When The Rookie first debuted in 2018, Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan was the titular training officer in the LAPD. However, he wasn’t the only “boot” on the show. Characters played by Melissa O’Neil and Titus Makin Jr. rounded out the cast. While Lucy Chen remains a fixture on the series, the unceremonious killing of Officer Jackson West is The Rookie‘s biggest mistake, and the show hasn’t fully recovered from it.
When the series began, Nolan was the oldest rookie in the department’s history, while Lucy and Jackson were more age-appropriate recruits. They were also his closest confidantes. Jackson eventually moved in with Lucy, and the two developed one of the series’ best friendships. The loss of the character was devastating to fans, both for the way it happened and how quickly the characters moved on. Jackson West deserved better, and The Rookie lost something in his absence that the show hasn’t gotten back.
Why Officer Jackson West Was Important to The Rookie
One of the Show’s Initial Three Trainees, He Was a Vital Character
Nolan, Chen and West were all gung-ho rookies, eager to become police officers. Nolan’s journey took center stage, especially at the beginning. In the first season, Nolan and Chen were a couple, but producers seemed to quickly realize that was a bad fit. Still, that tension meant that Jackson was the glue that held the trio together as the friend either could turn to. He was also, arguably, the most compelling rookie. Unlike Nolan and Chen, he was headed for the police department from childhood because of his father, Percy West.
“My father raised me to push myself to the edge of my abilities. He’d be deeply disappointed if I failed to do so now that I’ve joined him in service…. Commander West of Internal Affairs.” — Jackson West to Tim Bradford in The Rookie pilot episode.
As a “legacy” officer, West already would’ve had a more difficult road than his friends. Yet, his father was also the head of Internal Affairs, which raised the already high standard expected of him. Over three seasons, West’s commitment to being a police officer evolved from something he did for his father to something he did for himself. He also developed a friendship with Alyssa Diaz’s Angela Lopez, his training officer. Among the central trios, they were the closest.
While there are many series on TV with LGBTQIA+ representation, The Rookie falls short in that regard. Jackson West was the only prominent gay character in the series, and since the character was killed off, that’s a void that hasn’t been filled. Romance is baked into The Rookie, and the series didn’t create drama around West’s sexuality that was different from the straight characters. One romance did create problems for the character unrelated to being gay, but rather because his partner was a celebrity.
The Death of Jackson West Was a Major Character Disservice
Actor Titus Makin Jr. Didn’t Want to Return, but Producers Could’ve Been More Creative
The Rookie established itself as a show unafraid to kill characters, starting with Merecedes Mason’s Captain Zoe Andersen. Yet, that death was planned to have the maximum narrative impact. In between Seasons 3 and 4, Titus Makin Jr. decided he didn’t want to come back to the show. He almost left after Season 2, but stayed on because producers gave West a storyline that addressed racism in policing. West was the perfect character for this, largely because of his father’s connection to Internal Affairs.
Alexi Hawley said Makin’s desire not to return hamstrung the writers’ options in how to resolve the Season 3 cliffhanger ending.
The death of Jackson West was strange, effectively taking place off-screen. A stand-in actor played the character, which meant viewers didn’t get to see his face. Season 3 ended with Lopez and West missing, captured by a drug lord who had an obsession with the pregnant officer. West was seen on surveillance video footage struggling as his kidnapper tried to put him in the trunk of a car, and ended up being shot in the back. West isn’t even the focus of the scene where the officers gather to get his killer, because Nolan is promoted. By the end of the Season 4 premiere, Lopez was rescued, West’s killer was arrested, and the show skipped ahead three months.
Neither Nolan nor Chen had any significant narrative space to mourn their friend and Nolan was beginning his relationship with Bailey Nune. The time-jump allowed Tamara Collins to move in with Lucy, taking Jackson’s old room. The whole thing felt rushed, and the character deserved better. Whether the writers really had no other choice than killing off the character or not, they failed the characters and the fans by brushing past the immediate aftermath of his loss. The Rookie also lost something arguably even more important.
The Loss of Officer West Hurt The Rookie as a TV Show
The Rookie Lost Its Best Advocate Against Police Overreach in the Community
Titus Makin Jr. wanted to leave the show earlier because of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 which centered on racial inequities in the criminal justice system. His Season 3 story was arguably the best serial arc in The Rookie. Since Lopez won a promotion, Brandon Routh stepped in as Doug Stanton, his new T.O. He was an aggressive, racist cop who actually stood by and watched as West was beaten by criminal suspects. He was only caught because West turned on his body camera. Earlier, it was revealed they were always recording and switching it on caused it to preserve the previous five minutes of footage.
Jackson West brought LGBTQIA representation to The Rookie.
As the son of an internal affairs officer, his character was keenly aware of the rules cops needed to follow.
West’s character provided rare positive representation for those who suffer mental injuries and recover from them.
The story arc was powerful, both because West was raised by an Internal Affairs officer and, of course, because he is Black. The Rookie leaned even further into examining institutional problems in criminal justice. Nolan took college classes for career advancement, including an ethics course. Arjay Smith also joined the cast as James Murray, a community activist and, eventually, husband to Mekia Cox’s Nyla Harper. From the beginning, Shawn Ashmore’s Wesley Evers spoke for the accused as a defense attorney, then he suddenly became a prosecutor.
Season 3 was less about busting perps and getting into gunfights, and more about how the officers could protect and serve the people who needed it most. A major thing The Rookie got wrong in Season 4 was abandoning this storyline almost altogether. James stuck around, but his scenes were all about his and Harper’s relationship, including a de facto shotgun wedding. Jackson West was the heart of the series. In losing him, The Rookie lost its conscience. Any examination of injustice inside the LAPD was reduced to brief mentions in a handful of episodes.
The Rookie Came Close to Repeating Its Mistake With Aaron Thorsen
Tru Valentino’s Character Was Written Off but Is Still Alive in the Show
The biggest problem, of course, is more personal to the characters. Jackson’s death left a hole that forced the entire show to change. New characters, like Lisseth Chavez’s Celina Juarez and Aaron Thorsen didn’t fill it. They became the rookies, while Nolan became a training officer and Lucy started going undercover. The Rookie abandoned its premise in Season 5, no longer focusing on street-level policing stories. Instead, it became more like other procedurals with frequent over-the-top action sequences.
Without Jackson, Chen and Nolan together, The Rookie lost a crucial simplicity. After six full seasons, it makes sense the surviving rookies would ingratiate themselves with their former training officers. Lucy even began to date hers. While the offices of the Mid-Wilshire Division are still a team, West anchored all these friendships in a way that no other character has been able to. Perhaps this is why Aaron Thorsen left The Rookie in Season 7. He was a great character, but the dynamic simply wasn’t the same.
Thankfully, the Season 7 premiere episode, “The Shot,” revealed that Thorsen’s off-screen exit was less fatal than West’s. For reasons vaguely related to Season 6’s revelation that a police psychologist was blackmailing her patients, Thorsen transferred to a new precinct. He’s still alive in the world and still a cop. It also means fans are likely to see him return for a guest spot. If only the producers had done the same thing for Jackson West, The Rookie might not feel like a show that lost something vital it has failed to reclaim.
