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.

TNT, the network known for its legal/detective dramas (including endless reruns of Law & Order), is now venturing into Sci-Fi with Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks on a series that will star Noah Wyle and Moon Bloodgood. The series, despite not yet having a name, has a pilot directed by Carl Franklin (Devil in A Blue Dress, Out of Time) — who is also working with Spielberg on episodes of the forthcoming WWII television mini-series The Pacific — and a story written by Saving Private Ryan scribe Robert Rodat.

Noah Wyle, who has become quite familiar with TNT through his numerous The Librarian TV Movies, will star as a professor that winds up in the rebellion against the alien invaders. Bloodgood, who really seems to have a taste for the genre with her past roles Terminator: Salvation and the “canceled too-soon” series Journey Man, will play a therapist that works with surviving children of the invasion.

Other names of cast members include Seychelle Gabriel (The Spirit, and M. Night Syamalan’s The Last Airbender), Jessy Schram (Life, Crash: The Series) and Drew Roy (Greek, Lincoln Heights). According to reports, the series opens shortly after aliens have wiped out most of humanity. The aliens are now rounding up the few people left, but they are met with strong resistance from a group of soldiers and civilians who fight for their survival – all while struggling to maintain their humanity.

The series is set to debut sometime in 2011.

Having never watched TNT’s Leverage before, I didn’t really know quite what to expect. On the surface, and from the promos I’ve seen, it looked to be a somewhat interesting story of a group of con artists, hackers, muscle men and a smarmy, intelligent leader who plan and execute elaborate cons to extract revenge for wrongdoings done to helpless individuals. Sort of like Mission Impossible meets Robin Hood or The A-Team.

Put that premise together with a cast which features some pretty good actors, including Angel alum Christian Kane and Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton, and you should have the makings of a pretty great hour of TV. With Leverage, you mostly do, with a few notable exceptions.

In the third season opener “The Runway Job,” Nathan Ford (Hutton) and his team are back in action. This time around they are taking down some ruthless evil people in the seedy world of fashion. The world of fashion, much like other facets of entertainment, serves up a host of despicable characters ripe for revenge.

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Listen up all you disgruntled Southland fans, TNT is your new favorite network. The acclaimed police drama has risen from the ashes of cancellation and will be returning to television on a new network:

“TNT has picked up the critically acclaimed series “Southland,” closing a deal with Warner Bros. Television that will bring the drama from Emmy-winning producer John Wells (“ER,” “The West Wing”) to the network in January.

TNT has obtained exclusive rights to air all six episodes that have been shot for the second season, as well as the seven episodes from the series’ first season. “Southland” will air on TNT Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), beginning with the first episode of the series on Jan. 12.”

This is great news for the series especially given the somewhat surprising cancellation by NBC before the show even returned for a second season.  Honestly, they brought back Heroes but not Southland? What gives?

Producer John Wells said: “We’re delighted that TNT has stepped forward to pick up ‘Southland.’ We are all extremely proud of the show.”

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