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The Rookie

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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64

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 42 Ratings

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7.0

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7.0	Your Score
7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 42 Ratings

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The Rookie

Now Playing: The Rookie

The Rookie

Series Details & Credits

ABC | Release Date: October 16, 2018

Summary: 40-year-old John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) decides to move from his hometown to Los Angeles to pursue his dream to join the LAPD in this crime drama from Alexi Hawley.

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Action & Adventure

Recent Episodes

No episode information is currently available for this season

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

64

Positive:

6

Mixed:

6

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

100

Colorado Springs Gazette

Terry Terrones

Oct 9, 2018

Season 1 Review: [Fillion's] character fits him like a well-worn suit. ... Full of action, interesting characters, and a little bit of romance, The Rookie is a sure-fire hit. Read full review

83

Entertainment Weekly

Darren Franich

Oct 15, 2018

Season 1 Review: This feels like an ensemble with real potential. [19/26 Oct 2018, p.85]

75

Reason.com

Glenn Garvin

Oct 12, 2018

Season 1 Review: What really makes The Rookie interesting is watching Fillion maneuver among all these sharp elbows while balancing the shortage of adrenaline with the bonus supply of experience that both come with middle age. He does it all with the same let's-have-a-beer amiability he's displayed in shows as diverse as Firefly and Castle. He'll make you forget Kate Jackson is missing. Read full review

60

Los Angeles Times

Chris Barton

Oct 16, 2018

Season 1 Review: Fillion’s strengths are key, because despite the show’s best efforts to drape multiple dramatic storylines around him in the one episode ABC made available to review, there’s just not a lot that stands out otherwise. ... It’s a breezy drama that doesn’t demand much from the viewer, but Fillion’s easy charm is tough to dismiss. Read full review

58

IndieWire Ben Travers

Oct 16, 2018

Season 1 Review: There’s enough parity in the group to keep viewers engaged, be it from their slew of emergencies (like a crazy man screaming about unicorns on top of his car) or testy inter-personal dynamics. Even after the ridiculous opening scene, Fillion manages to fill Nolan with enough foolish sincerity to be a believable human being. Read full review

55

CNN

Brian Lowry

Oct 16, 2018

Season 1 Review: Fillion is vulnerable and appealing, and he has welcome help from Richard T. Jones as his tough-as-nails boss. But The Rookie seems destined to test the limits of that charm, in a show where the shaky imagery can't obscure that we've seen every beat here before. Read full review

50

New York Post

Michael Starr

Oct 12, 2018

Season 1 Review: Fillion fans will be happy to see their hero back on the tube; for everyone else, The Rookie has a “been there, done that” feel. Read full review

SEE ALL 12 REVIEWS

Write a Review

7.0

User Reviews

10

StephenR77

May 2, 2021

This show is great to me and I have watched every episode since the first season. I will watch this show every week till they stop the running of this series. I really hope this series has more years to come.

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

9

shoulderoforion

Oct 20, 2019

I need to confess my love for this show. Metacritic doesn't even think enough of it to give the seasons their own ratings/review page, lol. This is such a silly show, the speed at which "cases" and incidents that appear each week are wrapped up is supersonic, with what are supposedlyI need to confess my love for this show. Metacritic doesn't even think enough of it to give the seasons their own ratings/review page, lol. This is such a silly show, the speed at which "cases" and incidents that appear each week are wrapped up is supersonic, with what are supposedly lifelong hardened criminals simply admitting to things outright, or finalizing 2 minute shootouts. It's very silly, but it's also really very sweet. Tuned in at first for Nate, because he's the man, but the rest of the cast preform admirably, and it's one of my favorite shows of the week. It's trite by any estimation, but it's fun, funny, and like a Sunday night hug.… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

8

TellGoodStories

Nov 21, 2021

Amending my review, in general it is a great show. Lots of heart. I watch it to decompress after a stressful day. Please extend for Season 5. However, season 3 is so heavy-handed with the social messaging - there should be drinking game devoted to it. It's so obvious that it is jarring. IAmending my review, in general it is a great show. Lots of heart. I watch it to decompress after a stressful day. Please extend for Season 5. However, season 3 is so heavy-handed with the social messaging - there should be drinking game devoted to it. It's so obvious that it is jarring. I can support the issues - but it is so over-the-top and most of it is presented without any nuance.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

5

Nikolay888

Jul 8, 2023

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Oh well, let's break it down, the show The Rookie, a good cast reveals, albeit a bit from a propaganda point of view, the work of the police. (Yes, yes, the police always get the criminal in the shoulder, or hand.) And so, not a bad series, tells us about forty year old John, who abruptly decides to change his life and join the police at a very advanced age. John has to face the law enforcement system and maintain his established principles. Season 1 and 2, shows the main characters' becoming a police officer, the daily challenges and some moral choices. But from season 3 you and I start to be fed **** yes, yes, you heard right, amidst the general social hype we start to be fed such an agenda that you want to vomit, after every episode. - To give up on the white doctor, because: "would you give birth to him?" - The cop is a racist - well, that's a classic.
- The dialogue and the actions of the characters. God the whole third season is just a load of crap, we'll see what happens in season 4, so for the first two seasons 8/10, for the third season - the producers and creators owe me a return for my time… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

4

BobSub

Jan 14, 2021

I really like Nathan Fillion. The first 2 seasons were great, but the third season with the BLM and other... perhaps further watching this is not for me.

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

4

Deralac

Oct 10, 2022

Season one was really good. Seasons two and three were decent, with a few exceptional episodes. Season four was horrible. Many episodes were gimmicks, the story telling watered down and they started inserting political propaganda. For these reasons I stopped watching the show during seasonSeason one was really good. Seasons two and three were decent, with a few exceptional episodes. Season four was horrible. Many episodes were gimmicks, the story telling watered down and they started inserting political propaganda. For these reasons I stopped watching the show during season four. When season five started I decided to give the show another try and I was glad to see they had shifted back to storytelling.
Lowered rating because they started the goofy as camera crap again.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

0

Wang_Liquin

Mar 8, 2021

This was a fairly decent and entertaining show until season 3. They went full woke and not even subtle or tactful. Every episode is a non stop lecture about how whites are all bad and evil - and blacks are never, ever, ever, responsible for their actions because YT doesn't like them.

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

SEE ALL 17 REVIEWS

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Seasons & Episodes

64

Series Overview
Season 8

tbd
- Season 8 Overview
  Air Date: January 6, 2026
- No episode information is currently available for this season
Season 7

tbd
- Season 7 Overview
  Air Date: January 7, 2025
Season 6

tbd
- Season 6 Overview
  Air Date: February 20, 2024
Season 5

tbd
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: September 25, 2022
Season 4

tbd
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: September 26, 2021
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: January 3, 2021
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: September 29, 2019
Season 1

64
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: October 16, 2018