Emmy®-nominated actress Lucy Liu has been cast as a special guest-star on the upcoming fourth season of TNT's critically acclaimed police drama Southland. The series - starring Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy, Regina King and Ben McKenzie - is slated to launch its new season in January 2012 on TNT. Lucy Liu will appear throughout the season as a member of the LAPD.

A critical and commercial sensation in film, television and on stage, Lucy Liu recently reprised her role as Viper in the animated hit Kung Fu Panda 2, as well as completed shooting The Man with the Iron Fist, with Russell Crowe and RZA, slated for release later this year. After recently earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance in the Lifetime miniseries Marry Me and completed production on the films Detachment and East Fifth Bliss.

Lucy Liu's extensive film credits include the blockbuster hit Charlie's Angels, its sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Quentin Tarantino's critically acclaimed Kill Bill Vol. 1, and Rob Marshall's Oscar®-winning film Chicago, among many others. On television, Lucy Liu co-starred in the hit series Ally McBeal, for which she earned both Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award® nominations. She has also guest-starred on such series as Sex and the City, Joey, Ugly Betty, Cashmere Mafia and Dirty Sexy Money, as well as lending her voice to animated hits like The Simpsons, Futurama and King of the Hill.

Lucy Liu made her Broadway debut last year in the Tony-winning play God of Carnage, with Jeff Daniels, Dylan Baker and Janet McTeer. In 2010, she made her feature directorial debut with Half the Sky, an adaptation of the bestseller. A consummate advocate for human rights, Lucy Liu also produced and narrated Redlight, a powerful documentary about sex trafficking that premiered at the 2009 Woodstock Film Festival and aired on Showtime.

TNT's Southland takes viewers directly to the streets of LA to present an intensely personal, first person look at cops and detectives on the beat. The extraordinary show has redefined the police drama genre with a raw, authentic look at the lives and work of detectives and beat cops. Shot on location in the streets and neighborhoods of Los Angeles, Southland captures a realistic, natural environment where similar situations can and often do occur in real life.

Southland comes to TNT from John Wells Productions and Emmy®-winning producer John Wells, in association with Warner Bros. Television. Created by Emmy® winner Ann Biderman, the series is executive-produced by Emmy® winners Christopher Chulack and John Wells. Christopher Chulack is also a primary director of the series. Andrew Stearn is co-executive producer.