CTV will trade the emergency room for the squad room, announcing on Thursday that new crime series Southland will replace ER on Thursdays when the venerable medical drama bows out with its final episode on April 2.

Both series are from veteran US television producer and Emmy winner John Wells, who also created The West Wing. Southland will air in simulcast with NBC, where programmers have scheduled the cop drama for the Thursday 10 pm slot, though it had initially been reserved for the new Ian McShane-starrer Kings, now moved to Sundays.

Southland follows the goings-on at a police unit in downtown Los Angeles, and stars Tom Everett Scott (Law & Order), Benjamin McKenzie (The O.C.) and Regina King (Jerry Maguire).

Southland continues to ‘uphold the excellence in television that ER has demonstrated for the past decade and a half,’ said CTV programming boss Susanne Boyce in a release. It debuts April 9 on CTV.

ER‘s final episodes will feature guest appearances by notable alumni Noah Wyle and Anthony Edwards, while George Clooney and Julianna Margulies will reportedly appear in the March 12 episode.

From Playback Daily