Jay Leno Kills Southland

Cop drama left homeless without 10pm time slot
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 9, 2009 1:52 PM CDT
Jay Leno Kills Southland
In this May 10, 2009 file photo, comedian Jay Leno performs during the Jay Leno Comedy Stimulus Plan show at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio.   (AP Photo/David Kohl, File)

NBC’s cop drama Southland was critically acclaimed and had great ratings, but the network has stopped production on the series and canned the episodes it already completed. The explanation: The show is too dark and gritty for 9pm. Why not just air it in its original time slot, at 10pm? Because Jay Leno has "gobbled up the primetime lineup," Brian Moylan blogs for Gawker

Dateline will take over the 9pm Friday slot, and Southland's creator, West Wing and ER alum John Wells, isn't pulling punches. He says he’s “disappointed” that NBC can no longer “support the kind of critically acclaimed series that was for so many years, a hallmark of their success.” He says he’s “actively seeking” another network. (More Jay Leno stories.)

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