There are so many things wrong with this show I don't even know where to start... but one thing seems to make the least amount of sense:
Why are they always on dayshift? Whatever happened to shift patterns?!
I had such high hopes for this show, but it's totally by the numbers and written from the PoV of how a 10 year old thinks the Police works.
That's funny. Appearently a lot of Police Officers say it's one of the most accurate depictions of Law Enforcement on TV. I don't know you're background, but what makes you disagree?
Also, the fights and shootouts are very intense and realistic. The drama is well written and well acted by all the actors. And all characters are believable.
Oh, and the production quality is great.
This show beats every other cop show I've seen by miles.
He is on the internet therefor his opinions are facts.
shareI am from a British law enforcement background but live in the USA currently.
There are so many badly written things about this show. The clichéd macho type alhpa males, they don't all act like that. The main guy, thingy from the Goonies, oh wow, he's gay?!?! That was supposed to be a shocking character revelation but it's 2016 and it's not a big deal anymore.
They always shake down some punk and square up to him and then he chokes and gives them all the names within 30 seconds of pressure.
The one in around s3 where the two detectives stopped the car because the homies thew a beer bottle at them. One detective was seriousla injured (later died) and as his colleague was cradling him and being surrounded, what did the writers do - go with the public's misconceptions how Policing and reasonable force works, or go with real life?
He shoots his whole magazine into the air. 100% wrong. He was outnumbered with gangsters with weapons, no backup... so shootinf them all would have been perfectly reasonable. His colleague has just been seriously injured so what did he expect would happen to him? And then the rounds he fired would come back down a few miles away, possibly killing someone else. You never use deadly force (which simply discharging your gun is) to shoot a warning shot. Your life is either at risk or it isn't.
Then there's the episode where the delicious black detective lady is outside a home and some guy smashes her over the head and takes her gun. She wakes up, V CALMLY takes her gun back as he admits he killed a lady inside. So what does she do, takes him back inside to contaminate the crime scene! If he later admits he was having an episode and not telling the truth then he can perfectly explain why his DNA is all over that crime scene! Crime scene contamination is a big thing, but it seems they didn't consult the advisors over this.
And how many jobs do they turn up to, realise the person is nuts/idiotic/mental/etc. and then simply turn around and walk away... hardly professional!
And Dewey (guy from The Outsiders), nobody on any force would still be working if they were as out of control as he was.
Best cop drama ever - The Wire, as it was realistic. This wraps everything up in a neat 45m.
"Look sharp, act sharp, be sharp" wtf is that all about. Policing is now being like a knife? Silly catch phrase.
The only spot on moment was the stupid lady at the ice cream parlour and her complaints over paying their wages.
It's a television show meant to entertain viewers, does not need to be 100% correct. Tv is totally different than real life for a reason. Also, thank you for your service.
sharelol. honestly if you want something that realistic then watch documentaries or something. reruns of cops.
You can't persuade fanboys. You'd be better off trying to convince a wall. ~CodeNamePlasmaSnake~
What these guys said^
Also, about Coopers catch phrase: It's not meant to be taken that litterally. Surely you understand that it's metaphorical? It's his way of telling them to look, act and be proffessional. Keep your unifore, gear and appearance kleen, in order and groomed. Don't act like an idiot while on duty, but be rational, objective and show authority without being a jerk. In other words: Act sharp, look sharp, be sharp.
Out of anything you could have brought up as an issue with this show, Coopers catch phrase is hardly one of them...
it's 2016 and it's not a big deal anymore
I just discovered this show on Hulu and it's one of the most real cop shows I've ever seen. There's no pleasing some people
shareTHE WIRE hands down best cop show!!!!
shareI was a Toronto paramedic (in Southland-speak, an RA unit) working in the seediest parts of the city and felt that Southland depicted patrolling such areas to be realistic. I also thought the partner relationships and shift camaraderie seemed VERY familiar to me.
As to any technical policing inaccuracies, some of this can be written off to creative license but I didn't think there was too much that was so over-the-top so as to be overly distracting.
I rank this up there with The Wire and The Shield, and personally give Southland the edge because it really did take me back to my days and nights on the streets.