THE LONGEST NIGHT. THE END OF 'SOUTHLAND'

The ever thinning blue line in law enforcement continues. SOUTHLAND returns. Images: TNT.

Going out with a bang, the cast and crew of the critically acclaimed TNT police drama SOUTHLAND deliver a tense, dramatic and explosive end to their fifth and final season (hopefully arriving on the UK's MORE 4 channel later in the year). And right from the start, our favourite characters, having all faced a period of upheaval and transition from events at the end of Season Four, face a tough time coping with their new choices and responsibilities. Detective Lydia Adams (brought to life with such caring, believable humanity, and a sometimes beleaguered heart, by Regina King) is now a proud mommy, but has to juggle her dedicated life as a police woman with her equally dedicated life as a parent-and things are going to get even more brutal. Within the confines of former junkie, big-hearted but troubled officer John Cooper's (Michael Cudlitz) restricted life, still on the patrol streets in the only real job he knows- to truly serve and protect - he gets another tricky partner to contend with after his prior complicated "relationship" with the now departed Jessica Tang (Lucy Liu) - clashing personalities with a former military veteran from Afghanistan, whilst recently promoted Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie), having gained a dark side to his personality the previous season, sees a series of big decisions go big-time wrong, with severe consequences. Finally, hard done by officer Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy) starts his year on a continued streak of bad luck, still clashing with his ex-wife and struggling to make ends meet- but could there possibly be any light at the end of the tunnel for him?

Detectives Lydia Adams (Regina King) and Ruben Robinson (Dorian Missick) investigate, in the episode Chaos.

Southland Season 5 Trailer - YouTube
▶ Southland S05 Chaos Trailer Promo - YouTube
▶ Southland Season 5 Exclusive: Regina King - YouTube

Tricky, lifed-up cops Sammy (Shawn Hatosy) and Ben (Ben McKenzie) continue to clash.

In a show where the lives of our flawed heroes often isn't fair or sweet, where violence and cruelty is common place, and where Hollywood is more Hollyweird than ever, the series final subplots and personal conflicts gather upstream momentum, gaining intensity towards a genuinely shattering finale- of the kind that only SOUTHLAND can deliver so effectively. Its final scenes are likely to linger in viewers mind for a long time to come, possessing genuine shock and tragedy.

The complex John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) continues to endure the L.A. streets.

It's faced many challenges in its five year run- cancellation and budget/ cast changes being standouts- but the gritty and realistic life and work on the streets series, as seen through the creative eyes of Ann Biderman and her dedicated actors and film crew, has endured to justifiably earn its place as one of modern US TV's best genre drama series.

Goodbye, SOUTHLAND. And thank you.

GUARDIANS OF ANGELES. 'SOUTHLAND' SEASON FOUR ARRIVES ON UK TV...

Law and order? It's just another day at the office for our dedicated police heroes of SOUTHLAND. Image: TNT.

New faces join the brave and the bold complimenting the Los Angeles Police Department team of SOUTHLAND, returning for it's new fourth season, ten episode run of powerful social/personal drama on the UK's MORE4 channel from tomorrow. The standout newcomer will surely be the lovely Lucy Liu, who, before joining the modern Holmes in ELEMENTARY, plays officer Jessica Tang, new partner to the volatile and opinionated older cop John Cooper (big bear-like Michael Cudlitz), now off his painkiller addiction, on the law and order beat, and early on proving a bit of a cold fish as their relationship starts off on rocky ground. Further mixing things up a bit in the long-term storytelling, stalwart and relatable heroine Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King) finally gets a new colleague she enjoys working with, ex-military man Ruben Robinson (Dorian Missick), whilst back to cop status ex-detective, Sammy Bryant (the always compelling Shawn Hatosy), trying to erase the spectre of his partner's death the season previously, goes out on the road with straight-as-a-die officer Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie), in a street partnership that, amongst the gangs and day to day problems of the city's residents, starts encouragingly but may end up in tragedy...

John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) and Jessica Tang (Lucy Liu) make an intriguing new pairing.

Behind the scenes: Southland season 4 Three New Partnerships - YouTube
Lucy Liu talks Officer Tang's 'Southland' past - YouTube

It's felt like forever since we last saw the show on UK television (Channel 4, why are you treating such a classy show so poorly!), and KOOL TV has missed its regular fix of such finely crafted US drama. Welcome back SOUTHLAND!

Check out our previous SOUTHLAND features here: KOOL TV: SOUTHLAND

PLACE OF THE ANGELS! 'SOUTHLAND' SEASON FOUR

Imperfect, but compelling, heroes for an imperfect world: the cast of SOUTHLAND. Images: TNT.

Possibly airing in the UK this October-time, TNT's continued renewal of the raw and fantastic cop drama SOUTHLAND for a fourth series of ten episodes saw the show build on and improve against some of the noticeable behind the scenes changes initiated on it by the new network during it's prior, budget cut year-its reduced supporting cast sparingly but effectively used proving to be the most standout element- but regardless of such complications it easily retained its reputation as one of the best shows on the box by an Olympic stretch...

A new Angel on the block: Lucy Liu joins the series...

Heading for disaster? Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie) is teamed up with Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy).

On a creative winning streak Ann Biederman's bold drama carved a third season that once more became addictive television as we watched things get even more tumultuous and difficult for our band of brothers struggling and putting their lives on the line to keep law, order and some semblance of sanity and safety to the streets of Los Angeles, despite their own complex problems, anxieties and inner demons. Detective Lydia Adams, nicely played by Regina King,  was accused, then cleared, by her superiors of selling images of a dead celebrity to the tabloids, of which her altercations with her superiors almost cost her her job and career, whilst Detective Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy) lost his best friend and partner, Nate (Kevin Alejandro), in a shocking and savage moment of violence from a Mexican drug street gang conflict. Big bear cop John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), despite pain and bitter verbal conflict with his street partner Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie), also had to find the courage to win his final battle in overcoming the thirst for taking painkiller drugs and face the possible life-changing effects of delicate but necessary back surgery.

Series favourite, Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King) gets a new partner, Detective Ruben Robinson (Dorian Missick)...

...and wades in against a suspect in the episode Underwater.

Sadly, neither Biderman or producer John Wells have written any of the episodes this year, but eagerly expectant viewers on our little island can anticipate seeing the continuance of several of the aforementioned and important plot threads in Season Four, as John gets to lock horns and duty ideals with a new partner, Jessica Tang (as played by film star Lucy Liu, soon to be seen as a female Dr. Watson against Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock Holmes in the controversial modern day US re-imagining of the super sleuth: ELEMENTARY), whilst former rookie Ben, in the aftermath of his bust up with Cooper, teams with now cop on the beat Sammy for their patrols, and learns a few things about survival and instinctive police training when the latter ultimately refuses to let the past- the death of his ex-partner- lie...

More news on the series UK fourth seasons debut, and the recent, well-deserved US fifth season renewal, soon...

Check out the official FACEBOOK page for the series: Southland