Matthew Rauch

Series Premiere. In a bizarre twist of fate, a recently paroled master thief assumes the identity of Lucas Hood, sheriff-in-waiting of Banshee, PA--the same town where his former partner and lover, who changed her name to Carrie, relocated and remarried years ago. Keeping his history a secret as he awaits forged papers, Lucas befriends boxer-turned-bartender Sugar Bates, and settles into his new life as Banshee's sheriff. Itching for the thrill of thievery and yearning for Carrie, who is now the wife of attorney Gordon Hopewell and mother of two, Lucas inadvertently gets tangled up in the rampant corruption of shunned Amish gangster Kai Proctor, while keeping a vigilant eye out for Mr. Rabbit, the New York-based mob boss who wants revenge against Lucas and Carrie for the jewel heist that landed Lucas in prison. A party thrown by Proctor for the new sheriff is spoiled by a crasher--a member of the redneck Moody clan who despise Amish people in general and Kai in particular.

Benson and Rollins must contend with the FBI and the Organized Crime bureau when a rape victim identifies a dangerous mobster as her assailant.

The squad rallies around Det. Stabler to find the suspect behind a threat to his family. Christopher Meloni, Isabel Gillies, Allison Siko and Jeffrey Scaperrotta guest star.

Frank deals with a political crisis after Jamie and Renzulli enter a religious center in response to a 911 call and are injured by the church's security team who prohibits them from entering.

Erin's trial against notorious human trafficker Chao Lin (Tia Carrera) is jeopardized when the presiding judge is found dead, causing Danny and Baez to investigate foul play. Also, Mayor Dutton (Lorraine Bracco) opposes Frank's public safety initiative, but City Council Speaker Regina Thomas (Whoopi Goldberg) devises a plan to help Frank bypass the Mayor's veto.