"Southland": Primetime on patrol

"I spent time with the vice squad, way out in Pacoima. I went all around with gang homicide detectives. I went out with many, many, many patrol cops from all over -- downtown to Pacific to West L.A., you name it," Biderman says. "I just felt like that was the way to find out if there were stories to tell her. That was the way to find the characters we needed to tell those stories."

The most jarring aspect of her research was coming to grips with the depth of the criminal and societal problems caused by gang activity in Southern California. One of the story threads in the pilot of "Southland" was inspired by her experience of sitting alone in a hospital room with the body of a teenage boy who was a victim of a raging black-versus-Latino gang war. (In the pilot, the boy survives the shooting.)

"Most of the murders that happen in L.A. are gang related. To do an honest portrayal of policing in LA. you can't ignore that," Biderman says. We're not doing 'The Wire,' but we still felt that was an important element. I had never spent time on South-Central, or in the southeast part of L.A. It was disturbing."

The core characters in "Southland" are an amalgam of many of the cops and detectives that she met along the way, carefully selected to give the show a range of turf to cover.

Another unusual aspect of "Southland" is that the cop characters have different home bases and may only rarely, if ever, cross paths. Thesp Regina King (pictured right) is a standout in her role as Det. Lydia Adams, an experienced cop who still manages to demonstrate compassion for the people she encounters. But the heart of "Southland" is clearly the rookie-veteran relationship between patrol cops Sherman and Cooper, played with cool understatement by Ben McKenzie and Michael Cudlitz. (Good as those two are already, they have a ways to go before they challenge "Adam 12's" Martin Milner and Kent McCord for Best TV Cops Ever status in my precinct.)

"Southland's" kinetic look and feel is the work of exec producer/helmer Chulack. The goal from the start has been to make the aud "feel like you're with them on patrol," Biderman says. "None of us wanted to do a glammed-up, blue-sky show with shots of waves crashing in Malibu. And I didn’t want to do a show that had people constantly shouting exposition to each other."

Chulack's creative vision has been greatly enabled by cinematographer Jimmi Muro and his skill at manning the Steadicam. To deliver the remaining six episodes in NBC's initial order after the pilot, Biderman recruited two writers who had experience working for Wells: Angela Amato, a former NYC cop who worked on "Third Watch" and is an old friend of Biderman's; and Dee Johnson, an alumnus of "ER."

"Southland" took the Thursday 10 p.m. baton from "ER" after the latter's series finale earlier this month. After two airings with very respectable numbers, the show looks to be a cinch for renewal. Biderman's not worried about the prospect of her show playing at 9 p.m. rather than 10 p.m. next season once Jay Leno begins his 10 p.m. weeknight residency in the fall. The exec producers are mindful of the thin blue line between heavy drama and gratuitous violence or sexual material, Biderman assures. It's all about the characters -- which include the City of Angels, warts and all.

"I'm not interested in the-case-of-the-week mentality," Biderman says. "These characters are so terrific; our cast is so good. I'm just trying to write the best show for them that I can."