'Major Dad' Gerald McRaney coming to 'Southland'

'Southland' is gearing up for a fifth season debuting next month. Along with the tension and drama sure to meet us in season five, a familiar face will be greeting us as well: Gerald McRaney, star of television series like 'Major Dad' and 'Simon & Simon,' will be joining 'Southland' as a recurring character.

McRaney, who played the villainous George Hearst on HBO's 'Deadwood' and 'Jericho' Mayor Johnston Green, has more recently appeared on 'Mike & Molly.' On 'Southland' McRaney is slated to play Detective Hicks, a retired police officer who was Officer John Cooper’s (Michael Cudlitz) training officer. He now drinks a little too much and lives on a boat in Marina Del Rey.

'Southland' stars Shawn Hatosy, C. Thomas Howell, Regina King and Ben McKenzie, and takes a "raw and authentic look" at the lives of LAPD officers serving in the seedier market of Los Angeles. While it is a police procedural drama, 'Southland' is driven more by the lives of its characters than the episodic cases (in contrast to a series like 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,' for instance). 'Southland' originated on NBC, somewhat censored and bowdlerized, eventually being dropped by the peacock network amidst its second season. TNT quickly rescued the series from cancellation and has been happy with 'Southland's performance ever since.

The fifth season of 'Southland' debuts on TNT on February 13 at 10:00pm EST.