'Southland' Star Kevin Alejandro's Hopes For Future Of Show: That 'We Get A Little Dirtier, Grittier'

Kevin Alejandro might have gotten on our radar because of his recently booked role on HBO's "True Blood," but the actor is currently gracing TV screens as Detective Nate Moretta on "Southland." He talked to Hollywood Crush last week about getting the devastating news that NBC had cancelled "Southland," the joy he felt when TNT picked it up, and what he wants for his character, Nate. And don't forget to stay tuned for tomorrow's post, where he tells us all he can about his role on "True Blood"!!

The cast and crew of "Southland" were in the middle of shooting an episode for the show's second season when they got the word that NBC had canceled the show without even airing a single episode of season 2. When we asked Kevin how he felt when he heard the news, this is what he said: "You know that feeling you get right before you're going to get into a car wreck, and your throat just sort of drops to the pit of your stomach and you feel sort of out of your body? That's how I felt. And a little angry. ...Not only is the project pretty cool, but the people are amazing. So it was sort of like a punch to the gut."

When they heard that TNT had purchased the remaining episodes to air, Kevin said he couldn't have been happier. "My wife and I were just jumping up and down. We were ecstatic. We were all hopeful for it. I also felt relieved too, in a way. I think TNT's probably a better home for it. They're giving us a lot more freedom to do the kind of show that [was created] originally without all the 'It's too dark, it's too edgy' notes."

On the show, Kevin plays Nate, a detective who works in the gang division — a character is very different from the other roles Kevin's played in the past. "I usually play the edgy guy, the bad guy more often than not. [Nate] is straitlaced, a good cop. He's great at what he does. He's a family man. I think one of the things that just really caught a part of me was realizing, after all the research we had to go through with ride-alongs and weapons training, just how it was going to be a great challenge for me to realize how a person goes and does his or her job — particularly Nate. He goes and works in this gang territory and deals with all this murder and hate throughout the main part of his day ... and is able to shut it off immediately and go home to his family. How does he go through all that and leave it at the door when he goes home?"

If TNT does decide to make more episodes of "Southland," Kevin said he hopes the show is able to dive a little deeper into the characters of Nate and his partner, Sammy. "I hope that we get a little dirtier, a little grittier into maybe deep undercover kind of stuff — just sort of dive into more of a character study kind of thing for both of us. I'd really like that."

Do you watch "Southland"? Are you glad that TNT decided to pick up the show's remaining episodes? What do you hope will happen to Nate if more episodes are made?

Tags Kevin Alejandro, Southland, True Blood