Southland

In the second season premiere, Lydia and Russell's replacement, Rene Cordero (recurring guest star AMAURY NOLASCO), investigate a possible abduction of an elderly man by a known drug addict. Nate and Sammy investigate a freeway shooting and wind up threatening the integrity of a major undercover operation. And Chickie finds herself in the middle of a mini-riot after her new partner shoots at a 13-year-old boy.

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. While investigating the case, Lydia and Rene realize they have two very different styles of doing detective work. Meanwhile, Sammy continues to have problems with his wife, Tammi (recurring guest star EMILY BERGL) who seems unable to complete even the simplest of tasks. And Ben confronts John about his increasing reliance on pain pills.

Ben winds up in a patrol unit alone for the first time. Among the cases he has to handle on his own are a missing girl and a suspected stalking case. Lydia and Rene spend the day checking in on and helping out Brianna (guest star LILY HOLLEMAN) and her baby. Over in the Gangs Unit, Gil Puente (recurring guest star LAZ ALONSO) leads the task force to take down a former "gangbanger" Trinny Day -- but Sal and Sammy have a hard time working with Puente. While patrolling with John, it is clear that Chickie has no command presence, but she is determined to work harder and become a good cop again.

Lydia and her new partner, Ray Suarez (series star CLIFTON COLLINS, JR.), arrive in Compton, where a young USC student was murdered. Detectives Kenny "No Gun" (recurring guest star PATRICK FISCHLER) and Andy Williams (recurring guest star LEX MEDLIN) canvass the neighborhood while Nate and Sammy investigate a house nearby where a party took place the night before. John and Ben head to Indian Wells for the funeral of a cop that proves to be very personal for John. They also stop at a halfway house for cops to see how Dewey (recurring guest star C. THOMAS HOWELL) is doing. And Lydia decides to talk to her mother (recurring guest star L. SCOTT CALDWELL) about something that has been festering between them for years.

Gangsters open fire in a crowded club and kill two gangbangers -- one of whom has a connection to an officer. Meanwhile, tensions rise between Sal and Gil on the gang task force. And Sammy confronts his wife, Tammi, after discovering that she has been out photographing gang members.

John gets an unexpected request from his ex-wife just as he, Ben and Chickie are sent out as part of a maximum deployment to capture the "Canyon Rapist" (guest star THOMAS LUMBERG, JR.), a perp who has been impersonating a cop. Lydia gets re-partnered with Russell (recurring guest star RUSSELL EVERETT SCOTT) for a double-homicide case. And Sal gives his wife Susan (guest star DENISE CROSBY) a special gift to commemorate her promotion, but their night turns into a disaster when their daughter, Kimmy (guest star ANNAMARIE KENOYER) reveals Sal's affair with TV news reporter Mia Sanchez (guest star LISA VIDAL).