Ahead of its season 8 return, the origin story behind The Rookie’s Officer Quigley Smitty (Brent Huff) has finally been revealed. ScreenRant’s very own Rachel Foertsch was in attendance during the most recent San Diego Comic-Con when the behind-the-scenes revelation sounded just as hilarious and off-the-wall as the eccentric character from the popular ABC cop drama: Smitty.
The Rookie showrunner, Alex Hawley, explained that he would love to find out more about who Smitty is and explore where he came from, and seemed to be surprised by Smitty’s popularity. Although not much is known about him, Smitty has dropped personal information at random times during the past seven seasons, and actor Brett Huff turned out to be just as delightfully endearing as Smitty.
Smitty Actor Brent Huff’s Role In The Rookie Wasn’t Supposed To Be So Big
During the panel at SDCC, The Rookie’s Alexi Hawley and actor Nathan Fillion, who plays Officer John Nolan, fielded questions from the audience. A fan asked if viewers were going to get an episode focusing on Smitty and his history as a cop. Hawley revealed Smitty wasn’t initially meant to play such a big role on the cop show.
Huff only appeared one time as Smitty during the first season of the hit police procedural. During the fourteenth episode, entitled “Plain Clothes Day,” Smitty started out as a grumpy cop with a surly attitude. The seasoned officer didn’t like taking orders from rookies, especially from John, who happened to be the oldest one in the LAPD at the time.
As a recurring character in the sophomore season and beyond, Smitty moved away from being grumpy and gradually became the comic relief. Among his antics, he managed to avoid the extra workload by claiming to be allergic to paper. Audiences love how happy Smitty is with his current ranking and has no ambition to move up in the police force.
Smitty Growing On The Rookie Audience In Real Life Is So Comically Fitting
Smitty’s laid-back attitude and sarcastic comments quickly grew on viewers, who made him their favorite character. But it would be too easy for The Rookie writers to dismiss Smitty as a joke. Although his colleagues, including Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) and Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez), see him as an oaf, they know to count on Smitty from time to time.
During the fourth season, Smitty surprised Lieutenant Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones) after he spotted the ticking time bomb in the city. Grey apologized for all the bad things he said about him. Smitty seemed heartbroken knowing his lieutenant made negative comments about him. The Rookie writers kept Smitty’s witty humor while adding depth to his character over the years.
During the seventh season, audiences had grown to worry about Smitty after they saw him in grave danger. In the tenth installment, titled “Chaos Agent,” Smitty ended up getting beaten to a pulp by an escaped inmate. Smitty, who was all bloodied up, admitted his own screwup to Tim Bradford (Eric Winter). He became his snarky, usual self by the finale.
The Rookie will return to ABC for season 8 in January 2026.
Officer Quigley Smitty (Brent Huff) introduced himself as a grumpy cop in the first season of The Rookie. The writers on the show then decided to change the character’s personality and turned him into the comic relief, which worked out for the best. While Huff showed off his comedic chops, he displayed Smitty with heart and sensitivity over the years.
