The crime series has been praised as a rare gem (Image: Warner Bros Television/John Wells Productions)
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A cult classic police series has landed on Netflix this week, and fans have warned its ‘not to be missed’.

The ‘gritty’ crime drama has been called one of the most ‘realistic’ cop shows ever made, with its final two seasons landing a rare 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The show, which originally aired between 2009 and 2013, takes a ‘raw and authentic’ look at the lives of the officers in the Los Angeles Police Department.

It was created by Emmy Award-winning writer Ann Biderman, who previously worked on NYPD Blue, and executive produced by ER’s Christopher Chulack and John Wells.

The cast has been praised as exceptional (Image: Warner Bros Television/John Wells Productions)

Southland, which has been described as “truly exceptional” by fans, stars

Michael Cudlitz as Officer John Cooper and Ben McKenzie as Officer Ben Sherman.

Other leading cast members include Hollywood actress Regina King, who plays Detective Lydia Adams, and Shawn Hatosy, who portrays Officer Sammy Bryant.

The synopsis on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Veteran Los Angeles cop John Cooper is assigned to train rookie Ben Sherman, who finds himself questioning whether he has the right stuff to be a police officer after witnessing Cooper’s no-nonsense approach.

“Other members of the police team include Detective Lydia Adams, who is her mother’s primary caregiver away from the office; her partner, Russell Clarke, an unhappily married father of three.

“[There is also] Detective Daniel “Sal” Salinger, who oversees gang detectives Nate Moretta and Sammy Bryant; and patrol officer Chickie Brown, a single mother who dreams of joining the SWAT team.”

The gritty series has been praised for its realism (Image: Warner Bros Television/John Wells Productions)

Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.

This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things.

24 month contract | Needs broadband to work

Southland’s lowest-rated season on Rotten Tomatoes is season 1 at 77%, while its final two seasons are both rated at 100%, suggesting the show only gets better over time.

Taking to the comments, fans expressed their enthusiasm for the series, with one writing: “It was one of the best cop shows on tv. They all looked like real-life cops but smarter than real-life cops. I wish the show was still on.”

Another echoed: “I absolutely loved this show! Gutted when it was curtailed in scope and then cancelled. It was truly exceptional.”

“One of the best cop shows,” a third added, as another agreed: “Southland is by far the most real and dramatic cop show I have ever seen. That fact that it only lasted 5 seasons makes no sense to me at all.”

“Really good show, such a big mistake to axe it. Gritty and realistic to the core,” one more person reflected, as another said: “Amazingly well shot TV series that is the first to give a somewhat accurate view into the daily lives of patrolmen.”

The crime drama comes from the minds behind ER (Image: Warner Bros Television/John Wells Productions)

Critics also adored the show, with The San Francisco Chronicle remarking: “The TV landscape is awash with cop shows, but few come close to the quality of Southland.”

“Southland deserves a category of greatness all its own,” The Wall Street Journal stated, later also commenting: “The exceptional writing and pitch-perfect acting of Southland is not to be missed.”

“The little touches and real emotional conflicts make Southland far better than your average cop show,” wrote the AV Club.

“It’s a reliably engrossing hour of television, capable of switching gears from relaxed banter to shocking violence in a split second,” Slant Magazine noted.

The Boston Herald added: “It’s a bloody good, gory hour, and I don’t know how Southland will top this. But I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner.”

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Southland seasons 1 to 5 are available to stream now on Netflix.