The Rookie is an American police proceduralcrime drama television series created by Alexi Hawley for ABC. The series follows John Nolan, a man in his forties, who becomes the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The series is produced by ABC Signature and Lionsgate Television; it is based on real-life LAPD officer William Norcross, who moved to Los Angeles in 2015 and joined the department in his mid-40s.
The series follows John Nolan, a 45-year-old newly divorced man from Pennsylvania, who, nine months after helping police officers during a bank robbery in his hometown of Foxburg, moves to Los Angeles to pursue a new career as a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). After graduating from the Police Academy as the oldest rookie on the force, Nolan must navigate the dangerous, unpredictable nature of his job and is determined to make it in his new career despite the challenges.[1]
Series lead Nathan Fillion stated during an interview that the drama was inspired by a true story as the LAPD is one of just two agencies that accepts new officers over the age of 37.[2] The man whose story inspired the premise of the show was later revealed to be Bill Norcross, a college friend of executive producer Jon Steinberg, who based the show on his story. Norcross continues to serve in the LAPD and also as executive producer on The Rookie.[3]
Nathan Fillion as John Nolan: The oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), he is assigned to the Mid-Wilshire Division.[1] He was studying at Pennsylvania State University but dropped out and went into the construction business upon learning that Sarah, his girlfriend and later wife, was pregnant. At the age of 45, Nolan closed his construction company in Pennsylvania and after taking down a robbery suspect at a bank in his hometown of Foxburg, Pennsylvania, moved out west to become a police officer. He is divorced with a son, Henry. Nolan becomes a training officer in the later seasons to teach the next generation of cops and help make positive change in the LAPD. He marries Bailey Nune in season 6.
Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez: An LAPD detective. She is assigned as the training officer to Jackson West. She marries Wesley Evers and becomes an inspiring detective and mother in the later seasons.
Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey: A sergeant and watch commander at the Mid-Wilshire Station. Grey initially believes that Nolan may be changing career because of a possible midlife crisis and doubts that he is suitable for police work, but later sees his potential. Grey served in the United States Army prior to joining the LAPD. He has a daughter who is attending college in New York City.
Titus Makin Jr. as Jackson West (seasons 1–3, guest season 4):[4][5] An eager, if somewhat naive, rookie and the son of Commander Percy West, head of the LAPD's Internal Affairs Division. Top of his class at the Police Academy, he is firmly committed to the LAPD and strives to be the best officer he can as he wants to maintain his family's traditions. Jackson is killed in the Season 4 premiere in an effort to help identify the people who kidnapped him and Lopez.
Mercedes Mason as Zoe Andersen (season 1; guest season 3): Nolan's confident and irreverent commanding officer,[6] Captain Andersen used to be a Marine, serving with the military police. After leaving the Corps, she spent a year with the United States Pentagon Police Criminal Investigations Directorate before joining the LAPD. Because of her prior experience, Andersen has risen up the ranks very quickly, to the point where some of her officers see her more as a boss than a fellow officer. She is killed in the line of duty trying to protect Nolan from a vengeful gang leader.
Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen: An ambitious rookie who struggles to prove herself to Tim Bradford, her training officer. She is 29 years old, and her parents are psychologists who remain opposed to her choice of career. O'Neil also stars as Lucy's doppelganger "Juicy" in later seasons. She later qualifies to become an undercover officer and starts dating Tim.
Afton Williamson as Talia Bishop (season 1): A newly promoted training officer whose first assignment is Nolan. Ambitious, she tries hard to make detective and hopes to eventually work her way up to chief of police. She is revealed to have left the LAPD for a job with the ATF.
Eric Winter as Timothy "Tim" Bradford: A strict, no-nonsense training officer. He is assigned Lucy as a rookie and gives her a hard time but treats her fairly. He used to be a Marine squad leader who served in Iraq and Afghanistan before joining the LAPD. Winter also stars as Tim's doppelganger "Dim" in later seasons. He gives up patrol duties to have a relationship with Lucy and becomes a Metro officer.
Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper (season 2 – present): Nolan's new training officer, a tough, experienced detective who is leaving behind four years of undercover work so that she can return to patrol work. After training Nolan and Aaron and giving birth, she returns to being a detective and is partnered with Lopez.
Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers (season 3 – present; recurring seasons 1–2): A defense lawyer with whom Lopez initially clashes but later starts dating. The two eventually marry and has a son named Jack and a daughter. He later takes a job as an Assistant District Attorney.
Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune (season 4 – present;[7] guest season 3): A firefighter who first appears as Nolan's date to Lopez's wedding and later becomes his wife by season six. Prior to joining the LAFD, she served in the US Army and is currently still a reservist.
Tru Valentino as Aaron Thorsen (season 5 – present; recurring season 4): A newbie rookie who was involved in a murder case in which he was found not guilty. He comes from a wealthy background and was an internet celebrity before his arrest and trial.
Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez (season 6;[8] recurring season 5): Nolan's enthusiastic new rookie.[9] She causes trouble for Nolan as he believes she is too superstitious. She joined the Academy in order to solve her sister's murder and disappearance.
Recurring
Mircea Monroe as Isabel Bradford (season 1; guest season 5): Tim Bradford's ex-wife, a former undercover narcotics officer who became a drug addict.
Sara Rue as Nell Forester (seasons 1–2; guest season 4): A former dispatcher for the LAPD whom Tim bribes in order to get the best calls
Currie Graham as Ben McRee (season 1; guest season 3): Nolan's friend since their school days, who lets Nolan stay in his mansion as a house guest.
Demetrius Grosse as Kevin Wolfe (season 1): A detective who is assigned to Isabel's case
David DeSantos as Elijah Vestri (season 1): A detective who is assigned to Isabel's case. He is shot and killed midway during the first season in a shootout with a gang of drug dealers.
Zayne Emory as Henry Nolan: John Nolan's son who is a freshman in college. He becomes engaged to Abigail in the second season.[10] He is shown to have a congenital heart condition in season three.
Michael Beach as Percy West (seasons 1–3): Jackson's father, the commander of Internal Affairs
Brent Huff as Quigley Smitty: A lazy training officer who lives in a trailer park across the street from the Mid-Wilshire station.
Kanoa Goo as Chris Sanford. He is an assistant district attorney, and Lucy Chen's ex-boyfriend.
Angel Parker as Luna Grey: Wade Grey's wife and mother of their daughter Dominique[11]
Sarah Shahi as Jessica Russo (seasons 1–2): A former FBI hostage negotiator who now runs her own security firm and is a published author. She later takes a job with the Department of Homeland Security while she briefly dates Nolan. They separate when she realizes he is not ready to have more kids.
Matthew Glave as Oscar Hutchinson: A prisoner who escapes from a prison bus crash but is later apprehended by Lopez and Jackson. Oscar eventually helps the precinct officers as an informant on several cases including former prisoners.
Harold Perrineau as Nick Armstrong (season 2; guest season 3): A new night detective who assists the LAPD Mid-Wilshire Division who is later revealed to be a dirty cop working for a crime family. Armstrong attempts to frame rookie John Nolan but is shot and killed by the gang members in the third-season premiere, "Consequences", as part of a cover-up.
Daniel Lissing as Sterling Freeman (season 2; guest season 3): A celebrity actor starring in a police procedural show, who briefly becomes Jackson's boyfriend before he is revealed to have been a former criminal named Skipper Young.
Ali Larter as Grace Sawyer (season 2): A doctor at Shaw Memorial Hospital and Nolan's ex-girlfriend with whom he rekindles briefly.
Enver Gjokaj as Donovan Town (seasons 2, 4): Harper's ex-husband. Harper is fighting with him over joint custody of their daughter Lila.
Carsyn Rose as Lila Town (seasons 2, 4): Harper's daughter from her marriage to Donovan
Madeleine Coghlan as Abigail (seasons 2–3): Henry Nolan's fiancée
Annie Wersching as Rosalind Dyer (seasons 2, 5; guest season 3): A serial killer and nemesis of Armstrong, the officer whose arrest led to her conviction for murder
Jeff Pierre as Emmett Lang (season 2): A firefighter who is a friend of Tim Bradford and briefly dates Lucy.
Hrach Titizian as Ruben Derian (season 2; guest season 3): A member of the Derian crime family who has recruited Armstrong and Erin Cole to help him destroy evidence that implicates his brother Serj for the murder of Chris Rios
Brandon Routh as Doug Stanton (season 3): Jackson West's new training officer, who has questionable ethics and does racial profiling. He leaves Mid-Wilshire after Jackson risked his life to expose his wrongdoings.
Arjay Smith as James Murray (season 3 – present): A local resident in the neighborhood where Nolan and Harper are assigned to community outreach. He and Harper begin dating during season 3, and during season 4, she ends up pregnant. He proposes to her in Season 4 after declining her initial proposal, in which they get married at the courthouse.
Toks Olagundoye as Fiona Ryan (season 3): A professor in Ethics and Criminal Justice. Nolan attends her night classes in order to finish school and qualify as a training officer. She is also a well-known activist, specifically in civil rights and police reform, and has authored a book about racial inequality in the justice system.
Dylan Conrique as Tamara Colins (season 3 – present): A homeless high school student Lucy takes under her wing and tries to help cope with her situation. They later become roommates after she takes Jackson's room following his death.
Camille Guaty as Sandra "La Fiera" De La Cruz (season 3; guest season 4): A Guatemalan businesswoman and drug lord, who has a vendetta with Lopez after multiple encounters. After her son Diego is murdered by a rival gang, she later kidnaps Lopez, but is shot dead after Harper and Tim help Lopez escape.
Brandon Jay McLaren as Elijah Stone (season 4–5): A crime boss who forces Wesley to be his crooked lawyer in order to retrieve Angela Lopez from Guatemala.
Notable guests
Danny Nucci as Sanford Motta: An arrogant major assault crimes detective who looks down on rookies[12]
Shawn Christian as Jeremy Hawke: Nolan's former training officer at the academy who goes rogue[13]
Joelle Carter as Megan Mitchell: Hawke's ex-wife who is fighting with him over custody of their son Logan[13]
Jose Pablo Cantillo as Franco DeSantis: A drug dealer who steals money from a drug bust after being tipped off[16]
Beau Garrett as Denise: A woman who Nolan rescues on Valentine's Day who has an unhealthy obsession with him
Sean Maher as Caleb Jost: A prisoner who escapes from the prison bus crash in "Manhunt" but is later apprehended by Nolan, Bishop, and Jessica
Mario Lopez as himself: A celebrity pulled over by Tim and Lucy for running a stop sign who tries to talk his way out of a ticket as part of an integrity test by LAPD Internal Affairs[17]
Joel McHale as Brad Hayes: A former border patrol officer turned people smuggler for a cartel, who is under protective detail of Tim and Nolan[18]
Michael Trucco as Sean Del Monte: An assistant district attorney who assigns Nolan and Tim to a protective detail in "The Shake Up". He later returns in the second-season episode "The Dark Side" when he makes a deal with Rosalind Dyer in order to find the bodies of her previous victims, as well as in Season 4 and 5.
Jim Lau as Patrick Chen: Lucy Chen's father, who is injured by one of his patients and forced to go the hospital. He later has an argument with Lucy regarding the LAPD's handling of mental health cases.
will.i.am as himself: Appears when a silent alarm is tripped at his residence, caused by a man who accidentally parachuted into the wrong yard and became stuck in a tree
Stephen Lang as Trent Williams: The LAPD chief of police. He administers the oral exam to Nolan, Lucy, and Jackson during their midterm exam.
Felicia Day as Dr. Morgan: A CDC task-force specialist in infectious diseases[19]
Mark Cuban as himself: Appears when Nolan and Grey respond to a disturbance at his restaurant
Mitch Pileggi as Rex: A bounty hunter and retired LAPD cop. He is good friends with Tim.
Seamus Dever as Chaz Bachman: A lawyer who is arrested by Nolan and Lopez for buying drugs[20]
Jon Huertas as Alejandro Mejia / Cesar Ojeda: An undercover DHS agent who is compromised and nearly killed by two assailants seeking information from him[20]
Lauren Tom as Mrs. Chen: Lucy Chen's mother, who comes to stay at her apartment briefly after having an argument with Lucy's father
Eric Weddle as himself: appeared during a Los Angeles Rams junior football camp. Was a high school football adversary of Tim's.[21]
Alan Tudyk as Ellroy Basso: A cleaner employed by the LAPD to help clean up crime scenes. He and Nolan later apprehend the criminals who committed the original crime when they return to the scene. He is later seen to be in a relationship with Nell Forester.[22]
Michael Cassidy as Caleb Wright: A man whom Lucy meets at a bar who later turns out to be a serial killer and Rosalind Dyer's associate[23]
Pete Davidson as Pete Nolan: Nolan's half-brother whom he meets following his father's death[24]
Seth Green as Jordan Neil: A man who steals Nolan's identity, causing his credit score to go down[25]
Greg Grunberg as Larry Macer (seasons 3 and 4): Formerly a police officer at the LAPD before being released following a mishap where his gun misfired in his very first roll call, now a sergeant in the railroad police.
Katy O'Brian as Katie Barnes: A new rookie in the LAPD who was a war veteran. Tim is assigned as her TO but she later resigns from the job.
Emily Deschanel as Sarah Nolan: Nolan's ex-wife and mother to their son Henry
Kyle Secor as Sam Taggart: A DEA special agent assigned to the La Fiera case
Joshua Malina as Max: A man with ties to U.S. intelligence
Kathryn Prescott as Katerina Antonov / Linda Charles: A Russian FSB case officer who has gone rogue and was planning to kill all the men involved in a drone strike that killed her brother
Piper Curda as Billie Park: A drug mule who was arrested by West and Chen when she attempts to flee during a rolling stop
Peyton List as Gennifer "Genny" Bradford: Tim Bradford's younger sister
James Remar as Tom Bradford: Tim and Genny Bradford's alcoholic and abusive father
Flula Borg as Skip Tracer Randy, a bounty hunter and skip tracer
Tamala Jones as Yvonne Thorsen: Aaron Thorsen's mother, who is trying to publicize his life as a police officer
Niecy Nash as Simone Clark: A trainee FBI agent who has the same priorities as John Nolan, and the protagonist of the spin-off series The Rookie: Feds.[26] She is also the oldest NAT ever at Quantico.
Tricia Helfer as Claire Ivey, a master thief who Agela Lopes was after five years prior but was unable to capture.
Danielle Campbell as Blair London, psychiatrist for the LAPD assigned to help Aaron Thorsen process the trauma of being shot.
Production
Development
On October 26, 2017, ABC announced a straight-to-series order for The Rookie, starring Castle star Nathan Fillion, and written by Castle executive producer and co-showrunner Alexi Hawley. Fillion and Hawley serve as executive producers, along with Mark Gordon, Nicholas Pepper, Michelle Chapman, and Jon Steinberg. The series is produced by ABC Studios and The Mark Gordon Company,[1] and premiered on October 16, 2018.[27] On November 5, 2018, The Rookie was picked up for full season of 20 episodes.[28] On May 10, 2019, ABC renewed the series for a second season which premiered on September 29, 2019.[29][30] On October 28, 2019, the series received a full season order of 20 episodes for the second season.[31]
On May 21, 2020, ABC renewed the series for a third season which premiered on January 3, 2021.[32][33] On May 14, 2021, ABC renewed the series for a fourth season, which premiered on September 26, 2021.[34][35] On March 30, 2022, ABC renewed the series for a fifth season which premiered on September 25, 2022.[36][37] On April 17, 2023, ABC renewed the series for a sixth season which premiered on February 20, 2024.[38][39] On February 17, 2024, executive producer and showrunner Alexi Hawley confirmed in an interview with TVLine that the sixth season would contain ten episodes. [40]
On August 4, 2019, it was announced that Williamson would not be returning for the second season due to the alleged racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault she suffered during the first season.[45] On October 2, 2019, Mekia Cox joined the cast as a new series regular, Nyla Harper, for the second season.[46]
Filming
In January 2018, Liz Friedlander signed on to direct and executive produce the pilot.[47] Production on the pilot began on March 7, 2018,[48] with filming taking place in Los Angeles, Oxnard, Burbank and New York City.[49] On April 15, 2021, police received a call of a possible shooting while filming was taking place between Hartford Avenue and West 5th Street in Los Angeles. Three gunshots were heard by various eyewitnesses, and the production crew confirmed that no one from the show was injured during the incident. Filming in the area was shut down as a result of the reports, but filming continued at other already scheduled locations.[50] Following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on October 21, 2021, on the set of the film Rust, live weapons were banned from The Rookie while filming.[51] Prior to the ban, the series occasionally used quarter or half rounds on large outdoor set pieces.[52]Showrunner Alexi Hawley stated that "any risk is too much risk" and explained that, going forward, only airsoft guns would be used, with muzzle flashes being added in post production using computer-generated imagery.[53]
On-set misconduct and harassment allegations
On July 26, 2019, TVLine reported that Afton Williamson, who portrays Talia Bishop, would not be returning for the second season. While the outlet initially claimed that the split was amicable, Williamson, in a lengthy Instagram post, stated that she left the series due to having "experienced racial discrimination/racially charged inappropriate comments from the hair department."[54] Williamson also alleged that she was sexually harassed by guest star Demetrius Grosse, who portrays Kevin Wolfe in a recurring role, as well as an incident of bullying that escalated into sexual assault at a party; the head of the hair department was identified as Sallie Ciganovich. Williamson claimed that she had gone to the showrunners multiple times with these allegations, but was ignored.[55]
Everyone involved in the allegations denied them. An investigation was commissioned through the law firm Mitchell Sillerberg and Knupp along with a third-party firm, EXTTI, which conducted nearly 400 hours of interviews and examined video and other evidence.[56] The results of the investigation were published on September 17, 2019, which found that the allegations made by Williamson had no merit and could not be proven. Williamson stood by her claims, calling the results of the investigation "heartbreaking" and postulated that the producers had lied to cover up the truth of what happened.[57]
Release
Broadcast
The Rookie is broadcast in the United States on ABC and repeats are syndicated across 95% of the country.[58] The first season aired on Tuesday, while the second season aired on Sunday. The Rookie has been licensed in more than 180 countries and territories.[59]
Home media
The first season was released on DVD in Region1 on August27, 2019,[60] and in Region4 (Australia) on January22, 2020.[61]
The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 68% approval rating with an average rating of 6.33/10 based on 22 reviews for Season 1. The website's consensus reads, "Nathan Fillion's reliably likable presence makes The Rookie worth tuning in, even if the show around him isn't particularly memorable."[62]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[63]
On February 8, 2022, ABC ordered a pilot for a planned FBI spin-off of the series starring Niecy Nash. It was introduced in a two-episode backdoor pilot during Season 4.[81] On March 9, 2022, Kat Foster and Felix Solis joined the cast of the spin-off.[82] Also that month, Frankie Faison joined the cast.[26] On May 13, 2022, ABC gave a series order under the title The Rookie: Feds.[83] It was then reported that the series had undergone creative tweaks that cut Foster's character, Special Agent Casey Fox.[84] In June 2022, Britt Robertson, Kevin Zegers and James Lesure joined the cast as series regulars.[85][86][87]
The Rookie: Feds aired from September 27, 2022 to May 2, 2023.[37]The Rookie: Feds was canceled on November 9, 2023, after one season as a consequence of the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.[88]
