TNT Orders 'Perception' Series, Renews 'Southland'

"Perception" stars Eric McCormack as a neuroscientist working with the Feds on cases.

TNT has renewed critical darling Southland for a fourth season and picked up the Eric McCormack drama pilot Perception to series.

Both Southland and Perception received 10-episode orders, TNT announced Tuesday.

Starring Michael Cudlitz, Ben McKenzie, Regina King and Shawn Hatosy as part of an ensemble cast, Southland has been averaging 2.9 million viewers during its recently wrapped third season, which featured the death of a major character.

Southland, from John Wells Productions, was rescued by TNT between Seasons 1 and 2, when NBC dropped the drama as it shuffled its primetime schedule to make room for its Jay Leno Show at 10 p.m.

"Southland has been acknowledged by many critics as one of the sharpest, most entertaining and most authentic dramas on television today," said Michael Wright, executive vp, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies.

At NBC, Seasons 1 and 2 featured seven and six episodes, respectively, while TNT more fully committed to the drama with a 10-episode third season. Southland hit a season high this month, collecting 2.3 million for its Season 3 finale.

Perception stars McCormack as a neuroscientist who helps the federal government track cases. Rachael Leigh Cook co-stars in the series, which was co-created by executive producer Kenneth Biller (Star Trek: Voyager, Legend of the Seeker) and co-exec producer Mike Sussman (Star Trek: Voyager). It will premiere next year.

"When we saw the pilot for Perception, it confirmed what we thought from the first pitch: It's a perfect fit for TNT's original series lineup," Wright said in a statement.