Season 5
Episode Synopses
From TNT

1) “Hats and Bats” – Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
In the season 5 premiere of Southland, Officer John Cooper clashes with his new boot, Gary Steele (guest star Derek Ray), a vet from Afghanistan. Lydia struggles to balance detective work and motherhood. Ben Sherman falls in with a sketchy crowd of cops (Chad Michael Murray guest stars), while Sammy Bryant is trapped in a hellish custody battle with Tammi (guest star Emily Bergl).

Directed by Christopher Chulack
Written by Jonathan Lisco
Created by Ann Biderman

2) “Heat” – Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
After Mendoza (guest star Chad Michael Murray) is injured in a drive-by, Ben takes it upon himself to solve the case, much to Sammy’s dismay. Lydia regains her footing as a detective while investigating the murder of a female boxer’s husband. Tensions between Cooper and Steele (guest star Derek Ray) finally come to a head during a traffic stop-gone-sideways.

Directed by Danny Sackheim
Written by Heather Zuhlke
Created by Ann Biderman

3) “Babel” – Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
A breakdown in the LAPD’s dispatch system makes a difficult job even harder for the cops, all of whom are already grappling with communication issues. Lydia, in a moment of weakness, reaches out to her old flame, Terrell (guest star Michael Jace). John is assigned a new partner; Ben and Sammy’s partnership is strained just as Ben makes a romantic connection on the job.

Directed by Jimmy Muro
Written By Aaron Thomas
Created by Anne Biderman

4) “Under the Big Top” – Wednesday, March 6, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Lydia and Reuben track the killer of a man whose body was slow cooked down to the bone. John and Lucero settle into their new friendship during a day filled with strange calls. Ben and Sammy respond to an insane bank robbery in which the suspects throw cash out into the streets as they make their escape in a getaway car.

Directed by Felix Alcala
Written By Sara Gran
Created by Anne Biderman

5) “Off Duty” – Wednesday, March 13, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
John is forced to think about what life will hold for him once he leaves the LAPD. Lydia connects with a man she sent to death row earlier in her career. Much to his chagrin, Sammy becomes a tabloid celebrity for the day after a very public act of heroism. Ben makes a dubious decision to get a drug dealer arrested. And a foot pursuit puts Dewey in danger.

Directed by Regina King
Written By Zack Whedon
Created by Anne Biderman

6) “Bleed Out” – Wednesday, March 20, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
In episode six, the day’s events bring all of our cops face to face with some of their greatest fears. The death of a baby shakes Lydia to her core. Sammy is questioned by I.A. about his altercation with Tammi. A difficult day on the job causes Cooper to seek solace in Hicks (guest star Gerald McRaney) but finds none. Ben becomes more deeply involved with Brooke (guest star Annie Monroe) while continuing to see Elena (guest star Carmen Corral).

Directed by Christopher Chulack
Written by Chad Feehan
Created by Ann Biderman

7) “Heroes” – Wednesday, March 27, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
John takes drastic measures to try to save Hicks (guest star Gerald Mcraney) while being confronted with demons from his past. Sammy’s lie about the tape weighs heavily on his conscious. Lydia and Ruben track down a John Doe. Ben’s relationship with Elena (guest star Carmen Corral) becomes more serious.

Directed by J. Michael Muro
Written by Heather Zuhlke
Created by Ann Biderman

8) “The Felix Paradox” – Wednesday, April 3, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
The funeral of a major drug dealer brings gangsters of all kinds out of the woodwork, there is chaos in the streets but as our cops learn sometimes the greatest threats come from within. Lydia and Ruben investigate the drug related murder of Sgt. Hill’s son; they discover police corruption in the process and clash over how to handle it. Ben suspects that Sammy did not destroy the tape in episode 7 and decides to take matters into his own hands with tragic consequences. John sinks farther into his loneliness.

Directed by Stephen Cragg
Written By Aaron Thomas
Created by Anne Biderman

9)  “Chaos” – Wednesday, April 10, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
In episode nine, chaos prevails in the city of angels when Cooper and Lucero are kidnapped and held hostage by a pair of tweakers. All of our cops join the frantic search to find their brothers in blue before it is too late. Sammy searches for Strokeface. Ben tries to throw Sammy off the trail while simultaneously dealing with an increasingly irrational Brooke (guest star Annie Monroe).

Directed by Christopher Chulack
Written by Zack Whedon
Created by Ann Biderman

10) “Reckoning” – Wednesday, April 17, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
John copes with the aftermath of his kidnapping. Sammy closes in on the real robbers. Lydia continues to pursue John’s kidnappers and becomes more intimate with Russell (special guest star Tom Everett Scott).

Directed by Christopher Chulack
Written by Jonathan Lisco
Created by Ann Biderman