ABC’s The Rookie is winning with audiences. Seven seasons in, the show remains a ratings hit and continues to soar on the streaming charts, a testament to its enduring success. And while the series is great, the most recent season suffered from a critical flaw that shows the series has strayed too far from its roots. A police procedural without actual policing? The seventh season of The Rookie suffers from an identity crisis that needs to be fixed.
When The Rookie began, it was the perfect mix of personal drama and policing. Nathan Fillion’s introduction as the LAPD’s oldest rookie was a careful balancing act of character discovery and intense action combined with day-to-day police work. It was thrilling, entertaining, and heartfelt. While the series remains a measure of that to a certain degree, its shift from police procedural to over-the-top character drama has been an unfortunate turn.
‘The Rookie’ Is a Series Caught up in Its Own Drama
While The Rookie has taken on some interesting situations over the years, it appears that, lately, nothing compares to the hype of its own drama. Whole story arcs are crafted around the personal lives of the characters and are explored and pushed to the forefront over several episodes. While this may seem like a winning prospect, giving viewers more of what they love, this approach has decidedly left the actual ‘procedural’ aspect of this police procedural to be neglected. Without the typical, grounded police work, The Rookie no longer has the grip it once had
