i heart southland

I really like the new NBC show Southland, but it took a couple of episodes for me to realize just how much I liked it. Which is kind of awesome and refreshing. Because the trend now is for high concept shows that suck you in with sheer craziness and oh my god moments the first episode and which almost always go downhill from there. Like Heroes, a show I loved for a brief moment of time. The Heroes pilot was flashy and cool and new and whiz bang. People teleported and flew and painted the future. But after a few episodes the show just lost it. Because it wasn't built on a sturdy foundation. It was built on a particularly shiny and nifty house of cards. It was all smoke and mirrors and when that went away, well there wasn't much of a show underneath. But Southland is the polar opposite. It's the definiton of sturdy. There's really nothing flashy or shiny about it. But what it's revealed itself to be with each successive episode is a really good, solid show about cops and detectives working in Los Angeles. It's a show that could stay good and solid for years which is kind of rare nowadays. Plus it has Ryan from the OC and I will always remain loyal to any castmember from that show (except for Marissa and that surfer kid Marissa dated in season 3, Lord I hated him). And they bleep out cuss words which alone provides entertainment value. So if you haven't already, watch an episode. But better yet watch more than one. Because this show, like a lot of good entertainment, takes a little while to get a hold of you. But when it's got you, it's got you, no smoke and mirrors included.