Southland - Episode Guide

On his first day, rookie officer Ben Sherman is assigned to veteran cop John Cooper, his no-nonsense training officer. After being involved in a fatal shooting, Ben already begins questioning his career choice. Detectives Sammy Bryant and Nate Moretta try to convince a young teen to testify after learning she is an eyewitness in the attempted murder of a boy who was mistaken for a gang member. Meanwhile, Detective Lydia Adams investigates the disappearance of a young girl.

Ben Sherman begins to believe all the accolades coming his way, clouding his judgment. Bryant and Moretta try to keep their witness alive. Lydia Adams bonds with a baby found crawling in an intersection.

Ben reveals details of his past and why he chose to be a cop to Cooper. Meanwhile, Dewey's friendship with a burnt out actor causes a rift in his partnership with Chickie.

When an unidentified female body turns up in an alley, Gang Detectives Sammy and Nate have their work cut out for them. Nate searches for a missing relative, and reveals a secret.

After a car accident involving alcohol, Detective Salinger has his gun stolen by gang members in South Central. Sammy and Nate assist in the search for the weapon without calling it in, only to discover the gang in question is equipped with enough assault weapons, bullet-proof vests and military tactics to become a powerful urban street army. Elsewhere, still preoccupied with her personal life, Lydia is caught off guard when a man surprises her outside her home.

Detectives Adams and Clarke have their work cut out for them when jewelry thieves begin robbing Bel Air homes. Officer Ben Sherman discovers that he knows one of the home invasion victims and finds himself breaking police policy by becoming personally involved. Elsewhere, gang Detectives Bryant and Moretta wait around an LA courthouse while Janilla prepares to testify in a gang land trial. Concerned for her wellbeing, Bryant decides to takes Janilla to his home to assure she is safe.

The body of a dead gang member is discovered; Detective Salinger and his daughter grow further apart; Detective Bryant asks Detective Adams to take in shooting witness Janila.

Lydia and her new partner, Detective Rene Cordero, investigate the disappearance of an elderly man. Meanwhile, Nate and Sammy investigate a freeway shooting and inadvertently threaten the integrity of a major undercover operation. Elsewhere, Chickie finds herself in the middle of a mini-riot after her new partner panics and takes a shot at a 13-year-old boy.

While investigating a triple homicide, Lydia and Rene realize they have very different styles of detective work; And Ben confronts John about his reliance on pain pills.

Ben winds up in a patrol unit alone for the first time. Over in the Gangs Unit, Gil Puente leads a task force to catch a gangster - but Sal and Sammy find it hard to work with him.

Lydia and new partner Ray Suarez are called to Compton to investigate the murder of a young SULA student, only to discover that the girl was not exactly who her parents claimed she was. Meanwhile, John takes Ben with him to Indian Wells to attend the funeral of his friend, a cop who committed suicide. On the way back, they stop at the rehab center to check in on Dewey.

After gangsters open fire in a crowded club, tensions rise between Sal and Gil on the gang task force. And Sammy confronts his wife about crossing the line too often.

The Southland officers are sent out to capture a rapist impersonating a cop. While Lydia's reunited with her former partner, Russell, Sal's secret affair is revealed to his wife.

Lydia and her new partner hunt a cleaning lady's killer. John and Ben rescue an officer during a bank-robbery shootout. Nate and Sammy investigate the murder of a gangmember.

Sammy and Nate feel threatened when Sal calls in Lydia and Josie to help them solve a series of gang murders. John and Ben switch partners during Dewey's first day back from rehab.

Ben seeks revenge when his mother's rapist is released from prison. Lydia and Josie bump heads over a chainsaw, as Sammy deals with his wife's betrayal.

Sammy & Nate get into a deadly gang confrontation. Ben makes a series of rookie mistakes and Lydia works a gang homicide that leads to an unorthodox killer.

Lydia and Josie catch a complicated rape case on the Westside. John bonds with an abandoned teenager, while also having to deal with testifying at his own father's parole hearing.

While working a celebrity murder, Lydia discovers the pros and cons of being in the spotlight. Sammy goes out on patrol. John & Ben are frustrated with a tedious security detail.

Lydia gets suspended from duty and bonds with an injured witness. A high-speed chase haunts Chickie, and John tries to clean up a neighborhood.

Sammy seeks answers in the desert. Lydia and Josie babysit an important alcoholic witness before a murder trial. And John and Ben go against procedure to help a child in need.

Ben deals with John's escalating drug problem as Sammy prepares for fatherhood. Lydia embraces a teenage victim and fights her emotions during a high-octane shootout.

On Ben Sherman's final day as a rookie, challenges abound - none more daunting than how to handle his partner's growing reliance on painkillers.

John returns to duty after recuperating from back surgery and meets his new partner, Officer Jessica Tang, a tough and disciplined cop with her own set of baggage from working the streets. Lydia, whose new partner is Detective Ruben Robinson, can't seem to escape helping a former CI who seems unable to stay out of danger, Ben, Sammy and Dewey chase an armed man into an elementary school, and Ben bumps heads with an intense street cop whose cynical attitude is affecting their work.

Things are gonna change with Joel Rucker as the new captain. Lydia and Ruben investigate a convenience store murder, and Lydia uses her typical compassionate charm to collect facts on her suspect from an unassuming grandmother. Meanwhile, John and Jessica get to test their physical abilities when they're attacked on the street. Elsewhere, Sammy and Ben ride with a mistake-prone officer, but Ben is the one making mistakes... mistakes that earn him some notoriety.

It's Hood Day on the streets of Los Angeles, and Captain Rucker has the department playing hall monitors. Sammy lets old grudges die hard when he leaves a gang territory unattended, only to have a violent gang war erupt throughout the city. Ben's recent mistake continues to haunt him everywhere he goes. Ruben practices his speech for his daughter's Quinceañera in the midst of a murder investigation. Cooper and Tang investigate a robbery in a strict Orthodox Jewish home, leading Tang to reveal parts of her past.

Jessica goes the extra mile to assist a homeless war vet obtain an ID so he can be admitted into a shelter; Sammy is determined to save a dog after he accidentally shoots it in the leg; Lydia struggles with a serious personal matter while she and Ruben investigate the murder of a man who sheltered and aided women in need.

John tries to save a suicidal teen in a situation that hits extremely close to home. Sammy convinces a former addict to be an informant, with devastating consequences. Tang gets a visit from someone in her past. Lydia and Ruben investigate a supposed home invasion that appears to have been staged to cover up murder.

Sammy tries to make amends after the murder of a young man who agreed to testify in one of his cases. John and Tang find themselves babysitting a documentary film crew. Lydia is ordered to put on her uniform and serve as shift supervisor for the day, but the job could be more than her body is able to handle.

Things just go from bad to worse when Jessica is served legal papers in the morning and involved in a shooting in the evening. Sammy holds a grudge against Ben for not backing him up over drug evidence that may have been planted during an arrest. Lydia comes to a decision about her situation.

Lydia and Ruben investigate the death of a young nanny, but first they have to find the kids who were in her care. Ben tries to intervene in the life of a prostitute with a daughter, but his efforts only make things worse. And while Tang gets an update about the boy she shot, John still wants her to come clean about what really happened.

Ben finds himself heading down a slippery slope as he attempts to help the daughter of a prostitute, putting him in hot water with the woman's pimp. Lydia and Ruben investigate the murder of a gang banger who may have been killed over a graffiti tag. Tang faces more questions about her shooting of an innocent bystander, which could determine whether she gets promoted to sergeant.

It's the last day on patrol for Tang, as she prepares to move to another precinct as sergeant. But first she wants to tie up some loose ends on the beat. Lydia is pressured to make a decision about the extent of her police duties during the rest of her pregnancy. With Sammy recovering from injuries, Ben and Dewey are partnered together. But Ben is bent on tracking down the prostitute he's been trying to help and then getting her and her daughter away from the abusive pimp controlling their lives.

In the fifth season premiere, Officer Cooper clashes with his new "boot" - Gary Steele, while Lydia Adams tries to balance detective work with motherhood.

After Dave Mendoza is injured in a drive-by, Ben takes is upon himself to solve the case - much to Sammy's dismay.

A breakdown in the dispatch system makes a difficult job even harder for the cops. Lydia reaches out to her old flame and Cooper gets a new partner.

John and Lucero settle into their new friendship during a day filled with strange calls. While Ben and Sammy respond to an insane bank robbery call.

John thinks about life after the LAPD. Lydia connects with a man she sent to Death Row. And Sammy becomes a tabloid celebrity after a very public act of heroism.

The day's events bring all of our cops face to face with some of their greatest fears. A baby's death for Lydia: IA questions for Sammy; loneliness for Cooper; commitment for Ben.

John takes drastic measures to try to save Hicks while being confronted with demons from his past. Sammy's lie about the tape weighs heavily on his conscience. Lydia and Ruben track down a John Doe.

The funeral of a major drug dealer brings gangsters of all sorts out of the woodwork. With chaos in the streets, our cops learn that the greatest threats often come from within.

Chaos reigns in the city when Cooper and Lucero are kidnapped and held hostage by a pair of "tweakers" and our cops join the frantic search to find them before it is too late.

In the season finale, John copes with the aftermath of his kidnapping, while Sammy closes in on the real robbers, Ben feels the pressure and Lydia becomes closer with Russell.