No need to read either of them! The Homeland fic follows the canon of S1 very closely, and has major spoilers, so probably wouldn't be enjoyable without having seen the show; the Southland one isn't particularly reliant on canon, though it certainly depends heavily on the characters--maybe you could enjoy it without having seen the show? Maybe not?
I think you might enjoy watching Homeland more. S1 has a tight arc, and is intensely suspenseful--like True Detective, or Top of the Lake, or Broadchurch (though it's harder-nosed than Broadchurch). It features spies, mental illness, religion, captivity and many of my other favorite things (though maybe they aren't yours).
Southland, especially the 1-3 seasons, is amazing, too, but more episodic, with some characters who don't end up going anywhere. Liking it depends partly on how much you like gritty, grim police/detective drama, of the un-stylized variety (think Homicide, not Hannibal), though it also subverts the genre. Another reason I really like it is how intensely it manages to convey LA--I've never seen another show set in LA that feels as much like LA (from my limited experience of LA, anyway). But if the regionality isn't your thing, you might not enjoy it. Amazing performances, characters, issues, though.
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Date: 2014-12-13 06:26 pm (UTC)No need to read either of them! The Homeland fic follows the canon of S1 very closely, and has major spoilers, so probably wouldn't be enjoyable without having seen the show; the Southland one isn't particularly reliant on canon, though it certainly depends heavily on the characters--maybe you could enjoy it without having seen the show? Maybe not?
I think you might enjoy watching Homeland more. S1 has a tight arc, and is intensely suspenseful--like True Detective, or Top of the Lake, or Broadchurch (though it's harder-nosed than Broadchurch). It features spies, mental illness, religion, captivity and many of my other favorite things (though maybe they aren't yours).
Southland, especially the 1-3 seasons, is amazing, too, but more episodic, with some characters who don't end up going anywhere. Liking it depends partly on how much you like gritty, grim police/detective drama, of the un-stylized variety (think Homicide, not Hannibal), though it also subverts the genre. Another reason I really like it is how intensely it manages to convey LA--I've never seen another show set in LA that feels as much like LA (from my limited experience of LA, anyway). But if the regionality isn't your thing, you might not enjoy it. Amazing performances, characters, issues, though.
lol, that doesn't help much, does it?