TV

'Southland' hits the streets, others back in lineup

By Charles Ealy
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Television networks are rolling out a fresh batch of shows this spring, and one of the best will debut at 9 p.m. Thursday in the former "ER" time slot on NBC.

It's the cop drama "Southland," starring Austin's Ben McKenzie as a rookie on the Los Angeles police force who's trying to navigate his first day on the job with a gruff partner.

Like Noah Wyle's John Carter on "ER," McKenzie's clean-cut character Ben Sherman appears to come from an educated, upper-class background, providing an outsider's perspective on life on the wrong side of the tracks in one of the nation's most crime-ridden, gang-plagued cities.

The similarities between the two series are no coincidence. John Wells, the longtime executive producer of "ER," "The West Wing" and "Third Watch," also guides the ensemble tales of "Southland."

Throughout most of the first episode, Mc-Kenzie's Sherman says little, merely listening to his epithet-spewing new partner John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz). Cooper needles the rookie endlessly and tells fellow officers that the new guy must be either a "Richie Rich" dabbler who won't stick with the job or a Canadian, a term that apparently means "passive" in the L.A. cop lexicon.

The intriguing cast of characters, all of whom are ripe for development, includes Regina King, Tom Everett Scott and Shawn Hatosy.

If the first episode is any guide, the story lines will not be as predictable as they might first appear. The closing scene of Thursday's "Southland," in fact, provides a subtle surprise that might split — or intrigue — viewers. To say anything more would be a major spoiler.

"Southland" is facing competition, of course. It will go up against "Private Practice" on ABC and "Harper's Island," which is premiering the same night on CBS. The latter focuses on a killer who picks off people on an island, one by one.

In addition to the "Southland" premiere, several existing shows are starting new seasons this month. Here's a brief update on three: "In Treatment," "Rescue Me" and "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union."

'In Treatment,' tonight at 9 on HBO2

Of all the series on HBO, the drama "In Treatment" has been one of the hardest to make regular viewing. Perhaps it's the subject matter — the rather static setting of therapist Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne) listening to and trying to engage reluctant patients. Or perhaps it's the half-hour format, which seems too short for a TV drama.

Whatever the case, the second season, which aired first at 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday with back-to-back episodes, might finally begin to hook more viewers. And if you missed the debut, you may want to tune in tonight at 9 on HBO2 for a repeat.

The recently divorced Weston has moved his practice to Brooklyn, using his living room as an office, but he's immediately slapped with a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.

He ends up in a lawyer's office, but the lawyer turns out to be Mia (the brilliant Hope Davis), a former patient who thinks Weston "abandoned" her years ago.

Other episodes develop new patients, such as Walter (John Mahoney), a CEO who's on the brink of a meltdown; April (Alison Pill), an architecture student who has cancer but is refusing to tell her parents or get any treatment; and Oliver (Aaron Shaw), an 11-year-old who's developing an eating disorder because of his parents' impending divorce.

Weston, himself, continues to take the train to Maryland each week to visit his therapist, played by Dianne Wiest.

The nuanced performances by Byrne, Davis, Mahoney and Wiest make this show much more watchable than it sounds.

'Rescue Me,' tonight at 9 on FX

As hard-living Tommy Gavin, Denis Leary leads an ensemble cast playing New York firefighters into a fifth season, with plenty of sardonic wit.

Tommy has been sober for about 11 months, despite the emotional toll of juggling past and current lovers and the recent death of his father, whom he never really liked.

Michael J. Fox has an amusing guest role in the first episodes as a smart-talking pill-popper who's pushing Tommy to the brink of violence.

Fellow firefighters, meanwhile, persuade Mike (Michael Lombardi) to use an inheritance from his mother to open a bar, with promises of new, improved sex lives for all. As you might expect, it's not a smooth operation.

A new disruptive force also arrives at the firehouse. She's Genevieve Lazard (Karina Lombard), a French researcher who's writing a book about Sept. 11. Her questions stir pent-up feelings in Tommy and others.

As fans of the show know, "Rescue Me" is fast-moving and complex. The new season won't disappoint.

'Tracey Ullman's State of the Union,' 9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime

Ullman has quite a knack for impersonations and accents in this show, which takes us around the nation, spoofing American archetypes.

She moves with ease from being a champion pig-caller in Illinois to a weary flight attendant on a trans-Atlantic flight. But one of her best new impersonations this year is as a chain-smoking Laura Bush, freshly transplanted to Crawford, where it's always 110 degrees.

Laura is in the midst of planning a presidential garage sale, and it appears that she might be getting a price tag ready for the Lincoln family portrait and other stolen property, which Michelle Obama thinks should be returned to the White House.

As her husband gets his daily 20-hour nap, Laura chats via phone with former White House press secretary Scott McClellan, even though he "did an et tu Brutus on my W."

Ullman also pokes fun at other recent Lone Star news while portraying the hymn-singing No. 1 wife at a recently raided polygamist compound in "Wildspunk, Texas." Ullman then goes on to impersonate Ren?e Zellweger, who's trying to capitalize on current events by staging a polygamist musical called "Seven Brides for Every Brother."

But Ullman's sharpest jabs, some of which push the boundaries of taste, are reserved for the reality TV craze. In one skit, she plays Heather Mills, the ex-wife of Paul McCartney, who's starting a reality show in Palm Beach, Fla. And to drum up enthusiasm as the opening credits roll, Ullman's Mills throws her prosthetic leg into the air, ? la the cap-throwing introduction to "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

Then there's "So You Think You Can Die," where contestants vie for the ultimate prize: free euthanasia in Oregon.

The best reality show skit, however, focuses on a new celebrity dance show. And after watching, you'll agree with the judges: The Dalai Lama needs to swivel his hips a bit more if he's ever going to master the samba.