'Southland' Finale Recap: End Of The Series? Ben McKenzie Wants Another Season

Southland's current season came to a close last night, ending on a cliffhanger that leaves the future of the popular cop drama up in the air.

Did John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) die? That's the question that Southland left it's viewers with as the final scenes see him go down in a blaze of gunfire. He's awoken by a neighbor's generator and charges outside to shut it off only to enter into a dangerous confrontation with the neighbors, one of which has a gun. After one calls Cooper a 'pig', he disarms him of his gun and begins to beat the other neighbor with it.

When cops arrive at the scene, they try to stop Cooper's brutal beating of the man on the ground. In order to get him to stop, they fire, not realizing he's a fellow cop. When they do realize it, Cooper lies in a pool of his own blood, having been struck by multiple bullets.

Another loss on the night was the end of Ben (Ben McKenzie) and Sam's (Shawn Hatosy) partnership and friendship. After Sam finds out about all of the dirty secrets and shady behavior Ben's been hiding, he's no longer interested in his company. The positive relationship storyline of the night was saved for Lydia (Regina King) and Russell (Tom Everett Scott), who've finally addressed that something more is going on between them.

Series stars McKenzie, King and Hatosy are all currently set to star in other pilots for upcoming series. If Southland continues into a sixth season, the show might need to hire some new leading actors to fill their shoes.

McKenzie, however, who's set to star in Advocates opposite Mandy Moore, has pledged his loyalty to Southland were it to get renewed for a sixth season. "To clarify: I am doing 'Advocates' in second position to #SouthLAnd. If picked up for a sixth season, I am doing that. #SouthLAnd forever," he wrote on Twitter. "I'm honored to be a part of the best cop show on TV (IMHO). I hope and pray it returns. Nothing would make me happier. #SouthLAnd forever."

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