Derailed 

The body of a dead gang member is discovered; Detective Salinger and his daughter grow further apart; Detective Bryant asks Detective Adams to take in shooting witness Janila.

Director:

Christopher Chulack

Writers:

Ann Biderman (creator), Ann Biderman

Stars:

Kevin Alejandro, Arija Bareikis, Michael Cudlitz

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Alejandro	...	Detective Nate Moretta
Arija Bareikis	...	Officer Chickie Brown
Michael Cudlitz	...	Officer John Cooper
Shawn Hatosy	...	Detective Sammy Bryant
Regina King	...	Detective Lydia Adams
Michael McGrady	...	Detective Daniel Salinger
Ben McKenzie	...	Officer Ben Sherman
Tom Everett Scott	...	Detective Russell Clarke
Emily Bergl	...	Tammi Bryant
Patrick Fischler	...	Detective Kenny 'No-Gun'
C. Thomas Howell	...	Officer Dewey Dudek
Lex Medlin	...	Detective Andy Williams
Lupe Ontiveros	...	Marta Ruiz
Lori Alan	...	D.A. Deborah Janowitz
Roxana Brusso	...	Detective Alicia Fernandez

Storyline

Tender lover Ben Sherman's affair with Daisy ends when she decides to return to a former lover in New York, probably bored during his long, often protracted duty shifts. The party nights catch up with officer Dewey Dudek, who is out of sick days and performs unacceptably. The detectives' apparently solid case against a Mexican drug cartel starts crumbling down due to lawyer tricks and a corpse. Sammy Bryant's wife's inability to mind his witness-protégée requires an alternative. Hearing her new affair goes sour, Russell Clarke is ready to return home, but her lover Larry shoots him at arrival.

---

Plot Keywords:

party | witness | drugs | corpse | therapy | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

21 May 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Elysian Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Color (HD)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last episode broadcast on NBC.

---

Goofs

When officer Dewey wrecks the squad car in the sewer, in one shot the car is missing the front driver hubcap and in the next scene the hubcap appears again.

---

Quotes

Det. Nate Moretta: [discussing the just-released Marta Ruiz] Well, what about ICE? She's freakin' illegal.
Det. Sammy Bryant: Asylum. The lawyer told the court that if they deported her back to Mexico again, cartel would kill her.
Det. Andy Williams: This is so screwed up; bring us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses dying to deal drugs.
Det. Kenny 'No-Gun': The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Det. Sammy Bryant: Yeah, you think this is funny? Huh? She and her freakin' sons have tried to take out Janila twice. Now she's gotta wait for trial again, while this monster's out on ...

---

Connections

Features Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)

---

Soundtracks

What Was It You Wanted
(uncredited)
Written by Bob Dylan
Performed by Willie Nelson

User Reviews

Misery preys on the decent

If there's one thing the "Southland" writers love, it's pulling the rug out from under their audience. 'Derailed' does this with Clarke and Dewey (Scott and Howell, respectively). Not to spoil anything, but their situations are grim, to put it mildly. To top it off, the end credits roll as one character lays on a neighbor's porch, dying of a gunshot wound. Have a great summer! Anyway, it turns out there's been a Big Bad all this time, it's just that gangland godmother Marta only just now makes her appearance (with only a passing mention so far). She's also completely forgettable, but she does help bring to a close the season-long arc with Moretta and Bryant's material witness. Best thing I can say about this is that Lydia makes a stand as thugs open fire on her house (Regina King is a boss with a shotgun).

It's a serviceable finale, but parts could've been better fleshed out. Had I caught this on its original broadcast, I'm not all that sure I would've stuck with it for the next season. Don't get me wrong, this is a well-made show, with excellent production values. Just a somewhat unfocused first season finale.

6/10