I've been telling anybody who would listen that I wanted to do a series for the last 10 years. But I wouldn't do it if I was just another cop pushing bad guys up against the wall.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
My show is not just a cop hosting a talk show - the two are completely different. My show is about helping people stand up to the bad guy.
I don't watch cop movies much. I TiVo shows. I watch every Larry David show.
When you're on a series, it's tough to go on and do something else afterward. If you're smart, save your money and you can wait out the bad times, until something else comes along.
I wanted 'Southland' to feel immediate, like a ride-along, and to make it the closest thing possible to a cop reality show. We've got real cops out there every day. A lot of times we'll say, 'You guys just do what you normally do and we'll film it.'
I never thought in a million years that I would do a weekly series.
I don't think I'll ever be a producer who's into taking the meetings and fighting the big fights with studios. I really don't like that part. I'm much more interested in the material.
I'm not ready for another series. I have fun doing other kinds of things.
I love cop shows and crime books and thrillers, and before I die I'm gonna play a cop.
I would love to find myself in a position where I have to decide, 'Gosh, do I want to be on a series?'
Gimmicks come and go; the cop show seems one genre that will never leave - not as long as people like to sit at home in the suburbs and see what awful things go on in the cities.