The Rookie

Author’s Note: After I wrote this piece, I realised my friend, Bodhi, also watched The Rookie. While the series is rated for viewers over 15, I don't think there are any negative impacts of watching the show for children my age group. I recommend The Rookie to everyone!

Ever since I was young, I was (and still am) interested in police procedural series’ with their technical words, soliloquies of knowledge, and their ironed uniforms. Recently, my eyes have been drilling into the television, watching The Rookie. John Nolan, a rookie police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), pursues a new life for himself, dedicated to protecting and serving those who can’t. Yet, this would only be pampered with 126 episodes of nuclear threats, strings of homicides, and corruption.

In The Rookie, the show follows a rookie officer fresh out of the Academy, albeit at 40 years old. After surviving a bank robbery when the LAPD apprehended the robbers, John Nolan was inspired to follow his childhood dream of becoming a police officer after making a construction company, trading his repetitive life for one that could end any day.

Being the oldest rookie in the Los Angeles Police Department, Nolan’s limited stature pressures his fellow officers to question Nolan’s ability to keep up with the job. Yet, Nolan pushes back, pursuing his own dreams and a second chance at life, regardless of his own physical and mental differences from the other, much ‘junior’ officers.

As I continue in the footsteps of The Rookie, it highlights the complexity in such an environment. Compared to the black-and-white world we are accustomed to, The Rookie shines a light on the flaws in the system. The police department itself and bureaus are a play of cloak-and-daggers, some valuing their extra paychecks more than exposing crime. Likewise, some criminals are conflicted between good and evil, while Nolan himself learns that doing the right thing often comes with consequences - both good and bad.

As Nolan navigates further, his journey is a web of mutual trust, shared failures, and alliances. He leans on the guidance of seasoned officers like Sergeant Grey, serving as a living example of how authority isn’t earned through lineage or age, but through the courage to learn, to teach, and to admit when you’re wrong. In a job that asks for perfection in an imperfect world, teamwork becomes more than collaboration - it becomes survival and growth.

In an environment where death is no stranger, John Nolan and the other officers of the LAPD rely on more than their guns and backup pieces to survive. One motif that becomes apparent as the series progresses is the power humour can have. When Nolan is caught in a bank robbery gone wrong, he drops a story on the bank robbers and hostages. With the cold barrel of a gun in his face, Nolan recounts the time when he was arrested for breaking into his own car to retrieve his car keys in front of his confused son. This acted as a pump for him and the hostages, buying enough time for the police to approach. A fellow training officer of John Nolan, Tim Bradford, relies on humour to teach his rookies, such as Nolan, important lessons at the most unexpected place and time.

While The Rookie, being a police procedural show, is primarily focussed on action and police operations, I also admire the show for its verbal love letter exchanges. Throughout the series, John Nolan and others attempt to talk to their love interests, searching for their words and courage while under fire, such as when Nolan talked to Bailey Nune, a firefighter and a long-time friend, about his feelings for her. He tells her that he had started to love her as soon as they first worked together, and loved her quick thinking, wittiness, and dedication to service. Even if you don’t study sonnets of love by Shakespeare, watching The Rookie will help maintain or start a healthy relationship!

The Rookie is more than a simple procedural series. John Nolan overcame his age barriers to follow his dreams of becoming a police officer. Through mentorship and teamwork, he built trust. Nolan and his other officers recognise the importance of humour in such work environments, while their exchanges of love help balance the action.

In the series, everything is framed into one picture; the show is a microcosm of us.