BeforeNathan Fillionbecame the most notable “rookie” on television, there was a different ABC cop show that revolved around new recruits trying to make it in law enforcement.Rookie Blue,which aired from 2010 to 2015, featured a few familiar faces, includingMissy Peregrym(of currentFBIfame) andGregory Smith(who had wrapped up his run asEphram Brown on The WB’sEverwooda few years prior). These upstarts were fresh out of the police academy and were aiming to survive their stressful jobs as rookie officers at the 15th Division Station in Toronto. Similarly toThe Rookie(which premiered in 2018 andis now in its sixth seasononABC),Rookie Blueshowcases harrowing police matters on the streets, lots of workplace romances, and the rookies' quests to shed their naivety and inexperience to become top-notch officers.
Peregrym leads the ensemblecast as Andy McNally, a recruit who was trying to crawl out from under the shadow of her homicide detective father. As a compassionate, yet brave protagonist, Andy often leads her fellow rookies to arrest the bad guys and solve crimes (all without losing her moral compass). Her sidekick is Dov Epstein (Smith), who keeps making mistakes, but always has a heart of gold. One of the standouts of the cast is a character who often has the best lines:Charlotte Sullivanas Gail Peck, a smart-talking cop, who often hides her vulnerabilities behind her tough exterior. Two of the other main rookies include Traci Nash (Enuka Okuma) and Chris Diaz (Travis Milne); their bonds are tight right from the first episode and only continue to grow as the series progresses. WhileThe Rookieincludes many characterswho are already established officers and detectives,Rookie Bluemaintains an air of youth and innocenceas the core group of rookies tries to pass the test of becoming effective and successful cops.
Rookie Blue
‘Rookie Blue’ Focuses on Friendships and Police Work
The series begins with the five main rookies starting off at the 15th Division; they’ve graduated from thepolice academyand are ready to hit the streets. Very quickly, they come to realize that real police work is a lot different from just learning from a textbook or practicing drills in a classroom. There are nuances to interviewing witnesses, complicated politics within the department, and lots of ways to mess it all up. As the recruits experience what life is like as a working cop, they come to rely on their friendships with each other even more. Over 74 episodes,the relationships between these characters grow and change(withsome romancesthrown in there), but they always remain raw and real.
AlthoughRookie Blueis able to retain its heart with a focus on interpersonal relationships,it also includes action-packed sequences(similar toThe Rookie’s ability to ramp up the dramawith shoot-outs and chase scenes). Whether the characters are going undercover in a sting operation or uncovering nefarious drug networks, each episode is thrilling and has plenty of twists and turns. Despite the high-octane fight sequences,Rookie Bluealso covers serious issues, such as addiction, family secrets, and thelong-lasting effects of trauma. The show is written with a great balance between the quiet moments between friends and the action and danger of what they face on the job.
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‘Rookie Blue’ Takes Place in a Different World Than Today’s
Manypolice proceduralshave commonalities.The RookieandRookie Blueboth feature tough, yet nurturing cops as mentors for the recruits and love affairs between superiors and rookies. But in many ways,Rookie Blueexisted in a much simpler time. Theuse of technologyto solve crimes wasn’t as prevalent when the series aired, so there was more of a concentration on solving crimes using key witnesses, interrogation techniques, or undercover work. CCTV cameras are pretty much everywhere these days, but whenRookie Blueaired, the cops didn’t rely on them as much. Likewise, social media was around back in 2010, but there wasn’t as much of a focus on it as there is today.The Rookiefrequently usessocial mediato solve crimes (even referring to a fictional app called ClipTalk that they use in many episodes to figure out clues), but it’s not really a big focus onRookie Blue.
WhenRookie Blueaired, there was also a much different climate in terms of politics and social justice. In the past several years, more media attention has been paid to cases of police brutality, and this has affected the writing onmany current cop shows. These procedurals have covered racial profiling, beatings by police, and corruption in the law enforcement field. Although some of these issues were touched upon duringRookie Blue’s run (one detective is arrested for blowing up an evidence locker to hide his shadiness in Season 6), there was a different tone to the series overall,emphasizing a time when society was a little more united than it is today. Thesebadass characterswere definitely put through the wringer, but the challenges they faced were typically coming from the criminals they were trying to take down, not from social issues.
There is a lot less humor inRookie Bluecompared toThe Rookie(which often delights inputting its characters in silly situations). Although it’s not as gritty as some other cop shows tend to be,RookieBluestill focuses on the many tribulations that come with being a police officer. Plus, by zeroing in on its core group of characters, the series was able to avoid being sidetracked by plots that didn’t feel important to the viewers. The audience found themselves rooting continuously for these characters to succeed and to stay close friends while making it in their field.
By the end of theunderrated series, which wrapped up with a satisfying Season 6, the rookies had turned into full-fledged officers who could take on any case (without the help of their more senior colleagues). Even thoughRookie Bluedoes feel like it’s from a different era, the show still resonates with current viewers.Its dedication to depicting a core group of friends trying to thrive as cops makes it a lot likeThe Rookie. Characters who go up against great odds to pursue a career in public service (even if that includes finding themselves in dangerous, complex situations) will always be ahigh-quality television experience, andRookie Blueis no exception.
