Huzzah! On the heels of introducing Kings' Prince Jack character — a whiny, power-obsessed gay lad who only wants attention from his father, the king — NBC will be bringing us another primetime homo. Except Southland's John Cooper (played by Michael Cudlitz) isn't the type of swishy homo you've come to expect from the network that brought us Will & Grace. Rather, Cooper is bad ass.
NBC's press materials describe Cooper as "hard-core LAPD" and a "cops-cop." Co-starring opposite The O.C.'s Benjamin McKenzie (who plays lead character Ben Sherman, the rookie), Cuditz's character is responsible for showing Sherman the ropes of fighting LA crime. Producers say they interviewed a number of actual gay cops to shape the character. And, adds After Elton, "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. On the surface he’s gruff, able to tell gruesome work stories that make him laugh out loud, and his no-nonsense, seemingly callous attitude is partly responsible for leaving the younger man questioning whether he is cut out for the life of a cop."
Hot. Especially when compared to the cop character on Will & Grace: Bobby Cannavale's Vince, who gets in trouble for trying on gloves during a police chase.
Southland premieres April 9 at 10pm EST on NBC.
TELL QUEERTY: How Are You Spending Thanksgiving? (15)
· Mark says: LIving overseas so no Thanksgiving; though even if I were in the States, wouldn’t... »
Miriam Mercado Just Became Puerto Rico’s Judy Shepard (2)
· blackjack44 says: this is so very sad and because of this story i will be adding a chapter to the... »
EXCUSES: The Senate Just Knocked DADT’s Hearings Into Next Year (30)
· Daniel says: Just remember to vote in the Democratic primaries and hold any democrat accountable for... »
PHOTOS: Rebel With a Cause (22)
· allancsn says: Not telling – off to the gym. »
· Steven says: Looks a bit like Jonathan Paulik in one or two of those, imo. A very good-looking guy,... »
British Churches Won’t Be Allowed to Ban Gay Employees. Would That Fly in America? (17)
· Bill Perdue says: In No. 15 • Javier tells us that the overwhelming majority of society respects... »
1,500 Of You Complained Because Adam Lambert Got Mock Head on TV (17)
· Daniel says: I think it is commendable for Adam putting the sex back into homoSEXual »
10-Year-Old Will Phillips Is a Bigger Gay Rights Hero Than Obama (40)
· Dave says: Congratulations to Will. It took me until I was in College to start thinking about what... »
Why’s This Douche Calling Rachel Maddow A ‘Nice Little Boy’? (87)
· David Mac says: Santos, you’re an idiot. “Typical repub, got his job through family, not... »
People Forgot to Mention Anything Gay About ‘Sexiest Rising Star’ Matt Bomer (22)
· Daniel says: Not to point out the obvious, but if his personal life is no one’s business, what... »
Last time I checked, Will and Grace was a comedy and Bobby Cannavale's character wasn't supposed to be taken that seriously.
Wonderful. I just hope he takes his shirt off on a regular basis.
Thank you Queerty for "outing" the gay cop. I was doing my best to find out who he was with majority of other mortals, by watching the show.
Doesnt Queerty have a spoiler policy in consideration for those who, heaven forbid, want to find out things as the creators intended. Obviously not, but you should.
Obviously, there is nothing wrong about writing about it, but dont make his mug the first thing one sees when they come to the site. A little discretion maybe.
@Jock: My thoughts exactly! Heh. ;-)
Well, at least the teevee execs are FINALLY willing to portray us beyond the usual "gay" stereotype. Believe it or not, there are many different types of gay people. Some of us are drag queens, some of us are business people, some of us are rabblerousers… And yes, some of us are cops.
@Erick: If I didn't know about this, I would have written the show off as another ER. Now, I'll watch.
@Rob:
Im not saying dont write about it or say who he is, just put a disclaimer for those who dont want to now before the show airs. And yes, dont put his picture as the first thing you see.
@Rob: My thoughts exactly!
Yea, but is he going to be a eunuch?
…. I don't know. I think he's kinda hot. reminds me of my high school gym teacher. . (Sorry Mr. Mcdonald.) ……….. Nice to see the networks dealing with it at all. better than putting thier heads in the sand and pretending were not even here.
I agree about the spoilers alert.
another cop show? excuse me while i change the channel.
i'd take kings or will and grace any day. I am hoping the gay son in kings will evolve into a character with a more depth little depth.
this obsession with straight-acting, hyper-masculine, homo-normativity is disturbing to see on this site.
I prefer Reno 911.
He's sort of giving you that Sean Astin cuddle-bear vibe…
I bet he's going to be asexual.
@Nick: No, they don't plan to make him asexual. It's a cop drama so personal is not going to be the focus, but personal lives, including this characters aren't going to be ingored.