‘Rookie’ is all Nathan Fillion
He drives this new cop drama. Preview,
There’s a moment in “The Rookie,” ABC’s new Nathan Fillion vehicle, when a young waitress slips Officer John Nolan her phone number, despite their large age difference. He’s just that cute.
The new cop drama clearly rests on Fillion’s handsome mug and inherent charm. The former “Castle” star has a particular following among women, especially older women, and they’re the target audience of “Rookie” (Tuesday,
10 EDT/PDT, which follows the oldest newcomer in the LAPD, Fillion’s
40-something do-gooder. Created by Alexi Hawley (a “Castle” writer and twin brother of “Fargo” creator Noah), it’s an exceedingly average show with an above-average star, the kind of familiar procedural with a twist that led ABC’s “The Good Doctor” to become a hit.
After getting divorced and surviving a bank robbery, Nolan is compelled to leave his small-town life behind and enroll in the Los Angeles police academy. Once he starts the job, it becomes clear that a middle-aged “boot,” as the newbies are nicknamed, isn’t exactly standard operating procedure. He struggles with some physical demands of the job, often is the laughing stock of the precinct and is resented by his superior Sergeant Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones), a by-the-books cop who thinks Nolan is just a “walking midlife crisis.”
There’s nothing particularly bad about Fillion’s performance, although fans tuning in to see “Castle”-style antics might be disappointed in his understated character, who’s so genuine and caring he’s more puppy than human. His virtue is in trying hard, never giving up and taking down criminals with words instead of force.
“Rookie” is full of familiar cop-show types and tropes. But instead of murder-solving detectives, it’s on the fastpaced beat of uniformed officers. The crimes Nolan pursues include everything from a man jumping on cars to a murder. But it’s less about “whodunit” than how Nolan and his fellow officers try to stop it.
Like “The Good Doctor,” “Rookie” has a hopeful, sunny tone despite the lifeand-death stakes, which also slightly sets it apart from other police dramas. The supporting cast – including two other rookies, eager Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) and LAPD legacy Jackson (Titus Makin) – is hit or miss. The three boots are trained by the ambitious Officer Bishop (Afton Williamson), mildly sadistic Officer Bradford (Eric Winter) and Officer Lopez (Alyssa Diaz).
How long the premise can be sustained is questionable. In the premiere, Lucy tells John he’s a novelty, but eventually he’ll just be one of many middleaged white guys on the force, while she’ll always be an “other” as a woman of color. Once John is just one of the guys, is the series still as unique?
Perhaps the series doesn’t need the rookie concept, only a big star and emotional police shootouts. There are worse ways to build a cop show.