So 'Southland' fans: have you been watching the repeat episodes of the show on TNT? I would hope so, since you battled hard and long for the show to come back.

When the network picked up the show from NBC, there were several new episodes that NBC didn't show. Those start on TNT March 2. Here's a sneak peek.

[via SpoilerTV.com]

As TNT's premiere of 'Southland' draws near, fans are no doubt wondering what to expect from the show that NBC so swiftly canceled before its second season could even premiere.

In an exclusive clip we saw from the first new episode -- which will begin airing after the original seven episodes from season 1 premiere on TNT (Tues., Jan. 12, 10PM ET) -- you can tell that the action picks right back up where it left off.

AOL TV got the chance to chat with 'Southland' stars Ben McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz and Regina King, as well as executive producers Ann Biderman and Chris Chulack. As should be expected, they're all incredibly excited about their new home, their big commercial-free cable premiere, the extra 6-plus minutes of bonus footage that'll also debut with the premiere and the future of the show.

Here are some of the biggest questions they tackled, head-on ... 'Southland'-style.

You've got questions? I've got answers. I'm The Show Girl!

This week, I sit down and get personal with 'The Mentalist' star Simon Baker in a very special interview, even getting him to answer a fan question from the live audience, and open up about being a dad.

And, for you 'Fringe' fans out there, I have scoop straight from Joshua Jackson on everyone's favorite bald man of mystery, The Observer. (Don't you want to know why he puts Tobasco on everything?) I also get 'Southland' star Ben McKenzie to promise he'll finally get on Twitter ... if fans of his do one little thing.

Want more? Email me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com -- who knows, I might just give you an answer on the show. Now watch, enjoy and come back next week for more. Until then, happy TV watching! -- By Maggie Furlong

In the settling dust of the 'Southland' cancellation scandal, star Ben McKenzie has an amazing attitude about the whole ordeal -- especially considering he's having to do interviews when he's technically on a break from working, and also under the weather. "This is not work ... no, no, no. I don't consider this work, I consider this a pleasure," he insisted. (Yeah, I'm blushing, too.)

But with continuing chatter about what TNT's 'Southland' pickup means for the show, its stars and its rabid fan base, there are certainly a few things to clear up, and McKenzie was happy to help us do just that.

Like the fact that 'Southland' will be premiering commercial-free, and with some never-before-seen footgage, on TNT Tues., Jan. 12, at 10pm ET. Fans will get to re-watch the show's first seven episodes -- which also gives new viewers a chance to catch up -- before brand new episodes premiere Tues., March 2.

Even though we chatted with Michael Cudlitz recently as well -- "'Southland'-o-rama, I love it!," McKenzie celebrated. "A 'Southland' sandwich!" -- there was still more to discuss, including new episodes, bleeping, "kissy-kiss scenes" and Canadian tuxedos. Get all this dish and more -- like McKenzie's well-wishes for former 'O.C.' costar Mischa Barton, whose cancelled show 'The Beautiful Life' will never be rescued by a cable network -- right here.

Oh, bad boys, what would we do without you? While in real life you're more trouble than you're worth, on screen your sulky swaggering, tough talk and icy eyes almost always belie a tender heart beneath the bravado. And that's where you're best enjoyed -- from a safe distance.

Here's a look at the TV desperados who made our hearts melt, in our countdown of TV's Top 20 Bad Boys. -- By Liane Bonin

This was only the seventh episode of Southland but it was also the season finale, due to it starting after ER ended its run.

I'm still of two minds about this show. While it's obvious it's a "quality" show, I want more Adam-12 and less ensemble cast dramatics. Did you catch the scene with the lady with the chicken nuggets? That actually happened in real life a few months ago. (Yes, I mentioned chicken nuggets before the big shooting at the end!)

The show is coming back this fall but will move to Friday nights at 9 (thanks Jay). That's probably not a good thing.

I was really bitter towards CW for canceling Veronica Mars, so I was planning on not watching Gossip Girl out of spite. However, as a fan of (at least the first few seasons) of The O.C., the idea of another Josh Schwartz show intrigued me. Okay, that, and the fact that I loved Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (shut up), and the realization that my one-woman boycott wasn't going to bring VM back, all led me to the show.

When I tuned in, I really thought it would be The O.C. East, but Schwartz and the rest of the writers did a good job of making it its own show, I'm sure in no small part due to the fact that they had a series of books to work with. In fact, last night's 90210 premiere reminded me more of The O.C. than Gossip Girl ever has. So when I read that an O.C. alum was making her way to the Upper East Side, I wasn't exactly thrilled.

Casting spoilers ahead.

How good are you at spotting someone's true age? There's been a few times I've caught myself wondering how old that actor really is on TV, when they're playing someone my age and look ten years older. Do I really look that good? Then again, I've seen the opposite and thought, "damn, I am an old decrepit fart." In any case, I'll pull up IMDb and usually find myself in shock of how young/old the actor on-screen really is.

The whole actor-to-character age ratio thing got me curious, so I did a little research (with the help of some of the TV Squad team) and made a list of some of the more extreme and well-known (or, maybe to some, not-so-well-known) examples. By the way, we didn't include actors who played flashback scenes of their characters for short periods of time, as there are more of those than we have room for.

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(S04E16) Does this count as the end of an era? I'm not sure. When The OC first began, it sure felt like the beginning of an era. Now that it's over, I'm not exactly sure what it's the end of. Other than something that I'm really, really going to miss.

I have to be honest. The first twenty or so minutes of this episode fell pretty flat for me. I really wasn't enjoying the six-month jump, only to find out that everything we thought we knew was no more. Julie was engaged to Bullit, Taylor was back in France, and Seth and Summer had become "comfortable." Nothing was right, and despite the fact that we all knew how this was going to end, I was a little put off by the way it started. But it picked up steam and by the episode's end, I was completely satisfied with the way it all turned out.

(S04E10) You can tell that Josh Schwartz and his writing team are having fun with this season. They knew the show was going to be canceled well before we did. So it only makes sense that these remaining episodes feel fresh, like the writers are taking chances. Why wouldn't they? The show is over -- they can do whatever they want.

There are pros and cons to that though. Sometimes too much creative freedom can be a bad thing. Example one? I feel like Sandy and Kirsten have been forgotten. Especially Sandy. It seems that lately his only role has been popping in here and there to offer brief words of advice to Ryan. Although I will say that his Jerry Lewis impersonation was hilarious.

(S04E08) If this keeps up, the current season of The OC won't just rival the first -- it'll beat it. Everything that was great about this show in its debut season has returned. The writing is stronger than either of the middle seasons and it seems clear that Josh Schwartz and Co. are flexing their creative muscles fully knowing that this may be their last chance to do so. Seth's dry wit is in full force. The storylines are funny again (no more Marissa to bring it all down). But they're believable storylines too. And the relationships? I actually care about them again.

To illustrate what I'm saying, just look at this episode. It ripped a page right from the Alias playbook and gave us an opening scene only to jump back seven hours earlier. Before this season, I would have never expected to see something like that on The OC.

Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal wrote an article pondering the demise of The O.C. It lost 26% of its audience when season two started up. Then 15% more disappeared (myself included) for season three. And, now in season four, The O.C. lost a whopping 39% of its crucial, age 18-49 viewers from last season. It's in so much trouble that the network has even launched an online effort to save the show. (Or gauge viewer interest)

Why?

The article includes a very frank interview with The O.C. creator, Josh Schwartz, who admits some mistakes. He says, opening up the series during season two to include storylines for the parents was too much to juggle. When it started to get stale, he killed off Caleb Nichol. Smart move, he says. But, he wonders whether it was such a hot idea to kill off Marissa Cooper's character at the end of last season.

It's no secret that The O.C. is in trouble. It consistently ranks #4 up against tough competition on Thursday nights and it lost its star, Mischa Barton, at the end of last season. Now, Fox has taken the unusual step of launching its own campaign to save The O.C. from cancellation. There's a petition, or 'loyalty oath' on Fox's website. It doesn't directly say that The O.C. is in danger of cancelation, but it does say "not enough people out there have come back to Newport this season" and "good shows deserve to be watched." It asks visitors to sign a 'loyalty oath' that they will ignore all interruptions and watch The O.C. on Thursdays at nine. The whole thing is done a little tongue-in-cheek, but only a little. So far there are more than 71,000 'signatures' but that's probably not nearly enough to 'Save The O.C.', if it really does need saving.

[Via PopCandy]

(S04E05) Thus far this season has been great. So I went into this episode with high hopes, and don't get me wrong -- I liked it a lot. But it was just sort of so-so, right? Nothing too mind blowing happened, save for Summer's predicament, but even that was just kind of weird.

Everything that went on was just a little too obvious. Taylor falling for Ryan? We all knew it was coming. Of course, I support it though. She's better looking than Marissa, smarter, has less emotional baggage, and best of all? She's not a raging alcoholic. So yeah, I'm all for that and I hope it works out. But taking the entire episode to get to what we all knew was coming (the kiss) was just a waste of time if you ask me. It was cute I suppose. The Chinese tea didn't get Ryan to finally overcome his insomnia. Taylor did. Awww....