One of the biggest aberrations on broadcast television right now is the police drama, also known as the legal procedural in TV critic parlance.

In Webster's , the definition for "legal procedural" might just as well read: "See 'CSI,' 'Law & Order,' 'The Mentalist,' 'NCIS,' et al."

That's because they're all the same -- just case-of-the-week mysteries involving a crime, the investigation, finally ending with an arrest. The newest trend is making the lead character a grumpy, quirky or antisocial investigator who is otherwise brilliant at spotting wrongdoings.

Snooze.

I can't say NBC's upcoming midseason cop drama, "Southland," is going to break records for originality. But there is enough grit and realism in each frame that I'm happy to report it's a notch above all other police dramas on the broadcast dial.

In the premiere, which takes over the "ER" time slot on Thursdays at 9 p.m. on KSL Channel 5, we're introduced to a Los Angeles police unit of street officers and detectives and their day-to-day grind.

John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz from "Band of Brothers") is a seasoned officer who is training a new recruit, Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie from "The OC").

They bounce from call to call around the neighborhood while a team of detectives from the station investigate a gang-related shooting and the kidnapping of a young girl.

But the generic crimes themselves are not what make the first episode of "Southland" riveting. Instead, the show is more about the texture of some of LA's most dangerous neighborhoods.

Shot with high-definition video cameras, with the footage then converted to film, the resulting look leaves a grainy, shadowy, almost documentary feel to the show that reminds me of FX's brilliant "The Shield."

It certainly isn't as gritty and vulgar as that landmark cable drama, due to the restrictions of broadcast TV (one annoying feature of "Southland" is how it bleeps out objectionable words), but it still feels mostly real and authentic.

Because it's from co-producer John Wells, who also produced "ER" and the latter seasons of "The West Wing," "Southland" relies on the same formula of ensemble casts, intertwining story lines and heavily paced drama.

The pilot also had one overused convention, the character montage at the end of the episode that unspools to an indie acoustic song.

It's not perfect, but "Southland" hits surprising dual notes of sincerity and authenticity, emotions we're not used to seeing unravel in prime time police shows.

Vince Horiuchi 's column appears Mondays and Fridays. He can be reached at vince@sltrib.com or 801-257-8607. For more television insights, visit Horiuchi's blog, "The Village Vidiot," at blogs.sltrib.com/tv/. Send comments about this column to livingeditor@sltrib.com.