A reason The rookie continued to be popular for (soon to be) seven seasons, that’s because the series is a unique take on a police procedural. The focus is primarily on the street-level police experience, and the cast is populated with likeable characters. The show’s cops find themselves in more shootings in a single episode than many officers have in an entire career. Yet this is a TV show that is supposed to be exciting and cinematic.

Rather than looking The rookie as a slice-of-life cop show, it’s almost best to view the series the way one watches superhero shows. Mid-Wilshire police officers have their hearts in the right place, but sometimes circumstances or human error cause something bad to happen. This kind of drama is what makes a series feel like The rookie special. His characters have flaws, like everyone else. Although it is difficult to broadcast television on a network schedule, The rookie has more than its share of impeccable episodes from start to finish.

Officer Jackson West outwits his racist training officer

During one episode, the rookie fought the good fight against the bad cops

In season 3, Officer Jackson West was paired with former Superman Brandon Routh who played a very unheroic character. His new training agent, Doug Stanton, was an industry veteran who spent many years on the streets. During season 2, West witnessed Staton racially profiling and abusing his authority. Although he was still just a rookie, West wanted to bring him down to protect both the community and the police force he served. However, the best episode of this arc came in “Lockdown” – an episode in which John Nolan was held hostage in a bomb-equipped van outside the police station.

Related

The Rookie Season 7 Finally Gets a Premiere Date on ABC

The ABC show returns for an 18-episode run, which promises to be nearly uninterrupted, minus a possible Oval Office address.

As his fellow officers raced across Los Angeles to save him, West and Stanton continued to have problems. When West is attacked by a gang, Stanton watches him get beaten. Then, while pretending to take care of his “boot”, West turns on Staton’s body camera, revealing the footage that got him kicked off the force.at least for a moment. The unsatisfying ending to this season’s story might be why Jackson West was ultimately killed off. Yet for this flawless episode of The rookiethe bad cop got what was coming to him.

Season 2 Episode Shows Not All Cops Are Good

Beloved friend of recruits dies in the line of duty

While The rookie has a large cast, the characters’ worlds are bigger than even fans see on screen. A second season episode showed that the series’ recruits were still friends with their police academy classmates from different precincts. The first of a two-part episode, “The Q Word”, involves the death of one of these officers, Chris Rios. The series always highlights the dangers of the job, but Rios’ death made those dangers personal to the characters..

The second part of this story is one of The rookie best episodes, but the season finale cliffhanger made it an incomplete story. Although “The Q Word” is only part of a story, it tells a complete and tragic tale. The characters on The rookie are adorable and most episodes are funny. This one allowed them to flex their dramatic muscles in a moving story where the heroes could do nothing to save the day. It was moving and made the audience want to keep listening.

Season 1’s Big Death Proved The Rookie Wasn’t Just a Fluke

No character was safe on the show when Zoe Andersen died

In The rookie Season 1, “Greenlight” is a notable episode because it killed off Captain Zoe Andersen, a big presence in the series. She was an important character, if only because she was one of the few people who believed in John Nolan and his ability to succeed in his job. Which makes it a flawless episode of The rookie That’s how action-packed and exciting it is, and it was the first “over-the-top” premise that became a classic element of the series..

“There will be time for grief later. We have a job to finish…Listen, I know what’s in your heart. What you want to do more than anything. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t didn’t want it, too… But that’s not what Captain Andersen would want. Killing this loser won’t honor his memory and we owe it to him to do it the right way. -Wilshire.

Still the oldest recruit on the force, John Nolan receives the “green light” from the city’s criminal element. This means he must avoid the execution of brazen criminals ready to kill a cop. Captain Andersen agrees to ride with him that day, which ultimately leads to his death.. Not only does Nolan lose his greatest champion, but he blames himself for the circumstances that led to his shooting. However, it is in this episode that The rookie reaffirmed that its police officers live up to an ideal that is too rare in the real world.

Officer John Nolan shows up for his new TO in a surprising way

From saving Nyla Harper while she was undercover to helping her with her daughter

After the departure of Afton Williamson The rookieJohn Nolan needed a new training officer. He found Nyla Harper, a former undercover agent who was trying to get her life back together. Like Nolan, she was a single mother, but she was separated from her daughter. Too often, his duty prevented him from being a parent. While conducting an undercover operation with her recruit, Harper was nearly taken prisoner by the criminals she was supposed to infiltrate. Acting alone, Nolan stepped in to not only save his life, but also help save his family.

Related

The Rookie: The Pentagram Killer, Explained

The Rookie introduced a new serial killer in Season 6, the Pentagram Killer, but this case is different from Rosalind Dyer and her many sidekicks.

In a great scene, Nolan pretends to be Harper’s “man” and threatens the killers who are trying to kidnap him with his own gun.. It endeared Harper to his “boot,” but it resonated beyond that. She was able to help him be there for his daughter. Elsewhere in the episode, Bradford and Chen continued to bond as a team, while Jackson West got to meet someone, an actor playing a cop in a movie. It was one of the rare times The rookie put a queer relationship story at the center of its episodes.

The late Annie Wersching’s last role was a devious serial killer

Rosalind Dyer was Rookie’s first major villain

Annie Wersching was an incredible actress, and one of her last roles before her passing in 2023 was in The rookie. She played Rosalind Dyer, a sinister closeted serial killer who was fascinated by John Nolan. (This echoed a character she played in Nathan Fillion’s previous series. Castle.) Watching Wersching and Fillion in scenes together was truly a highlight of not only the episode, but also the series itself.. She had information about a new serial killer, but things were more complicated than that.

“[My victim] I thought we were going to have a picnic. There was a moment, as we walked deeper into the woods, when he showed just a hint of fear, but then he remembered that he was a man and he didn’t have to worry. worry about things like that. ” –Rosalind Dyer to John Nolan.

The other half of this episode involved Lucy Chen trying to find a better work-life balance. At work, she met a man named Caleb Wright who she fell in love with and even went on a date with. This episode ended with Wright revealing that he was an acolyte of Roslind Dyer and kidnapped her, leading to one of The rookieThe most impeccable episodes.

Lucy Chen is forced to choose between family loyalty and police involvement

The episode’s earthquake upended Lucy Chen’s family relationships

In addition to learning to become a police officer, The rookie It was from season 1 that the audience began to learn more about the characters and their history. John Nolan was a divorced man changing. Jackson West was the son of a decorated police officer, living up to that family example. In “The Shake Up”, the audience learns that Lucy Chen’s career choice has led her family to be deeply disappointed in her. While most of the episode concerns the response to an earthquake in Los Angeles, it’s Lucy’s story that makes this episode shine.

Lucy Chen learns that her father, a psychologist, was injured by one of his patients. Visiting her in the hospital, viewers learn how disappointed he is in her. He dislikes the police, especially the way they tend to arrest people who are mentally ill or injured and need other help. Even though this patient’s arrest angers her father, Lucy tries to write a report on the extenuating circumstances in hopes of getting the offender the medical help he needs. This episode revealed that even though she was a police officer, Lucy also had a big heart.

From a criminal lawyer to a hospital shooting, The Rookie Is Big TV

Although over-the-top, episodes like these are ones that fans love

One of the last episodes of The rookie Season 6 is another example of the show’s best. There’s an interesting and slightly over-the-top criminal case to solve, but the characters are the center of attention. While John Nolan and his wife Bailey Nune visit a fertility doctor, a gang war floods the hospital with traumatized patients. Meanwhile, criminal lawyer (that is, a lawyer who is also a criminal) Monica Stevens is almost killed in her home and she saves the police from their own deadly investigation.

Related

“Over and Out”: Tru Valentino breaks the silence on the rookies’ exit

Tru Valentino breaks her silence after losing her job as a series regular on The Rookie.

What makes “Punch Card” such a perfect episode of The rookie that’s how well it does what other police procedurals couldn’t do. The fertility issues of two central characters are equally high stakes in an episode that also features a large gang war, which leads to the deaths of officers.. The climax of the episode is also a big action movie style shootout at a hospital with the police and gang members. Meanwhile, Monica manages to kill her attacker without being discovered. It’s classic The rookie drama leading to a two-part grand finale.

New recruit shows new side of Officer Tim Bradford

The rookie told a unique and powerful veteran story

As characters began to be promoted and no longer required officer training, The rookie necessary to introduce new recruits. One of those “new blood” was officer-in-training Katy Barnes, who was a combat veteran before becoming a police officer. While many stories about veterans focus on how broken they were, The rookie took a different approach. The usually tough Bradford approached Barnes gently, helping him understand the difference between being a soldier and being a police officer.

“I want you to take a deep breath. Feel the sun. Go ahead. Close your eyes. I’ll cover you. This is your gift. You’ve come home. Life is beautiful. You’re safe.” – Tim Bradford to agent Katy Barnes.

One of the reasons why this episode of The rookie What seems perfect is that the storytellers stayed true to their show. The officers in this series often participate in shootouts, which is reminiscent of the experience of war. Barnes is also a necessary part of stopping the violent bad guys in this episode. Although sad to see such an interesting character leave, Barnes decides to leave the force at the end of the episode.. If she hadn’t, the lessons Bradford tried to teach her would have rang hollow.

Lucy Chen and Tim Braford are hiding as a romantic couple

The rookie delivered an exciting episode and a gift for Chenford fans

Although the status of Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen’s relationship is currently uncertain, the best part of any romance, real or fictional, is often the beginning. The season 5 premiere of The rookie This was the real beginning of this romance. Thanks to some classic TV “identical cousin” shenanigans, Bradford and Chen are forced into hiding. Only, rather than pretending to be criminals, they must also pretend to be a couple.

Related

What happened to Tamara in The Rookie?

In The Rookie seasons 3 and 4, Lucy Chen’s roommate Tamara Colins made up much of the supporting cast, but in later seasons she appears less.

The rookie again, fun and light character moments balanced with its heavy crime drama. Only really interesting things happened after the mission was completed. For Chenford fans, The rookie took things slowly, but this slow approach allowed the couple to fully embed themselves in fans’ hearts. Although they may be somewhat separated at the moment, “Double Down” and the rest of the Season 5 shows The rookie works with characters as couples.

One episode showed Lucy Chen’s bravery and Tim Bradford’s heroism

The rookie’s big duo helped shape these characters

The second season of The rookie This is when the series really started to take off, and it perhaps hit its peak with the two-part episode featuring Rosalind Dyer. After Caleb Wright captures Lucy Chen, he buries her alive in the middle of nowhere with a webcam broadcasting her final moments. Melissa O’Neil’s performance in this episode is exceptional as she blends heroic defiance with genuine human fragility and fear.

• This episode was the second of a two-part series, the first of which is also on this list.

While “Chenford” was still just a fanfiction writers’ dream, the scene in which Agent Tim Bradford finds her is one of the most moving in The rookie. The entire cast comes together to save his life, and they succeed. Also, The rookie was still new enough that the public truly feared for Lucy Chen’s safety. The episode is a highlight of the series and the effects it had on Lucy Chen were felt throughout subsequent seasons.

Seasons 1-6 of Rookie are streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, and season 7 will premiere on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 9 p.m.

Starting over isn’t easy, especially for John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, pursues his dream of joining the LAPD. As the oldest recruit, he encounters skepticism from those who see him as nothing more than a walking midlife crisis.

Release date

October 16, 2018

Seasons

6