The Worst Episodes of Southland
Every episode of Southland ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Southland!
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.
Lowest Rated Episodes Summary
The worst episode of "Southland" is "Mozambique", rated 7.5/10 from 426 user votes. It was directed by Nelson McCormick and written by Ann Biderman. "Mozambique" aired on 4/16/2009 and is rated 0.0 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "See the Woman".
7.5/10 426 votes#1 - Mozambique
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/16/2009
An investigation is opened after Ben, John, and Officer Chickie Brown encounter an infant crawling down the street. Lydia takes a personal interest in the case after Child Protective Services gets involved, and goes out on a limb for the mother. Meanwhile, Sammy and Nate are furious when they learn their teenage eyewitness won't get police protection due to lack of funds, and put up their own money after an attempt is made on her life.
Director: Nelson McCormick
Writer: Ann Biderman
7.5/10 399 votes#2 - See the Woman
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/23/2009
Ben and John are called to the home of a man who wants them to find his dog, and another in which a drug overdose led to homicide. Chickie and her partner, Officer Bill "Dewey" Dudek, butt heads after he makes some poor decisions that may have repercussions, and later, Dewey finds himself in an embarrassing situation.
Director: Christopher Chulack
Writer: Ann Biderman
7.6/10 264 votes#3 - Cop or Not
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 2/8/2011
While working a celebrity murder, Lydia discovers the pros and cons of being in the spotlight. Meanwhile, six weeks after Nate's murder, Sammy finally returns to street patrol. Elsewhere, John voices his anger over the department's waste of money, man-power, and hours spent guarding the home of a celebrity suspected of murdering his estranged wife from the reporters trying to get a scoop.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10 367 votes#4 - Sally in the Alley
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 4/30/2009
A young Jane Doe found murdered in an alley sets Lydia on an emotional journey, and she discovers her suspect was involved in a cold case. Meanwhile, Sammy's wife, Tammi, decides to embark on a new career, and Nate deals with some family issues and reveals a deep secret.
Director: Christopher Chulack
Writer: Ann Biderman
7.7/10 353 votes#5 - Westside
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 5/14/2009
Lydia and her partner, Detective Russell Clarke, investigate a string of jewelry thefts in Bel Air and Ben discovers one of the victims is someone he knows. In another matter, Ben must face his past when it comes back to haunt him. Meanwhile, John reveals a secret he's been harboring for a long time, Russell has troubles at home, and Sammy and Nate take extraordinary steps to protect their eyewitness, Janilla, after another attempt is made on her life.
Director: Christopher Chulack
Writer: Ann Biderman, Dee Johnson, Angela Amato Velez
7.7/10 252 votes#6 - Community
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 1/31/2012
On Hood Day, a day where gangs seek retribution, LAPD is trying to keep the peace by camping out in neighborhoods prone to violence. Sammy and Ben leave their assigned neighborhood with disastrous results. Meanwhile, the neighborhood grabs a golden opportunity to seek a little retribution of their own against the gang banger who has been terrorizing them. Elsewhere, John and Jessica discover that another group of neighbors will go to any lengths to get a registered sex offender off their streets.
Director: Félix Enríquez Alcalá
Writer: N/A
7.8/10 263 votes#7 - Identity
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 2/7/2012
Jessica goes the extra mile to assist a homeless war vet obtain an ID so he can be admitted into a shelter . Meanwhile, Sammy is determined to save a dog after he accidentally shoots it in the leg. Elsewhere, Lydia struggles with a serious personal matter while she and Ruben investigate the murder of a man who sheltered and aided women in need.
Director: Nelson McCormick
Writer: N/A
7.8/10 246 votes#8 - Fallout
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 2/28/2012
Jessica and John exchange angry words after she lies to Internal Affairs about the facts surrounding her shooting of a teen with a toy. Meanwhile, Sammy continues to hold a grudge with Ben and Lydia continues to dodge questions about her condition.
Director: Allison Anders
Writer: Etan Frankel
7.8/10 237 votes#9 - God's Work
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 3/6/2012
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. Tang gets an update about the boy she shot, but John still wants her to come clean about what really happened.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/10 286 votes#10 - 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
7.9/10 367 votes#11 - Two Gangs
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 5/7/2009
In an effort to recover Detective Daniel "Sal" Salinger's stolen weapon, Sammy and Nate crack down on the residents in the neighborhood where it occurred. Elsewhere, a man exposes himself to Lydia.
Director: Christopher Chulack
Writer: Ann Biderman, Dee Johnson
7.9/10 308 votes#12 - Butch & Sundance
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 3/9/2010
John and Ben are the first responders to a gruesome triple homicide in Hancock Park, where a mother is bludgeoned to death and her young daughters are found bound, gagged, raped and dead in their bedrooms. In investigating the case, Lydia and Rene realize they have two very different investigation styles. Meanwhile, Sammy continues to have problems with his wife and Ben confronts John about his increasing reliance on pain pills.
Director: Nelson McCormick
Writer: Mitchell Burgess, Robin Green
7.9/10 323 votes#13 - The Runner
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 3/23/2010
Lydia and Rene 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.
Director: Guy Ferland
Writer: Diana Son
7.9/10 281 votes#14 - Discretion
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 1/18/2011
Ben has a confrontation with his mother’s rapist after the man is released from prison and is devastated when his mom reveals some information she's been keeping secret for years. Meanwhile, Lydia and Josie continue to bump heads, and Sammy deals with his wife’s betrayal.
Director: Nelson McCormick
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 233 votes#15 - 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
8.0/10 580 votes#16 - Unknown Trouble
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/9/2009
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.
Director: Christopher Chulack
Writer: Ann Biderman
8.0/10 311 votes#17 - Let It Snow
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 1/4/2011
Lydia endures a stressful adjustment period with her new partner, Detective Josie Ochoa, as they investigate the disappearance of an illegal immigrant. Meanwhile, Russell must learn to adapt to a new desk job, Sammy and Nate look for the killer of two gangbangers, Ben catches the eye of an attractive woman, and John struggles with increasing back pain.
Director: Christopher Chulack
Writer: Ann Biderman, John Wells
8.0/10 288 votes#18 - Punching Water
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 1/11/2011
Lydia and Josie are assigned to assist Sammy and Nate with a series of gang murders. John discovers he can't stand the "new and improved" Dewey, fresh from rehab, when he's forced to ride with him in order to evaluate whether Dewey is competent to return to duty. Ben must then ride with Chickie, who drives him nuts with her very personal questions about his private life and his new relationship with the "cop groupie" he's been seeing.
Director: Christopher Chulack
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 284 votes#19 - Underwater
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 1/24/2012
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.
Director: Nelson McCormick
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 272 votes#20 - Fixing a Hole
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 2/22/2011
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.
Director: Christopher Chulack
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 272 votes#21 - 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
8.1/10 247 votes#22 - 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
8.1/10 318 votes#23 - 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
8.1/10 330 votes#24 - 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
8.2/10 336 votes#25 - Phase Three
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 3/2/2010
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.
Director: Christopher Chulack
Writer: Ann Biderman, John Wells