'Southland' draws 1.8 million for debut

TNT's cop drama "Southland" got off and away to a pokey start Tuesday evening. From Warner Bros. Television, the 4th-season premiere came 1.8 million audiences because of its initial 10 p.m. telecast. Which was lower in the 2.a million the show received last year in the season three debut episode. "Southland," which averaged 1.9 million audiences last season because of its initial telecast every week, saw single million increase each week when live+7 was incorporated. Show, from professional producers John Wells and Chris Chulack, features an ensemble which includes Ben McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz and Regina King. Competition was tough Tuesday at 10 o'clock. USA Network's "Whitened Collar" received 3.two million audiences and Forex drama "Justified" collected another 3.a million. Since it released on NBC in '09, "Southland" is a critical hit but hasn't been a large rankings draw. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com