Watch Southland pilot before it premieres Thursday!

To me, NBC’s new ensemble cop drama Southland is the new show to watch when it debuts on Thursday, April 9 in ER’s coveted spot. Now, NBC is making the first episode available for a sneak-peek in its entirety before it airs. Click here to watch the pilot right now.

Here’s the official description of the episode: On his first day on the beat, rookie cop Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie, The O.C.) finds himself questioning if he’s cut out for the job. Adding to the pressure, Sherman is assigned to no-nonsense, cut-to-the chase training officer/veteran John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz, Band of Brothers).

Meanwhile, a young girl is kidnapped from her front yard and detectives Lydia Adams (Regina King, Jerry McGuire, Ray) and Russell Clark (Tom Everett Scott, That Thing You Do) investigate the disappearance while comforting her distraught parents.

Michael McGrady (The Thin Line), Kevin Alejandro (Ugly Betty), Shawn Hatosy (Alpha Dog) and Arija Barekis (Crossing Jordan) also star.

REVIEW: Having watched the pilot last night, I give it a thumbs up. I highly recommend for those watching it to watch through the whole episode. The last 15-20 minutes makes it all worthwhile. The show starts with when the rookie cop Ben Sherman (McKenzie) realizes he just killed a person and then rewinds back to his first day. The show really makes you think about how cops never know what they are walking into on a daily basis. With this one call they handle be the one where their they could face a life and death situation? When they go home, how do they handle every-day life after the things they see and do?

I also enjoyed the characters. My favorites are Ben Sherman (I’m a huge Benjamin McKenzie fan) and Regina King’s character Lydia Adams. But I see a lot of potential in the show and look forward to learning each character’s back story.

Here are more photos from Southland:

NBC Photos: Richard Foreman