The Good: Complete with bleeped-out epithets and a diverse cast that’s fairly easy on the eyes, producer John Wells and creator Ann Biderman’s gritty and intense look at the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles may in fact do for cop dramas what ER did for medical ones. You know, make them interesting again.
The Bad: That gritty and intense realism comes at a price. Not only did SOUTHLAND’s docudrama shaky cam have us this close to pulling a Ben Mackenzie of our very own (Read: Running outside and hurling on our lawn). The downer of a plot that included gangland violence, drug dealers and sexual predators made for one helluva depressing hour.
The Verdict: While we’re definitely curious enough to take another trip (or two) down south, Wells and Biderman need throw in a victory or two for the boys (and girls) in blue every once in a while. That, or risk losing viewers to lighter time slot competitors like HARPER’S ISLAND and PRIVATE PRACTICE.
The Good: Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones and Chris Pratt, seriously… what’s not to love?
The Bad: Well, there is that OFFICE mockumentary style that while funny in THE OFFICE comes across as more of a lazy plot device (read: filler) that allowed for NBC President Ben Silverman to rush the show to air and in doing so, possibly save his job in the process. We’re just sayin’
The Verdict: Considering we stuck through hours upon hours of unfunny sketches on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE just to get the breath of fresh air that was Amy Poehler, we’d say that the odds are pretty good that we’ll be sticking around this park for quite some time.
The Good: A thirteen episode self-contained story where everybody is a suspect, nobody is safe and viewers are guaranteed a tidy (albeit possibly bloody) resolution by July 2 — we’re there!
The Bad: Even though this island is populated with enough tired horror clichés the creepy kid, being Exhibit ‘A’ and a group of vapid twenty-somethings, being Exhibit ‘B’ that kinda has us rooting for the serial killer on this one.
The Verdict: Considering we can do thirteen episodes in our sleep (And may in fact do so if the killer doesn’t strike that guy with the faux British accent soon) we don’t see ourselves leaving this island anytime soon. 
