Despite being on the air for almost seven years, The Rookie has failed to produce anything that can live up to its best episode, which debuted in season 1. The ABC police procedural series certainly has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years. When The Rookie is good, it’s really good, as proven by its greatest hour.
When The Rookie premiered, Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan was a mere rookie, alongside his friends from the police academy, Lucy Chen and Jackson West. The TV show focused on them and their relationships with their training officers and superiors. When it was like this, The Rookie was in its prime. Nothing could prove that better than season 1, episode 16.
The Rookie Season 1’s “Greenlight” Is The Show’s Best Episode
It’s The Show’s Highest-Rated Episode On IMDb
The Rookie released its best episode only 16 episodes in, an impressive feat for any series. Season 1, episode 16, “Greenlight,” is The Rookie’s magnum opus, and nothing will likely ever beat it. At the hour’s beginning, Nolan arrested a woman and accidentally embarrassed her when her dress’s shoulder strap broke. Unfortunately, for Nolan, her boyfriend was in a gang, the Southern Front.
As a result, the violent white supremacist gang put a hit on Nolan. Captain Zoe Andersen then decided to ride with Fillion’s character (who refused to hide away at home) to help him deal with this treacherous problem. That’s when things took a turn for the worse.
The woman’s boyfriend, Cole, and his friends staged a home burglary to capture Nolan, who answered the call alongside Andersen. The gang members got the jump on the two police officers and tied them to chairs on the edge of a pool. One of the men pushed Andersen in, and she managed to break free of her restraints.
Andersen emerged from the water and shot several gang members before Cole fired back with his gun, hitting her in the neck. Nolan tried to save Andersen, but she lost too much blood and died. The Mid-Wilshire squad later tracked down Cole and arrested him (even though Nolan wanted to kill him).
“Greenlight” was intense from beginning to end. Fans were on the edge of their seats, waiting to see if the Southern Front would capture Nolan, never suspecting that Andersen would be the one to pay the price for Nolan’s slip-up (which wasn’t his fault). However, the Rookie episode maintained the show’s trademark humor, specifically when Lucy and Tim pulled over Mario Lopez.
“Greenlight” Made A Big Statement By Killing Off Andersen
The Rookie Lost Its First Major Character In The Episode
Perhaps The Rookie season 1, episode 16 wouldn’t hold the same weight if Captain Andersen didn’t die. Her death was heartbreaking, of course, but it also made a significant statement. The ABC cop TV show demonstrated how it wasn’t afraid to make big moves to shock its audience, like killing off main characters (or bringing Mario Lopez in as a guest star).
As such, “Greenlight” quickly rose to the top of The Rookie’s episode ratings, and nothing has yet to surpass it. The hour was so impactful that it changed the course of the series. Almost every character, especially Nolan, was completely changed by Captain Andersen’s death.
From that day on, Nolan knew that he had to be the best cop that he could be because Captain Andersen believed in him. After her death, Sergeant Grey told Nolan that she had specifically requested Nolan for their precinct. Although he was torn up over her passing, Nolan decided to use the tragedy to motivate himself while advancing in his LAPD career.
The Rookie Will Likely Never Release Anything Better Than “Greenlight”
Nothing Will Be The ABC Show’s First Couple Of Seasons
Nathan Fillion as John Nolan in The Rookie season 1, episode 16
While we certainly wouldn’t want The Rookie to get in the habit of offing its main characters, the police procedural series has lost its boldness in recent seasons. If someone watched an episode of The Rookie season 7 after “Greenlight,” they would be flabbergasted. It has become a completely different show, and it’s hard to imagine a future episode ever topping “Greenlight.”
The only episode of ABC’s cop TV show The Rookie that truly comes close to matching “Greenlight’s” quality is “Day of Death.” The hour served as season 2’s midseason premiere, picking up where the finale left off, with Lucy getting kidnapped by Rosalind Dyer’s protégé. Similar to “Greenlight,” “Day of Death” was an episode that caught the audience’s complete attention.
No one could look away, wondering if Tim and the other Rookie characters would find Lucy before it was too late. “Day of Death” was simply a powerful episode, but it still can’t beat season 1, episode 16. Only time will tell if The Rookie finds a way to produce something better than “Greenlight,” but fans shouldn’t hold their breath, waiting for that day.
The Rookie season 8 is set to premiere sometime in early 2026 (likely in January, based on season 7’s release date). It will contain 18 episodes.
