‘The Rookie’ Can’t Make This Mistake Again With Its Latest Exit
Sadly, a veteran cast member of The Rookie will soon be leaving the show. Word has surfaced that actor Tru Valentino, who portrays Officer Aaron Thorsen, will not be back as a series regular for Season 7. The actor recently confirmed his exit on social media. Valentino’s exit is unfortunate because Thorsen became a mainstay member of the cast after joining the series in its fourth season as a new rookie officer at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mid-Wilshire Division. Valentino provided great energy and presence throughout his time as Officer Thorsen in the series. It’s not yet clear how Valentino’s exit will play out, but the writers mustn’t make the same mistake as Jackson West’s (Titus Makin Jr.) exit, earlier in Season 4. Although some understandable extenuating circumstances prompted the disappointing exit of Officer West, Valentino’s Officer Thorsen deserves a proper sendoff.
Jackson West Received an Unceremonious Offscreen Exit for ‘The Rookie’
Makin made his last appearance as Officer West in the Season 3 finale, “Threshold,” when he and Detective Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) were kidnapped by the drug kingpin, Sandra de la Cruz (Camille Guaty). The Season 4 premiere, “Life and Death,” revealed that one of de la Cruz’s thugs executed West during the kidnapping. However, Makin was not even there to film his death, and a stunt double was used for West’s last in-show appearance. Makin had been part of the regular cast since the beginning as one of the three rookie recruits at Mid-Wilshire, along with fellow rookies John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil). So, seeing one of the longtime cast members go out in such an unceremonious way was a devastating blow to the series.
The Rookie creator and showrunner, Alexi Hawley, has not offered a concrete reason explaining Jackson’s exit, but Hawley told TVLine that Jackson West’s exit was the result of knowing that Makin “was not coming back to the show.” Makin did inform Entertainment Weekly in 2022 that real-life events surrounding the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor made it difficult for him to play a police officer on television. Makin told EW at the time, “I woke up one morning, and I was watching the news, and I was like, ‘I can’t do this. I can’t go play a cop on a show and not talk about the fact that I’m a Black cop.’ My character hadn’t addressed any of that.” Nevertheless, even though Makin likely no longer wanted to be a part of the show, the writers still could have handled the character’s exit a bit more delicately. Jackson was a great character and came into his own as a police officer in the third season. To witness the character get killed off in such a brutal, offscreen fashion still stings years later, which makes it even more important that history not repeat itself when Thorsen leaves the show.
Aaron Thorsen Provided an Exceptionally Unique Perspective on the Series
Tru Valentino debuted as rookie officer Aaron Thorsen in Season 4’s second episode, “Five Minutes.” Essentially, Valentino came onto the show as Jackson West’s replacement, which is an unenviable position and could have worked out badly for the actor. To the writers’ credit, Thorsen was given a unique and interesting backstory. He is the son of rich parents who became a popular social media influencer. While studying overseas in France, he was wrongfully arrested for the murder of one of his close friends, Patrick. Eventually, Thorsen was acquitted of the crime, but the media circus around the murder was personally devastating, and the court of public opinion still believed that Thorsen was guilty. This drove Thorsen’s decision to join the police academy. Knowing what it’s like to be wrongfully accused of murder gave Thorsen a unique perspective on his police work, as he displayed more compassion and insight into both potential suspects and persons of interest.
In Seasons 5 and 6, Thorsen began routinely shadowing Detectives Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) and Lopez on their cases. Thorsen showed a clear interest in becoming a detective as well, intending to use his mindset as a victim wrongfully accused of murder for a potential future in homicide investigations. In the fifth season finale, “Under Siege,” it looked like the worst might happen when Thorsen was shot and hospitalized by the conspirators organizing a heist on the Federal Reserve. The season ended with Thorsen in a medically induced coma and his fate up in the air. Thankfully, he made it through, recovering from his wounds and returning to duty in Season 6. With all that in mind, it feels strange that the character is now being written out of the show. The series had the perfect out for him at the end of Season 5, only for Thorsen to survive. Thorsen experienced continued growth in Season 6, dealing with the trauma-bonding of his shared attack with fellow rookie officer, Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez).
Thorsen Had a Great Character Arc Setup for Season 7
Interestingly enough, it appeared that Thorsen was embarking on a burgeoning, yet potentially problematic romance, with his department-appointed therapist, Dr. Blair London (Danielle Campbell). However, it’s later revealed that Dr. London is corrupt, acting as an informant to a crime ring for the equally corrupt lawyer, Monica Stevens (Bridget Reagan). Dr. London leaked her privileged doctor-patient information from her patients’ sessions to Monica, who spread sensitive information on LAPD activities to her criminal contacts throughout the city, compromising police operations. Considering Thorsen was one of Dr. London’s patients and his growing attraction to her, Dr. London’s betrayal of her patients, Thorsen, and his fellow officers likely cut him deeply and would have provided some compelling drama for Thorsen in Season 7.
It’s Unclear How ‘The Rookie’ Will Handle Aaron Thorsen’s Exit
It’s currently unclear how The Rookie plans to handle Officer Thorsen’s exit in Season 7, or if Tru Valentino will still appear in subsequent episodes. Valentino did not show up with the cast and crew in July at the San Diego Comic-Con. Additionally, two new rookies will join the cast in Season 7, Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher. Hopefully, Valentino will have at least one episode to give Thorsen the sendoff he deserves, and Thorsen’s exit can be explained with a department transfer or a new law enforcement opportunity. It would be a shame if all of Thorsen’s development up to this point was wasted due to Valentino leaving the series. Valentino’s post on social media announcing his exit did tease that he could still appear on the show again down the line, writing on his Instagram Stories, “You never know who may pop back up in the Mid-Wilshire precinct. Until then, 7 Adam 19, this is Officer Thorsen, over and out!” Hopefully, Thorsen’s exit is handled with grace and class, and viewers will get the chance to see him again in future episodes.
