Southland Lives, Thanks to TNT!

TNT has picked up the cop drama Southland and will air it on Tuesday nights starting in January.

The drama stars Ben McKenzie, Regina King and Tom Everett Scott, among others and, best of all, has the prominent gay character of officer John Cooper played by Michael Cudlitz (pictured above).

As you recall, NBC produced 13 episodes of the series (seven aired last spring) then in a bizarre move, canceled the series before it even made its scheduled season premiere this fall.

TNT, already home to such terrific dramas as The Closer, Saving Grace and Raising the Bar, will air all of the completed episodes of Southland. If the ratings are strong, the cable channel will produce new ones.

“This is a perfect opportunity for us to introduce the series to new viewers,” Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, said in a statement.