By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally May 10, 2013
By Rodney Ho
Send in the body bags for two TNT dramas: "Southland" and "Monday Mornings."
TNT officially confirmed their deaths on Friday to various media outlets. Their cancellations were expected.
"Southland," which began its life for a season in 2009 on NBC and spent four more seasons on TNT, had a strong season critically but viewership dropped below already modest levels the previous season. Critical acclaim could only take the show so far without enough eyeballs - though its fans were quite dedicated.
Typically, the show would draw around 1.4 million viewers in its same-day ratings, down from 1.8 million a year earlier.
When several of the main actors on "Southland" (including Regina King, Sean Hatosy and Ben McKenzie) were booked on TV pilots on other networks a few weeks back, the writing was clearly on the wall.
"Monday Mornings," a medical drama based on CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta's novel of the same name, only lasted one season, never gaining any real traction, averaging 1.4 million viewers in its first viewing.
Both shows were bottom dwellers in the ratings among TNT's dramas. Then again, they aired during the more competitive winter time period than the summer for most of TNT's dramas.
TNT has replacement dramas ready to go in the next year, including a private detective show "King and Maxwell" starring Jon Tenney and Rebecca Romijn,and "Last Ship," about life in a post-apocalyptic world.
About the Author
