THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Benjamin McKenzie tells us it’s been frustrating waiting to find out the fate of “Southland,” but he feels good about the show’s future now that it’s found a new home at TNT. “It was obviously unfortunate the way it went down. Shows do get canceled. We didn’t see it coming so it was a bit of a shock for all of us,” admits McKenzie about NBC greenlighting a second season and then abruptly canceling it. “It’s frustrating when you’re in the middle of that. You get angry and impatient because we had to sort of sit around for the last couple of months while they went through the process of selling it. But if the end result of this whole process is that we end up on TNT and we have a home there for years to come, and we can make the show that we want to make that we weren’t able to make on NBC, then that’s a great outcome,” he notes.
TNT will begin airing the entire first season starting Jan. 12 and then they will air six episodes that have already been shot for season two. “TNT needs a little time, obviously, to gear up to promote the show. I’m excited for people to see not only the new version of the pilot, which has additional footage in it, but these new episodes, which I think are some of the best we’ve done. I think fans of the show will be rewarded for their patience,” he says. “Now that we’re on cable, we don’t have to deliver as big of a number as we did on NBC. If we get that core audience to follow us to TNT, then I think we could be around for a while.”
In the meantime, McKenzie plans to take it easy during the Christmas holidays. “I’m just going back home to Austin, Texas, where I’m from, to spend time with my family. I’ll eat some good food, get some gifts and just enjoy my time off.”
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