The cable premiere of “Southland” on TNT did nothing to convince the television industry that NBC was wrong for pulling the plug on the well-reviewed cop drama.
Tuesday’s airing posted a mere .7 adults 18-49 rating with 1.977 million viewers. The viewership total actually topped most cable competition for the night, but it was still a disappointment given the buzz behind the gritty police series.
A major consolation does lie in the fact that the airing was a repeat of the show’s NBC series premiere, but it is not entirely clear that the rating should be analyzed as a “repeat” rating. TNT had been promoting the show as a new series, so while it is true that some existing “Southland” fans might be waiting until the six new episodes begin airing later this winter, there presumably would have been some new, curious viewers dialed into the show Tuesday.
In that sense, Tuesday’s rating does not provide any indication that the show will gain significant momentum as it transitions into the upcoming first-run airings, and those episodes would be considered bombs if they posted ratings in this territory.
