When it comes to police procedurals, The Rookie tries to have its heart in the right place. While the police officer characters are the heroes, the show often tries to present a balanced view of criminality. In Season 5, The Rookie changed its premise in a number of ways. Primarily, John Nolan was no longer a rookie but, rather, a training officer. This season also marked Wesley Evers’ transition from defense attorney to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office.
Wesley was just the prosecutor there to get them warrants and charge the criminals. What made this tragic was that he was originally a person who reminded the characters (and, thereby, the audience) that suspects are innocent until proven guilty. He also routinely stood as a champion of mercy, second chances and the idea that police don’t always get it right. While some elements of that portrayal remain, unfortunately, by becoming a prosecutor, it ruined Wesley Evers as a character and the series as a whole. It robbed The Rookie of one of the elements that made it stand apart from its peers.
Why Wesley Evers Was the Most Inspired Character on The Rookie
In the First Three Seasons, He Was the Voice for the People, Not the Police
Wesley first appeared in Season 1 in a bit part, defending Tim Bradford’s ex-wife Isabel from a drug charge. He returned a few episodes later, arguing with Angela about civil rights for a suspect that stole his briefcase. He told her that he “loved defending the little guy,” and his role in the series served to showcase that even clearly guilty suspects deserved to have their rights respected. Unlike the Internal Affairs officers or other public advocates, Wesley wasn’t painted as an antagonist, but rather a principled officer of the court who cared about the law and people in equal measure.
It’s true that Wesley was mainly in The Rookie for the “Wopez” ship, and his romance with Lopez was a fun “opposites attract” story. However, the importance of his role as a defender of the accused can’t be overstated. As the real-life concerns about policing bias and overreach came to the forefront, Wesley helped The Rookie stand apart as a series with heart. Along with its street-level focus, he helped shape the series as one that highlighted the “serve” part of “protect and serve.” He wasn’t just a foil for Angela, but rather another of the show’s heroes. He just wore a different uniform.
When Brandon Routh joined the show as Doug Stanton, his story truly highlighted the problem with “bad” cops. Yet, Wesley’s story in Season 3 was the other side of that coin. With James Murray, a community activist and love interest for Nyla Harper, The Rookie became less about arresting people and more about helping the community. The tenor of the show changed significantly for the better, at least, until after the Season 3 finale, when a drug cartel crime lord kidnapped Angela.
Wesley Becoming a Prosecutor Doesn’t Really Make Sense
The Rookie Tried to Fit the Move Into His Character
The Season 5 premiere is notorious for killing off Jackson West, but it was also the beginning of the end for Wesley. He crossed ethical lines to try to save Angela, and it led him to a rival kingpin. Wesley offered his help as a defense attorney in order to get to his kidnapped wife. Eventually, Wesley served as a cooperating witness to arrest Elijah, which meant breaking attorney-client privilege. He was suspended by the state bar, despite being under duress. The show played this as a permanent stain on his record, effectively ruining his career.
During the time he was suspended, Wesley helped James at the community center, educating people about their rights. When his law license was restored, he struggled to get clients because he turned on Elijah. The few cases he did defend ended poorly, largely because of prosecutorial overreach. Fighting this was stated as his primary reason to stop being a defense attorney and become a prosecutor. Unfortunately, that’s not really what happened. In most cases, Wesley is either a facilitator for the police story or an afterthought, robbing the show of a crucial element.
“I love advocating for people caught in the system, but I lose more battles than I win… If there is even a ten percent chance that I can change the system from within, I have to do it.” — Wesley to Angela in Season 4, Episode 21, “Mother’s Day.”
Setting aside how unlikely a censured defense attorney becoming a prosecutor might be, the battle between Wesley and Elijah in Season 5 further undercut his story. Elijah’s new attorney did essentially the same thing as Wesley for the same reasons. She turned on her client, broke privilege, leading to Elijah’s arrest and faced no legal repercussions. Similarly, Wesley’s influence as a prosecutor is limited, at best. When the issue of prosecutorial overreach is broached in The Rookie, Wesley is still as powerless as he was outside the system.
This Story Choice Robbed The Rookie of Its Biggest Advocate for the Accused
Instead of Changing the System From Inside It, Wesley Is Just Part of It
In Season 7, Episode 4, Wesley’s story was focused on his regret for defending a man who turned out to be a serial killer. Instead of being an advocate for the rights of the accused (even those who are guilty), Wesley blamed himself for the deaths his former client caused. His other main role this season was prosecuting corrupt cops, but that also went nowhere. The only development from that story was an uninspired arc about his jealousy towards a colleague of Angela’s who had a crush on her. The Rookie introduced Wesley as a fierce, brilliant attorney and turned him into window dressing.
The only cops who cared about the accused were Jackson West and Aaron Thorsen
The next defense attorney character was Monica Stevens, an actual criminal
There have been moments where the old Wesley shows up, like in Season 5’s “Labor Day,” in which he actually prosecuted dirty cops. However, these stories are few and far between. With Wesley serving as a prosecutor, there just isn’t a character in The Rookie left who offers the people’s perspective. Instead, it’s up to the police characters to remember that their suspects aren’t all “scumbags.” When the show especially delves into its more action-oriented storytelling, the series loses something profound. The cops are once again infallible heroes. If they have sympathy for a suspect, it has little bearing on their fate.
The Rookie has a large cast and the characters are typically shown to be truly compassionate people. However, Wesley Evers was a vocal reminder to the audience that, even at its best, the system can fail the people. As a prosecutor, he is just another cog in that system, and he’s failed in his mission to bring about meaningful change, thus far. Perhaps future episodes will reinvigorate this aspect of the character, but until it does, The Rookie is not as special as it used to be. Instead, it risks falling into the trap of being just another procedural that paints the police as “soldiers” fighting in a “war” against the very people they are supposed to serve and protect.
