Police officers come in all shapes and sizes, and jokingly (so don’t shoot) some are shaped like the donuts they eat. However, rookies are always seen to be young and full of optimism, but in the case of John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) he’s only got one of them – optimism. Middle-aged, and with years of experience in erm…construction, Nolan suddenly seeks the chance of a second career; being an LA cop, but not everyone on the force is thrilled with the idea of having an older and in-experienced rookie. Although with Nolan having decades of civilian experience he might be more understanding and empathetic to people and their difficulties. He can at times be more than a little naive, but his full of heart, and in a world of shoot first then ask questions, it’s good to have someone who does the opposite.
Aside from the show’s main character of Nolan, there are two other rookies, Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) and Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr), both of which have their own obstacles to overcome, especially if they’re to finish their training and become the police officers they’ve always dreamed of being.
Having finished the academy (we don’t see this), the series begins with the rookies’ first day on the job – and with the training wheels still being very much on – and as such they’re each paired with an officer who will test, train and use their own unique methods when working the beat. Tough, gruelling and far from being cuddling parents, these officers will throw everything they’ve got at the rookies, and provide the most interesting relationships to the show.
As the series progresses, the episodes split more between the three rookies and their training officers, and with a little less focus solely on Nolan. Although he’s still the leading figure in the show’s storylines, especially in the romantic field – with Fillion bringing his typical charm to the role.
Refreshingly the episodes don’t follow the usual overused format in which to set your clock by (e.g. any CSI show), and as with any good series, it has a collection of running threads between the episodes. But primarily each episode has a series of different cases for the rookies to work on; and within which they’re paired-off to head in different directions, and not always (which is appreciated) to come together at the end for a solution – teamwork being key. Largely, the show’s unpredictable, the situations the characters find themselves in genuine – to recklessly-risky – and as such covering every story imaginable and then some. Most of all it shows the greys of life; with not everyone being inherently evil, though some do seem to be beyond good.
Inspirational? At points – yes. The Rookie showing the good the people can do, whilst also reflecting and celebrating the diversity of America. But it also acknowledges corruption, prejudice and faults within the system. This is more apparent in season three as they express their concerns about America’s police force, but with a hope for a better direction.
The Rookie hasn’t missed an opportunity in having a range of likeable characters to get behind, and you’ll find yourself constantly switching between who’s your favourite. In a show with so many characters it doesn’t feel like you get lost in their numbers, whilst creating an unforced feeling of a family – possibly through having the characters split into pairings – thereby making it feel intimate. The shots filmed inside the patrol cars only increase this emotion, and in fact it’s often here that the characters reveal more of their personal lives.
However, season two sadly starts with the show having lost a brilliant character and its someone you’ll have fallen deeply in love with (providing no spoilers). What’s more upsetting is that the reason for their departure wasn’t due to the character being killed off, but issues within the show itself. As such The Rookie suffers a lost opportunity in providing them a proper send-off and making it all the more difficult to get used to the new character that replaces them – but damn they’re good, their story is great and the character will certainly bring in a lot more plot points to spin-off from. Still I mourn…
Now maybe you’re interested in giving the show ago, or maybe you think the story of a middle-aged rookie is too-far-fetched? You ageist you, not to mention you’re so very wrong, for it’s not fiction (well not purely fiction), with the series being inspired by real-life rookie Bill Norcross (of the LAPD) who joined the force in his forties. The series having been conceptualised by his college friend and executive producer Jon Steinberg. So you’d best be ready to believe one-hell-of-a-career-change and one that’s all-too-inspiring.
If you like your blues and twos this show doesn’t fail to bring the heat.
Creator: Alexi Hawley
Other notable works:
- Castle 2009-2016
- The Following 2013-2015
- The Unusuals 2009
