Rookie police officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) learns some hard lessons on his first day on the force in Southland, which opens with a sort of warning: “Only 9,800 police officers patrol the city of Los Angeles, an area of 500 square miles and 4 million people.” Created by Ann Biderman (Ray Donovan), this five-season drama, which ran from 2009 to 2013 and is now streaming on Netflix, follows a group of patrol officers and detectives who work together to keep the streets safe — while also dealing with their complicated personal lives.

What happens in Southland?

Newly minted officer Ben Sherman (McKenzie) is eager to prove himself on his first day on patrol in downtown LA. But his training officer, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), dispels Sherman’s enthusiasm; he cautions that leaning too much on Academy training will get him killed and expresses doubts that the rookie has what it takes. To scare Sherman away, Cooper exposes him to a full spectrum of police work: They arrest a man in a sports car for drug possession; find a dead body, partially eaten by dogs; and briefly talk to some vice cops, including one who’s undercover as a sex worker.

As the two get through the day, detectives Nate Moretta (Kevin Alejandro) and Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy) — the latter of whom is struggling in his marriage — pick up a new case: a teenage boy gunned down in a drive-by shooting. Most of the witnesses aren’t talking, except for a teenage girl, who expresses interest in becoming a police officer as she bonds with Bryant. 

Upon learning the identity of one of the shooters, the detectives team up with Cooper and Sherman, and they’re soon joined by two more officers, contentious partners Bill “Dewey” Dudek (C. Thomas Howell) and Chickie Brown (Arija Bareikis). Together, they try to arrest the suspects, but the abrasive Dewey is too impatient and gets shot. Sherman steps in and fires at the shooter. Shaken, the rookie struggles with having taken a life, and Cooper gives him a pep talk: “You’re a cop because you don’t know how to not be one,” he says.

Meanwhile, detectives Lydia Adams (Regina King) and Russell Clarke (Tom Everett Scott) are hunting down a missing girl who seems to have been abducted. The girl’s neighbors are eager to provide assistance, but every clue leads to a dead end — until Adams figures out that one of the seemingly helpful neighbors is responsible. Adams is injured during the arrest, but she saves the girl and returns home to care for her aging mother. 

The other officers end their shifts in various ways: Bryant attempts to reconcile with his wife; Cooper has a drink at a local gay bar; and Sherman goes to the hospital to visit Dewey. While in the waiting room, Sherman reads his probationary review for the day and discovers that, despite his constant taunting, Cooper wrote a glowing report, praising him as a “superior police officer” with a bright future. Will Sherman continue to impress? Or will LA’s daily grind wear him and his fellow officers down?

Who’s in the cast of Southland?

• Michael Cudlitz (The Walking Dead, Band of Brothers) as Officer John Cooper
• Ben McKenzie (The O.C., Gotham) as Officer Ben Sherman
• Regina King (Caught Stealing, Watchmen) as Detective Lydia Adams
• Shawn Hatosy (Animal Kingdom, The Pitt) as Detective Sammy Bryant
• C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders, Obliterated) as Officer Bill “Dewey” Dudek
• Kevin Alejandro (Lucifer, Arcane) as Detective Nate Moretta
• Michael McGrady (Beyond, Day Break) as Detective Daniel “Sal” Salinger
• Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do!, 13 Reasons Why) as Detective Russell Clarke
• Arija Bareikis (Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Purge) as Officer Chickie Brown

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