There are chances that your teens have watched The Rookie with you in the past. Now that The Rookie season 7 has premiered, you’ll want to make sure that it’s still suitable for your kids.
The Rookie season 7 picked up off the back of the season 6 finale. Dangerous inmates had escaped prison, and it was up to the LAPD to get them back behind bars before it was too late.
Meanwhile, we had new rookies to meet. The series is called The Rookie after all. We always need cops learning on the job, and this season brought some healthy competition for Lucy and Tim as they try to work through their relationship issues.
The Rookie season 7 age rating: Why the series is still TV-14
The show remains officially rated as TV-14. That’s not surprising considering it is a broadcast show. However, this series does air at the later time of 10 p.m. ET/PT, which suggests that it’s not as suitable for some teens as it used to be.
Sex & nudity: The first episode didn’t give us a lot in the way of sex or nudity. That’s standard for a premiere that is so action-heavy. However, we do expect to see some characters making out and the implication of sex.
In past seasons, we’ve seen characters take their tops off and kiss. There have been times when moans have been heard behind closed doors, and characters have been in bed together the following morning. However, none of this is gratuitous or full-frontal nudity. It’s tastefully done to implicate adult relationships.
Violence & gore: There are a lot of police chases and fight scenes throughout the series. The premiere alone included shoot-outs and fight scenes as the LAPD tracked down the dangerous characters. In the season 6 finale, we even saw our main character shot in the behind.
This is a show that doesn’t shy away from the realities of police work. This means characters are killed on-screen, and it’s something to consider before watching with the kids.
Language: Because the show is a network series, there are heavy rules on the type of language that can be shown. We do hear words like the B-word or the D-word, but we don’t hear the S-word or the F-bomb at all. This is even with the show moving to the 10/9c timeslot. Network TV is a lot milder, even when faced with jobs where there would usually be a lot of swearing!
Alcohol & drugs: Considering the job, we often see characters taking drugs or drinking. Some of these are criminals, but we can also see the main characters drinking beer or wine after a day at work. That wasn’t shown in the premiere episode, but it will likely be shown in later episodes this season.
Overall verdict: Who is The Rookie season 7 appropriate for?
I’d still say that this series could work for teenagers, especially those who are 16 and above. It is a TV-14 series, which means that it is suitable for 14-year-olds in terms of the content shown.
There are some teens who may feel a little uneasy about some of the action shots. There are a couple of moments that stand out the most, such as the death of Jackson West and when Lucy Chen was held captive underground. If your teens could sit through those moments, the rest of the series will be fine for them.
