After 7 seasons, the police procedural starring Nathan Fillion as Officer John Nolan, The Rookie, will return for Season 8 on ABC. While the series’ premise originally began with Nolan as the titular rookie, a clever decision about his career allowed the show’s title to make sense, no matter how many seasons the show runs. Originally, John Nolan wanted to be a detective, but forgoing that typical career advancement in the Los Angeles Police Department avoided a big mistake that would have ruined the show. The police procedural series continued the collaboration between Fillion and series creator Alexi Hawley that began with Castle, the other hit murder procedural on ABC. The latest renewal for The Rookie ties its longevity with its predecessor.
John Nolan Was Originally the LAPD’s Oldest Rookie and Then His Career Took a Turn
Being Framed by a Corrupt Officer Led to a Black Mark On His Record
In the first season of The Rookie, there were plenty of things that could have doomed it, like Nolan and Lucy Chen’s romance. Though, in that case, the producers seemed to realize this quickly and put an end to the romance. Less quickly undone was the desire held by Nolan, and his compatriots, to advance beyond patrol officer rank and become detectives. In fact, Melissa O’Neil’s Chen also tried to make this leap, though she failed the detective exam. In Season 7, she was instead promoted to sergeant, which helped clear the way for the fan-favorite romance between her and Eric Winter’s Tim Bradford.
One of the many Arrowverse connections on The Rookie, Harold Perrineau, played the corrupt cop, Nick Armstrong. Before the revelation that he was in the pocket of organized crime, he was an ally and mentor to Nolan. What made this story so bittersweet was that Nolan had few allies when he signed up. His status as the oldest LAPD rookie turned the training officers, the shift commander, and most others against him. Of course, as the hero of The Rookie, Nolan earned their trust and respect.
How John Nolan Got Back on Track to Becoming a Training Officer
Instead of Becoming a Detective He Used a ‘Golden Ticket’ to ‘Give Back’
Despite his lack of career prospects, Nolan stayed on the force after graduating. By surviving an “old-fashioned” shootout in The Rookie Season 4 finale, he earned a commendation from the chief of police. Specifically, he earned a “golden ticket” (an invention of the show), earning him assignments in the LAPD regardless of his past. In fact, his training officer, Mekia Cox’s Nyla Harper, also earned one of these benefits for her time undercover. His coworkers all had their own ideas for what he should choose, from computer forensics to air assault to some of the cushier gigs on the Force.
By the end of the Season 5 premiere, Nolan used his golden ticket to become a training officer. He met his trainee, (another Arrowverse alum) Lisseth Chavez’s Celina Juarez, and the show’s title had a double meaning. Juarez was the actual rookie, but Nolan was also a rookie as a trainer. However, Season 5 brought larger changes in the show’s storytelling. With both Harper and Alyssa Diaz’s Angela Lopez promoted to detective, the show could do more traditional cases of the week. This led to Nolan’s character falling into the background.
At first, this wasn’t even a bad call, despite Fillion’s lead status and draw as an ABC network TV star for the better part of a decade. The focus on the other characters in the cast allowed the ensemble on The Rookie to shine and take ownership of their parts of the series. If Nolan had instead become a detective, what made this series unique would have evaporated. Viewers might have stuck around to watch Nolan be like every other TV police detective, even as the show’s title stopped making sense.
Why Nolan’s Choice to Become a Training Officer Was Right for the Show
Not Just a Good Character Decision, It Helps the Title ‘The Rookie’ Make Sense
After a shortened season, Season 7 returned The Rookie to form. It introduced two new training officers, and the storytelling shifted to the kind of multi-arc narratives of the past. The show can still go all-in on a concept, from a romantic police officers’ ball gala to a Big Citywide Threat™. However, the primary focus of most episodes are street-level stories focused on the characters themselves, specifically training the new officers on how to be good cops. That’s what allows The Rookie to be unique among its peers and highlights serious issues in policing audiences won’t even see coming.
Like any show with this kind of history, some seasons of The Rookie are better than others overall. However, the show really has evolved into something beyond its original premise when John Nolan officially became a training officer. His perspective as a rookie no one rooted for makes him a great teacher. It also allows the focus of the series to stay where it belongs, on street-level adventures that can teach his “boots” and the audience what makes a good cop.
