Sometimes good shows actually get the treatment they deserve instead of being unceremoniously dumped from their network. Case in point is TNT’s excellent cop drama Southland which began life on NBC but after only a limited run, wan’t asked to continue on the network.

Instead, TNT picked it up and aired the remainder of episodes to what was apparently good results as the show has been given another season. In case you’re not familiar with Southland, it was created by Emmy winning writer Ann Biderman (NYPD Blue) and concerns a group of uniformed LAPD officers, among them Ben McKenzie (The OC), Michael McGrady (Band of Brothers), Regina King (Jerry McGuire, 24) and Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do), who deal with the daily trials and tribulations of life as a front line police officer.

Sporting a very good cast who deliver nuanced performances, good writing and excellent visuals, the show deserved a chance to find an audience and I, for one, am glad it seems to be doping just that. And even though we are all big fans of many of NBC’s shows, at least with this show in particular, they made a mistake letting it go. Oh well, their loss is TNT’s gain it would seem.

Created by Ann Biderman, who won an Emmy for NYPD Blue, and produced by ER’s John Wells, Southland has all the earmarks of a potentially great drama with engaging characters, intense and dramatic situations and storylines and enough police action and procedure to satisfy even the most devout cop show fan. Originally produced and broadcast in a limited run on NBC, the show was scheduled to return late last year. Inexplicably, NBC canceled the show and TNT decided to pick it up. I, for one, am glad they did.

In the deal, TNT will rebroadcast all the original 7 episodes that aired on NBC and then the remaining completed ones that NBC never showed. TNT will see how the rating do for the show to determine if they will order any more episodes. In the meantime, the original pilot airs tonight.

In the pilot, new police trainee Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) is having a pretty bad day. His training officer (Michael McGrady) is on him and trying to get him to quit, he’s being harassed by other cops and to top it off, he’s had to **SPOILER** shoot his first suspect. All in all, a pretty intense way to spend your first day as a cop.

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