NBC Cancels "Southland". Jay Leno to Blame?

In a piece of hugely depressing news, Southland creator John Wells announced yesterday that NBC has canceled the cop drama before it even had a chance to air its second season. Via The Hollywood Reporter Wells said:

I'm disappointed that NBC no longer has the time periods available to support the kind of critically-acclaimed series that was for so many years, a hallmark of their success. We remain extremely proud of Southland and are actively looking for another home for the series.

The Hollywood Reporter speculates that part of the blame falls on The Jay Leno Show now occupying all of the 10 PM timeslots during the week when more gritty programming tended to air. THR reports that while many higher ups at NBC supported the show, after watching the first episodes from the second season, they decided that the content was too dark for broadcast television and pulled the plug.

For gay viewers, this marks the loss of one of the more intriguing and well-rounded gay characters on television. Officer John Cooper, played by Michael Cudlitz (pictured above right with Ben McKenzie), was an out gay cop, only the second to ever be portrayed on network television. He was a gruff, no nonsense character and was truly something new. It's sad we might not get to see more of him, but seems emblematic of a network that has apparently lost its way.

Ironically, last season NBC also axed another promising gay character when it canceled Kings due to low-ratings.

The decision may come back to haunt NBC as Leno's show continues to slide in the ratings and the network's lack of a clear vision, or even a backbone, may soon reduce the Peacock Network to a plucked chicken.

Frankly, that will be fine by me. Let Southland move to AMC or FX where television can be more than what NBC thinks it can be while NBC hosts lousy reality shows and unfunny comics.

UPDATE: Apparently Michael Cudlitz was already upset with the network over how they were — or weren't — promoting the show.