The Rookie: The 8 Best Partnerships, Ranked From Worst to Best
Given the dangerous nature of the job, no one in The Rookie ever hits the streets alone. They start their shifts alongside a fellow officer, and the best duos have had each other’s back, no matter what. The partnerships established in the pilot were given the most time to evolve, but several characters have proven they can work well with anyone.
While a strong partnership is likely to create a strong friendship, the same can’t be said the other way around. There are friends, such as Tim and Angela, who haven’t been paired often enough to determine if they click as partners. The duos who have worked together one-on-one offer unique dynamics, but they vary in terms of compatibility.
Tim And Jackson
While they haven’t had many opportunities to be partners, Tim’s respect for Jackson grows each time they ride together. During the first rookie/training officer switch-up, Tim discovered that Angela’s boot was too afraid of getting hurt to do his job. This wasn’t something he took lightly, as his best friend was patrolling with someone who couldn’t back her up.
But Jackson evolved throughout the series, and Tim’s animosity towards him faded away. Their dynamic was most heavily touched upon in The Rookie Season 3 when Jackson helped Tim realize, that by not speaking out about a racist cop, he was being complicit. Tim has had Jackson’s back both on and off the clock ever since, and they were partners while Lucy was undercover.
Jackson And Lucy
As far as friendships go, Lucy and Jackson have one of the strongest in the series. Jackson has been more like family to Lucy than her own parents, and they have formed an unbreakable bond. However, it doesn’t automatically make them fit to be partners. Trust is the perfect foundation for a partnership, but Jackson and Lucy fall short in other ways.
Rather than pushing one another to become better cops, they simply cruise along. Lucy, in particular, needs someone who challenges her, rather than someone who goes along with every move she makes. The characters are faced with difficult calls every day, which is why the best partners think differently but communicate well. Additionally, Jackson and Lucy riding and living together can be overwhelming for the characters and viewers.
Tim And Nolan
Tim and Nolan might not get along as well as Jackson and Lucy, but their work dynamic is much more entertaining. Fans are in for a treat whenever the two are paired together, as the episode is bound to be funnier than usual. Tim might not like Nolan, but what matters most is that he’s come to respect him.
No matter how often Tim pokes fun at the rookie, it’s clear that he wants him to succeed. Becoming a training officer requires hard work, and there’s no one to better prepare Nolan than Tim. Tim extended the offer to help in The Rookie Season 3, which he never would’ve done if he didn’t believe Nolan was capable. Their opposite personalities provide them with the perfect opportunity to learn from one another.
Nolan And Bishop
Bishop was a likable character in The Rookie and it didn’t take long for viewers to grow attached to her. Yet, the show drastically improved after her exit, making it clear that Bishop’s impact wasn’t very strong. Harper is a more layered character, and it feels as though she was meant to be there from the start.
Although Bishop didn’t offer much individually, she did have a significant impact on Nolan and the kind of police officer he wants to become. They were the most alike out of all the trainee/trainer duos, making her the officer best-suited to introduce Nolan to his new line of work. Bishop was one of the few people who didn’t make a big deal of Nolan’s age, and there’s no saying whether he would have stayed on the force without her initial guidance.
Lucy And Harper
Lucy and Harper were partnered for patrol on a few occasions, but their relationship evolved when Lucy took an interest in UC work. Harper took Lucy under her wing knowing that there were certain things only she could teach her. As a female with a male training officer, Lucy didn’t have the opportunity to learn how to fight like a woman.
Lucy is often up against criminals who are bigger and stronger than her, and taking them down requires more than brute force. Harper made sure Lucy was equipped with the proper skill set to defend herself and acted as her official teacher when Lucy started training to go undercover. Lucy has looked up to Harper ever since they first rode together, and Harper is continuously impressed by her protégée.
Angela And Jackson
Jackson and Angela are one of the original rookie/training officer duos, and due to Angela’s promotion, they spent just short of a year riding together. The hours in close proximity and near-death experiences caused a strong bond to form between each trainee and their teacher.
Each pair has a different type of connection, and Jackson and Angela developed a familial relationship. She’s strict with him when necessary, but Angela treats Jackson almost like a little brother. They talk about life and relationships and look out for each other on and off the clock. Tim even brought Jackson along to deliver the bad news about her wedding venue, knowing that he has a way of calming Angela down.
Harper And Nolan
While Nolan and Bishop had similar personalities and ways of policing, Harper was his polar opposite. She challenged Nolan unlike anyone had before, and made him prove that he was worthy of her time. Harper believes that patrol officers should serve the people, not make their lives harder by fining them for petty infractions. Nolan is a character who does things by the book, but Harper helped him understand that the right thing isn’t always found on paper.
Not only do they have some of the funniest scenes in The Rookie, but they have the most touching. Nolan and Harper have had a physical and emotional impact on one another’s lives, and the deep bond they formed surprised them both. Lucy and Jackson might have started out as Nolan’s best friends, but he and Harper have become each other’s closest confidants.
Tim And Lucy
Tim and Lucy are the most beloved partnership and relationships in the series. While the other duos are all special in their own way, Tim and Lucy stole the spotlight and left others dim in comparison. Viewers are waiting for Tim and Lucy to transition from friends to more in The Rookie, but their slow-burn romance isn’t what makes them great partners. In fact, it’s their strong partnership that makes fans want them together in the first place. Tim and Lucy have had the most significant relationship development in the series, and they don’t have a typical rookie/training officer dynamic.
There’s a give and take between them, and Tim has learned just as much from his trainee as Lucy has from her teacher. Tim and Lucy have been through the most together out of everyone, and he even saved her life when she was buried alive by a serial killer. Unlike the other training officers, Tim passed up his promotion for Lucy, making them the only pair that stayed together for the entire rookie year. They’ve come to love and depend on each other greatly, and appear to be in the process of figuring out what it means.
