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Post by bluepride on Mar 25, 2009 9:31:26 GMT -5
Exclusive: NBC’s New Police Drama Includes an Arresting Gay Character 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. 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. Link to article: Exclusive: NBC’s New Police Drama Includes an Arresting Gay CharacterJust hearing about this for the first time. I think it's a promising situation. It seems like they're going to make this gay Police Officer character anything but a stereotypical "gay character". Looks like he won't be the "gay cop" who talks with his female partner about recipes, fashion, show business and all the other nonsense that gay characters get saddled with. If this article is any indication, he'll be a cop who is gay and not one of those tired gays who is a cop. I think we should all monitor and support this show as long as this character is featured as a positive role and not reduced to a caricature or some comic-relief role. Let's see how the character progresses and evolves. I think this show has the potential for reinforcing the fact that gay Police Officers are no different from straight ones. And isn't that how it should be? I think it will be a good idea to use this thread as a sounding board during the run of the show. And another thing: Why don't we (if the show is good!) send e-mails or snail mails supporting the show right from the outset so it doesn't meet the same fate as shows like "Life On Mars". And also, let others know about the show and encourage them to support it as well. Let's wish this show well!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2009 10:03:22 GMT -5
I am so glad that this new show will feature a complex, no nonsence gay cop. Most of us remember the gay PAA on NYPD Blue. He was a nice character, and a charming man who had the respect of all the officers (finally including officer Sipowitz) but It's time to expand the out gay immage into the uniformed ranks. I hope the show works out.
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Post by hoosiercop on Apr 13, 2009 5:22:21 GMT -5
So what do you guys think of the new show so far? I think it was decent, but a little cliche at times. But I think the show set the table to explore some stories down the road. I heard that Southland only is currently slated to run 7 episodes. I'm not sure if that will be enough to tell what all it could tell. As for the gay cop character, Cooper, I can't complain too much about him. He's shown a mix of @sshole and decent guy. They haven't dealt with him being gay but they did "drop the hint" during the episode. But even during the hint part, they haven't shown him as the slightest bit stereotypical, which is good. It will be interesting to see how that angle plays into the storylines. So far in the show, we just know he's gay, but not yet officially that he is openly gay. I'll be setting my DVR to record the following episodes for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2009 9:24:47 GMT -5
I was very impressed with the realistic casting on the show. The three women that played the sisters, waiting for their Mother in the Station House, really looked the part. The Hispanic actors who played the gang bangers looked just like the criminals I would see every day coming into the receiving room. The casting was great!!! I liked how they showed the gay cop, in the gay bar, having a drink after work. It was so understated that I don't think most straight viewers realized it was a gay bar. There's lots of room for character development with him. I also loved the way the new recruit always looked like a "deer in the headlights". This is a good show and I hope it has a long life.
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Post by blu06 on Apr 14, 2009 17:37:47 GMT -5
I haven't caught it yet. When, Which channel. time?
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Post by hoosiercop on Apr 14, 2009 20:16:48 GMT -5
It's on NBC at 10pm eastern on Thursdays. Or you can go to www.hulu.com and watch the first episode on there.
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Post by hoosiercop on Apr 24, 2009 11:26:06 GMT -5
I watched the first half of episode 3 while getting ready for work. I liked the twist of Cooper having an ex-wife. That probably has some people wondering what the heck is up with him. I watched the end after I got home from work. I was disappointed that they have Cooper popping pills he gets from his ex-wife. I wish they wouldn't have to make him be the gay guy into taking pills. I hope that isn't a sign that the show is going to start falling into more of the stereotypes. It's not that hes on pills that I have a problem with, it's that hes taking someone else's drugs. I'd rather see him taking his own pills to help deal. I don't know, I guess we will see where this leads. At least it was cool to see the a-hole cop Dewey get his. That was hilarious. God I want to punch him through the t.v.!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2009 13:48:09 GMT -5
Hey Hoosiercop. I totally agree with you about Dewey. What a complete idiot. What a disgrace to the badge. And the worse part about him was that he didn't see anything wrong with his behavior. Like you, I wanted to punch the TV set!! Down through the years, I had several occasions when one of my counselors would get all starry eyed over some celebrity inmate. They would say things like "Oh, It's so nice to actually meet you" as they would smile a stupid smile and shake their hand. I remember "The Subway Vigilante" Bernard Goetz who shot a teenager who tried to rob him on the subway. The media made him a celebrity. One of my counselors went out of his way to intoduce me to him as he proudly said, "Oh, Oh, Oh, Mr Hunter THIS IS BERNARD GOETZ. I had one who was acting like a school girl when some rock star got arrested. She came in on her day off to meet him. I called all of these idiots into my office and read them the riot act. They, like Dewey, lost their professionalism to star power. At least my counselors didn't help anybody to escape. I hope dewey looses his job.
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Post by blu06 on Apr 24, 2009 16:17:21 GMT -5
I was able to catch my first episode of Southland last night. I must say, I was pleased with the show as a whole. I hope it is picked up for a entire 24 show run. It gave me a "Third Watch" feeling but more realistic, more gritty, and more relatable.
I liked the protrayal of Cooper. Definitely not sterotypical. It will be interesting how they develop his character and storyline. The ex-wife will give it added twist to his past. If it is explored, their storyline can show what it took for Cooper to come to grips with his sexuality. The dynamic of Cooper's masculine persona and being a police officer, both not generally thought of when many think of gay men is an opprotunity to break sterotypes. Copper revealed last night he went through therapy after his divorce to settle or clear some things.
I thought it was significant that Cooper kept threading the rookie's rich beverly hills background only to get the rookie to come clean with his past. Was it because he's a cop that he is inquisitive and formidable in his pursuit. Or is it because he's a gay man that he naturally takes an interest in this young man, or is it both? Is this his way of being a cop, being gay, being a mentor, or just being Cooper?
I hope that the wirters can show that there are so many men, in real life, just like Cooper who must re-define what it means to be a man, to be masculine, as we come to accept we want men sexually, emotionally, and mentally. That being gay, queer, homosexual, however you see yourself, that it's just not about the sex act. I think the impact of the gay character would have not been as effective shoiuld they had made the rookie the gay character. The age difference between the men, the younger man's physical beauty (not that Cooper is a bulldog, no he's very handsome) and the younger, more boytoyish physical build would lend the viewer a more acceptance of him being gay than the older Cooper who gives off a more mature masculine presence.
The fact that Cooper has a back injury that gives him daily pain just adds to the persona that he's like alot of older masculine men, epsically police officers who often push through the pain of a bad back. It's obvious Cooper has lived his life in a very traditional manner, adhereing to society's conventional expectation of the male gender. So, it's refreshing to see a character on TV that many of us, espically those of the older set, may so very well relate too in our own lives.
The pill popping aspect, I wouldn't worry about it being sterotypical, because so many do this in every walk of life to get through the day with pain. I bet we each may know a fellow officer, that may do just what Cooper does to address their injuries. It's a dangerous situation, we all know what it can lead too. Just another dynamic in Cooper's storyline. If Coopers was shown heading out to the White Party after a hard week, or shows him associating with some "party bois" and then showed him taking some pills, then I would agree with a sterotypical assessment. The one who probably will be more likely to pop pills for pleasure will be the Dewy character. Yet, it will be very interesting to see how the writers will show Cooper's assimilation to gay life, how he relates to other aspects of the gay community. We may have gotten a glimps of it last night when he addressed transgender shop owner. Was he sensitive because she was part of the gay community for later he gave a very seasoned rationale why he said what he said to the rookie.
It would be sort of a kick though, that if we get a peek of maybe Cooper having an Abba album or a Bette Davis movie at home, but probably not..LOL.
I hope the producers are given the chance to really break some ground with this show.
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Post by burner on Apr 30, 2009 23:57:44 GMT -5
OK. I've given it a try. Three tries (episodes) in fact. I like the Cooper character for all the reasons mentioned (above) by others and, for that reason, I hope the program survives. Personally, though, I'm not that impressed with it up to this point. In other words, it's not one I'd be setting up my VCR for (yeah, I'm old) if I was going to be out for the evening. To me it just seems disjointed and has too many story-lines going on at once and inter-cutting with each other...and yet John Wells (one of the executive producers) did the same thing with "West Wing" and I loved it. Oh well. Just adding my two cents worth to the conversation. We'll see what happens next.
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Post by hoosiercop on May 2, 2009 11:24:11 GMT -5
It's funny you bring up that aspect of it. Normally, I don't like shows or movies that jump around a lot. But this one I get for some reason. Though it does help that I watch part of it while getting ready for work, then watch the whole thing when i get home. There have been a few things i picked up on the second time that i missed cause i wasnt watching closely enough while getting ready for work. The show has some things that are messed up like their radio traffic (or lack thereof). Also I noticed in Ep 3 that at one poitn Cooper is talking and you can see they are approaching a stop sign. But the next shot has the audio still in "real time" but the picture shows them driveing down the street at the same speed. So that would have to mean they just completely disregarded the stop sign and didnt slow at all. Just a bad editing job there. But overall I do like that show. I wonder how much I would like it if Cooper wasn't gay. Maybe I would still like it like I like Rescue Me on FX.
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Post by burner on May 5, 2009 1:20:39 GMT -5
I like Rescue Me too, though I haven't caught any of this new season episodes. But then again I'd watch a test pattern if it had Mikie (Mike Lombardi) Sean (Steven Pasquale) and Kenny (John Scurti)! Yeah, I know. My tastes are eclectic
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Post by hoosiercop on May 5, 2009 3:08:49 GMT -5
I like Rescue Me too, though I haven't caught any of this new season episodes. But then again I'd watch a test pattern if it had Mikie (Mike Lombardi) Sean (Steven Pasquale) and Kenny (John Scurti)! Yeah, I know. My tastes are eclectic I did meet a gay cop at Frozen a couple years back that I swear looked like Kenny.
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Post by bluepride on May 9, 2009 12:27:45 GMT -5
Didn't get a chance to see it the other night. I'll probably try to find it on hulu later today.
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Post by 1dbigjim563 on May 13, 2009 12:16:16 GMT -5
Careful with the Hulu BP, you know their waitingto slurp out your brains!
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