Very positive review / 8 Jan 2011 http://dreamingbetweenthelines.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/the-return-of-southland/

Wells and Biderman negotiated the complex demands of this season opener skilfully; sketching with the lightest of touches enough details of the key players’ back stories to allow new viewers to know them, while accelerating them into new challenges. There were delicate echoes of the pilot “Unknown Trouble,” and also of the last episode aired, “Maximum Deployment,” but these echoes were artfully reframed, with quiet evolutions shaded in.

Michael Cudlitz was the MVP of this episode as John Cooper, fighting his excruciating, debilitating back injuries, and desperately begging for the help of his ex-wife to sustain his painkiller addiction. His tragic, haunting expression as she rushed away from him in tears was the key moment of the episode, locating the show’s heart amidst the chaos and tension. Ben McKenzie also did great work executing the path the writers seem to be laying out for his role, as Ben Sherman drifts from the hotshot, by-the-numbers rookie, to a more experienced, weary, rule-breaking patrol cop. Regina King hit her emotional beats compellingly as Lydia Adams, perpetually dealing with the horror that her detective faces, and never quite getting numb to it.

(continue reading…)

Preview: Will Season Three of “Southland” Deal More With John Cooper’s Sexuality? (AfterElton / 28 Dec 2010)

Are you excited about the return of Southland next Tuesday night on TNT? That might depend on how well you feel the show has handled the fact that John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) is gay. Some gay viewers are frustrated that the first two (abbreviated) seasons haven’t shown more of his personal life or made his sexuality more explicit. Indeed, despite revealing that particular plot point at the end of last season, some straight viewers still aren’t convinced Cooper is gay. (continue reading…)

From: http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/JONATHAN+CASTELLANOS/3941094/story.html

Jonathan Castellanos discovered his love for performing at a very young age, acting in school plays, singing and playing the drums by the first grade…….He is most memorable for his recurring guest star role on TNT’s gritty drama “Southland,” where he played a young boy who gets mixed up with the wrong crowd and ends up committing a murder. (continue reading…)

E!Online Watch with Kristin (the 13th, Dec. 2010)

Getting so excited for the return of Southland in January! Any scoop?

Southland’s first episode back is gangbusters. They are actually busting gangs, of course, but there are also huge twists in store for two of our faves, including Shawn Hatosy’s Sammy, that blow up the whole season. As Shawn just told us, “The beauty of what’s going on this season is that Sammy needs to lean on someone because he’s going through a real tough time, and he’s got his partner [Kevin Alejandro as Nate] to help.” Awww, bromance. Also in the premiere? You’ll find out why cops might want to take off their bulletproof vests when facing down a bank robber spraying a city street with semiautomatic weapons fire, and well, it’s so cool.

TVfIX in Australia (the 24th, Nov.)

http://www.yourtv.com.au/article.aspx?id=8169898

So it’s a pleasure to welcome Southland to the mix, which, unlike its many counterparts, actually delivers a taste of realism. Near to what The Wire was able to achieve for Baltimore, Southland gives the city of Los Angeles a true police drama.

The first episode begins by casually introducing you to the characters you will follow: the new rookie cop Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie) and his tough training officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), who is taking him out on a normal days patrol; the show’s emotional rock, Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King), who is looking into the disappearance of a young girl; the female cop trying to break into an elite SWAT team, Chickie Brown (Arija Bareikis); and a detective whose home life is meddling with his work, Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy).

Although the camera work leaves you dizzy at times, the show has a real pace and, most interestingly, a real vocab. The swearing, police jargon and LA terminology is not dumbed down, and as a result, Southland keeps you hooked.

Southland airs on Gem on Monday, November 29, at 10:30pm.