Exclusive: NBC’s New Drama "Southland" Includes an Arresting Gay Character

***Spoiler Warning***

This article reveals the identity of the gay character in NBC’s upcoming new police drama Southland.

NBC’s press materials for the new cop drama Southland boast that it’s going to provide an “authentic” look inside the world of the Los Angeles Police Department. Viewers will have to wait until it premieres on Thursday April 9th to judge that for themselves. But the show is already breaking new ground by including an out gay cop as part of the ensemble cast.

A source close to the show tells AfterElton.com exclusively that the character’s name is John Cooper and he’s played by Michael Cudlitz, a well-respected character actor known for his work on such shows as Standoff and 24. Officer Cooper is described as being in his mid 40's, a "cops-cop" and is what is often termed as "hard-core LAPD". He’s a Senior Lead Officer assigned to the LAPD's North Hollywood area and has work-related health issues resulting from action while on duty.

Michael Cudlitz as Officer John Cooper

Cooper is also a training officer and in the pilot episode is partnered with Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie), a rookie cop whom Cooper has to show the ropes and guide through the system, especially when something goes tragically wrong on Sherman’s first day.

Judging from preview clips, sides (script pages) from the pilot episode as well as our source, Cooper is a fairly standard cop archetype. He’s tough, gets to the point, and uses words like “pussy” and “numbnuts”. He doesn’t take grief from anyone, especially not slick Hollywood types or fellow cops not pulling their weight.

On the surface he’s gruff, able to tell gruesome work stories that make him laugh out loud, and his no-nonsense, seemingly callous attitude is partly responsible for leaving the younger man questioning whether he is cut out for the life of a cop.

Ben McKenzie as rookie officer Ben Sherman

At one point in the first episode Cooper advises Sherman about the pros and cons of the job saying

Clearly, this isn’t your typical gay character tossing off witty one-liners and giving makeovers to his best female friend before her big date. Cooper is a cop in the most classic sense. He’s also based in reality as the show’s executive producers – Ann Biderman and John Wells of ER and The West Wing– extensively interviewed gay police officers to get a sense of what life is like for a gay cop.