NBC Cancels 'Southland'

Southland has been shut down before even getting its second season launch.

Warner Bros. Television was told Thursday by NBC that the John Wells Prods. skein was being canceled by the network. Neither the studio nor the Peacock would comment on for why the show was halted, but insiders say the dark nature of the cop drama was a factor.

Show had been set to bow in the Friday 9 p.m. slot on Oct. 23. Dateline is currently in that hour and NBC has been content with its ratings. Newsmagazine drew a 1.8 rating last week, with almost 8 million viewers.

Net figures Southland might not do much better than that and the license fee paid to Warner Bros. will be much more costly than continuing to air Dateline.

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