So How Did 'Southland' Do in the Southland?

Considering that the Los Angeles Times subjected itself to another public-relations snafu over the NBC drama "Southland" -- a new series about the LAPD -- I wondered how the show performed locally, and whether the payoff was worth all the mess.

Just to recap, the Times aired an L-shaped front-page ad for the program with a mock "news" story in it, causing another mini-revolt in the newsroom, where a petition of complaint was circulated. Other news outlets -- including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, along with Variety and TV Week -- weighed in with stories about the ad's propriety, and rest assured, there's nothing Times staffers love more than being called on the carpet by media ethicists in the New York Times.

So how did this L.A.-centric show -- about a police force whose image has gone through some very non-"Dragnet"-like ups and downs through the years -- fare in the L.A. market? Quite well. The premiere delivered a 5.3 rating -- meaning that percentage of homes in the viewing area tuned in -- and a 10 share (or the percentage of TV sets in use), beating CBS' launch of the horror serial "Harper's Island" (a 4.4 rating). By way of comparison, that surpasses the three episodes of "ER" leading up to its highly rated finale, with those hours (which included a ratings-boosting guest shot by George Clooney) averaging a 4.3 rating.

"Southland" also performed well nationally, attracting 9.9 million viewers and winning its hour among the key demo of adults age 18-49, based on Nielsen estimates [ note: these figures are updated to reflect final national data ]. "Harper's Island" (10.2 million) ranked first in overall viewing, but it had the benefit of a "CSI" lead-in, and unlike "Southland" -- which gained viewers as it went on -- dropped from its first to its second half-hour.

Those results put "Southland" comfortably in the high range of "ER's" ratings chart toward the end of its run. Of course, ABC's "Private Practice" was a rerun, as was "Grey's Anatomy," so the competitive landscape will become more challenging going forward. Even so, the opening-night returns are pretty good for NBC, which can certainly use a ray of sunshine. As for the Times' contribution to the show's marketing, probably not so much.