Show cover for Southland

The Best Episodes of Southland Season 5

Every episode of Southland Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Southland Season 5!

A raw and authentic look into the Los Angeles crime scene, going far inside the lives of cops, criminals, victims and their families. The show centers on four main characters: Officer John Cooper, a seasoned cop who will have to prove himself again after recovering from surgery; Officer Ben Sherman, who still has much to learn after recently completing his training rotation; Detective Lydia Adams, whose unending caseload hits closer to home; and Sammy Bryant, a former detective who decided to go back to being a uniform cop after the traumatic death of his partner.

Genre:Drama
Networks:NBCTNT

Season 5 Ratings Summary

The best episode of "Southland" season 5 is "Hats and Bats", rated 7.8/10 from 286 user votes. It was directed by N/A and written by N/A. "Hats and Bats" aired on 2/13/2013 and is rated 0.3 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Heat".

  • Hats and Bats
    7.8/10 286 votes

    #1 - Hats and Bats

    Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 2/13/2013

    Officer John Cooper clashes with his new boot, Gary Steele, a vet from Afghanistan. Lydia struggles to balance detective work and motherhood. Ben Sherman falls in with a sketchy crowd of cops, while Sammy Bryant is trapped in a hellish custody battle with Tammi.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Heat
    8.1/10 272 votes

    #2 - Heat

    Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 2/20/2013

    After Mendoza 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 finally come to a head during a traffic stop-gone-sideways.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Babel
    8.1/10 247 votes

    #3 - Babel

    Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 2/27/2013

    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. John is assigned a new partner; Ben and Sammy's partnership is strained just as Ben makes a romantic connection on the job.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Under the Big Top
    7.9/10 233 votes

    #4 - Under the Big Top

    Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 3/6/2013

    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.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Off Duty
    8.2/10 234 votes

    #5 - Off Duty

    Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 3/13/2013

    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.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Bleed Out
    8.1/10 318 votes

    #6 - Bleed Out

    Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 3/20/2013

    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 but finds none. Ben becomes more deeply involved with Brooke while continuing to see Elena.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Heroes
    8.1/10 330 votes

    #7 - Heroes

    Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 3/27/2013

    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 conscious. Lydia and Ruben track down a John Doe. Ben’s relationship with Elena becomes more serious.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Felix Paradox
    8.4/10 256 votes

    #8 - The Felix Paradox

    Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 4/3/2013

    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 and decides to take matters into his own hands with tragic consequences. John sinks farther into his loneliness.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Chaos
    9.1/10 556 votes

    #9 - Chaos

    Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 4/10/2013

    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.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Reckoning
    8.7/10 506 votes

    #10 - Reckoning

    Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 4/17/2013

    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.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A