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.

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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…)

VIDEO Michael Cudlitz & Ben McKenzie Talk ‘Southland’ Season 3 (TV Squad / 28 Dec 2010)

I hit the set of ‘Southland’ — a.k.a. a random residential neighborhood in L.A. — to catch up with Cudlitz and McKenzie. They talked about their onscreen partnership, who’s the biggest goofball and the show’s tighter focus on their characters, Regina King’s Det. Lydia Adams, and Shawn Hatosy’s Det. Sammy Bryant. They also dished a little about upcoming storylines, pill addictions, nudity and more.

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Go behind the scenes of the Season Three photo shoot and see what it takes to create these realistic shots. And don’t forget to watch Southland when it returns January 4 at 10/9c!
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We recently had an opportunity to speak with several members of the cast including Benjamin McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz, Regina King and Shawn Hatosy, on the eve of their first table read for the new season. The cast members discussed the upcoming season, the move to TNT, their characters and how the show has changed since last season.