only show I was looking forward to was SouthLAnd. It was well written, terrific actors, riveting characters and everything going for it. The only other show on NBC that I’m watching is “Mercy”, which probably won’t last either. TNT please pick this up and sign it up for more episodes. Putting Jay Leno on during primetime 5 days a week was the most lamebrain move ever. Way to go NBC you managed to alienate most of your viewers.
Robert or Bill:
Chuck has a new site on NBC.com that says Thursdays 7/8C. Do you have any idea if they are planning on reworking their Thursdays to accommodate Chuck in 2010?
I’m struggling to see a future for Southland, whilst I wouldn’t be amazed to see the episodes that are already in the can make it to air somewhere I’d be astonished if more new episodes were produced. I think people need to remember that NBC cancelled this show without airing a single episode of the series that they’re presumably paid for that means they felt there was a real possibility that airing those episodes would actually lose them more money than simply trashing them and from all reports the Southland license wasn’t cheap so the loses they must have been projecting are jaw dropping, particularly for a Friday night when the show would have aired.
Of course it is always possible that in and of themselves the Southland losses wouldn’t have been that bad but coupled with the loses everywhere else on the schedule it was too much and Southland was simply unlucky enough to be the latest debuting show for this half of the season.
Also if the license reports are true are TNT going to be able to afford to make new episodes of Southland? The budget would have to be slashed and all the actors would have to sign new deals for production to continue on a cable network, unless Warners intended to sell the show at a huge loss and I see no upside to that for them at all.
Matt, “Robert or Bill:
Chuck has a new site on NBC.com that says Thursdays 7/8C. Do you have any idea if they are planning on reworking their Thursdays to accommodate Chuck in 2010?”
That’s news to me. Good catch. Unless someone made a difficult to imagine error, that looks official.
Edit: I just posted it on the site, but the time on NBC.com is goofy, reading 7/8c. It might be a mistake.
Hmm. Interesting about Chuck, though there is an error even if the “Thursdays” part is correct. It should be 8/7C.
Bill & Matt – I saw that too, I dont understand how Chuck could air at 7 on thursdays. Maybe it would air at 8 Thursdays and NBC could move P&R and Community to another night but that seems unlikely. Id say if NBC axes Trauma, they could air Chuck in the 9pm slot. The series could stay in the slot even until Heroes ends, and possibly move up to 8pm come March.
As for Southland, I hope TNT picks it up or gives it a chance. They do have a lot of series now, but hopefully Southland can do well on that network. I was happy that CBS picked up Medium, but that made more sense to them financially for syndication and it seemed to coincidentally fit in well at 9pm fridays. It sucks that Earl wasnt picked up by TBS. I thought FOX could atleast continue the series. FOX studios produces the series and they could have combined it with Sons of Tucson midseason.
I think Southland is great. But in some ways I’m greatful that there is now absolutely NOTHING I watch on that god forsaken network.
I love how on a story about Southland which is no longer on NBC
and has no influence on the schedule somebody was able to bring up Chuck.