Southland: The Complete First Season Uncensored (dvd review)

Warner Home Video/Unrated/Released 1/26/10
Starring Kevin Alejandro, Arija Bareikis, Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy, Regina King, Michael McGrady, Benjamin McKenzie, Tom Everett Scott
Executive producers Ann Biderman, Christopher Chulack, John Wells
Created by Ann Biderman
Running Time: 338 min.



The Pitch
Southland: The Complete First Season Uncensored follows the complicated lives dedicated LAPD officers and detectives lead as they take on criminals, victims and a city tainted by vice and seething with danger. The rookie cop and his savvier, veteran colleagues try to make a difference in the not so glamorous part of Hollywood, but as one wised-up cop says, “Every once in a while, you get to take a bad guy off the street for good. And that, my friend, is God’s work.”

The Review
Southland: The Complete First Season Uncensored is the best police procedural currently on television. Like The Shield and The Wire, Southland successfully captures the struggles of both the job and personal lives of law enforcement personnel without sensationalizing their exploits to a level of superhuman achievement. Part of the success is that this uncensored dvd set isn’t held back by the limitations of network censors.

The strong ensemble allows various story threads to be seamlessly interwoven within one another and provide alternate vantage points for storytelling. The character driven storylines are engaging and the production values are top notch. Highly recommended.

The Extras
The two-disc set features all seven episodes of the show's first season as well as an 18 1/2 minute featurette, Redefining The Cop Drama, an extensive look at the behind the scenes of the series with both cast and crew, discussing both the development and filming of the series.