Shaq To Guest Star on "Southland"
by Erin O’Sullivan
February 21, 2013


The former NBA superstar will guest star on TNT’s police drama, "Southland", Shaq announced on Thursday’s "Access Hollywood Live".

Shaq will play Officer Earl Dayton, a cop who knows Officer John Cooper (played by Michael Cudlitz) from the police academy. The pair will run into each other at the funeral of a notorious gangster, where Shaq’s character will be serving warrants.

“‘Southland’ is one of my favorite shows, so one day I just got the number and I called them and I was like, ‘This is Detective O’Neal, and I would like to play a police officer,” he told Kit Hoover and Billy Bush.

“They were like, ‘This is not Shaq!’ I said, ‘This is really me.’”





Part of the reason Shaq is such a fan of the hour-long drama stems from his police connections off-screen — he has previously served as a reserve officer with both the Port of Los Angeles police and the Miami Beach police department.

“I e-mailed them a picture of me in my police uniform and I told them I would like to be on the show and I’m shooting next week,” Shaq explained, adding that this was the first time he’d ever contacted a show and asked to guest star.

“I’m a police officer in real life and that show really depicts how they do it in life.”



The episode shoots on Tuesday in Los Angeles and will air on April 3.

http://www.accesshollywood.com/southland-shaquille-oneal-to-guest-star-access-exclusive_article_76270

Exclusive "Southland" First Look: Shaq Is on the Beat!
Apr 3, 2013
by Adam Bryant


Wednesday's "Southland" will feature arguably the show's biggest guest star ever — and we're not just talking about celebrity status!

Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal guest-stars on Wednesday's episode as a detective who crosses paths with Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), who turns out to be a familiar face.

"His character and I went to the Academy together and came up in the ranks together," Cudlitz tells TVGuide.com. "He went off into being a detective, and I stayed on patrol through choice. We're not great friends on the show, but we do have some history."





So what brings the men together again?

"A gangbanger who is pretty high up in the ranks gets taken out and there's sort of a power grab going on within the gang," Cudlitz teases. "We know a lot of these guys with outstanding warrants are going to show up at the funeral, so it brings together a lot of cops who wouldn't necessarily be together."





Acknowledging that TNT's critically loved cop drama, which won a Peabody Award last week, has often shied away from doing typical TV ratings grabs, Cudlitz argues that the former Los Angeles Laker's appearance isn't just stunt casting.

"It was amazing working with him. I was utterly surprised," Cudltiz says. "He was fun, he was relaxed. If the show were to continue I would love to see him pop in and out. He was fantastic."

"Obviously everyone's going to know it's Shaq and maybe it will draw some more eyes onto the show," Cudlitz conitinues. "But it's one of those rare moments where Southland just has fun. As the show has always treated our city with respect, it's a wonderful homage to Los Angeles. And let's not forget that Shaq is a reserve officer. He's probably the only one who belongs out there in uniform!"

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Southland-Shaquille-ONeal-Michael-Cudlitz-1063488.aspx

I enjoyed the guest spot. I'd like it to be longer and more involved, but it's a great start.