I’ve started diving into the 9-1-1 universe to survive the wait for Season 9, but I’d love recommendations from people who know the vibe. Do you stick with police procedurals? Fire/EMS shows? Something totally different? What fills the Rookie‑shaped gap for you between seasons?
I’ve been watching The Rookie since the early seasons, and I’ve always loved its grounded patrol stories, character development, and the mix of humor and realism. Don’t get me wrong — I genuinely love the show and I’d watch it regardless. But lately it feels like it’s drifting pretty far from what originally made it work.
We’ve gone from street‑level policing to zombies, supernatural‑leaning plotlines, and Celina’s “second sight.” Chen has been kidnapped twice, which starts to feel more like a trope than meaningful development. Bailey seems to rotate through every emergency service imaginable — firefighter, EMT, search‑and‑rescue, bomb squad — basically filling in any role needed just to ensure she’s in the episode. ZuZu is now presented as something beyond artificial intelligence, almost a near‑sentient entity, which pushes the show into full sci‑fi territory. And then we literally had Sam and Dean Winchester in one episode, adding a meta‑supernatural vibe that feels miles away from the show’s original tone.
Honestly, I think the shift kinda happened after Dim and Juicy. That storyline felt like the moment the show started leaning harder into heightened, exaggerated, almost comic‑book energy — and everything since has just doubled down on that direction.
Individually, none of these things are deal‑breakers. But together, they make the show feel like it’s shifting from a grounded procedural into a genre‑blended, almost supernatural action‑drama.
Also nepotism with Dash and Rodge
I’m curious how others see it. Do you think the show is evolving in a good way, or drifting too far from its original identity?
I’m trying to figure out what happened with Thorenson. He wasn’t written out, there was no exit arc, no transfer, no in‑universe explanation — he just disappeared.
But then he randomly pops back up in guest appearances, and the show can’t seem to decide who he is when he does. Sometimes he’s the rich kid again, other times he’s suddenly an LAPD officer like he never left.
Is there any official word on why the writers are handling him this way? Or is this just a case of the show quietly dropping a character and then reusing him whenever they feel
I’m curious what kind of storyline fans would create if you were in the writers’ room. If you could write an episode arc for The Rookie, what would you focus on?
Would you center it on specific characters (Chen, Bradford, Harper, Grey, Nolan, etc.), revisit threads from earlier seasons, bring back past villains, or expand on unresolved arcs?
Would your idea be a single episode, a short multi‑episode arc, or something that ties into themes the show has already explored?
I really enjoy rewatching my favourite shows, but something that hasn't left me is the fact that back in, like season 3 or 4, Nolan was taking night classes to get his law degree and all of a sudden (I think it was after Professor Ryan got doxxed but cant really remember) we have had literally no updates on, well, how he's doing. Or at least I don't remember
It's really confusing since all of a sudden the timeline changed too. I think he might already have graduated or is at least in his what? 3rd year idk.
I feel like the show has already written the perfect set up for it. Sure, it was all likely written to be comical, but her never being able to rest, never being good enough and being busy all the time are the perfect recipe for a burnout.
And I think it would work well to make a lot of the haters sympathise more with Bailey and give purpose to the way she's written besides "she is the coolest person ever with practically zero flaws and married to Nolan". It would make one of her biggest traits that's seen as a plus actually be shown as her weakness.
I would like to see Nolan and Bailey try to handle it, Bailey have to come to terms with it and learn how to let herself exist without needing to prove her worth every second. She can still be a badass, but it would allow her to also be a human.
I’ve been rewatching Season 1 and I can’t stop thinking about Captain Zoe Andersen. Mercedes Mason brought such a strong, grounded presence to the show as the no-nonsense leader who was also a Marine veteran. She had great chemistry with Nolan, Lucy, Jackson, and the rest of the team, and her character felt like a real anchor in those early episodes.
Her death in “Green Light” (S1E16) was absolutely shocking and hit hard, but I’ve always wondered if the show would have been better if she’d stuck around longer. She added a level of authority, experience, and emotional depth that was unique.
What do you all think?
Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts
Let’s be honest: The Rookie has completely lost its strings with the LAPD. Over the last few seasons, and especially with the way Season 8 wrapped up, the show has traded the grounded, day-in-the-life charm of street-level policing for a generic, high-octane comic book format. We’ve gone from rookies learning how to handle routine domestic disputes to an LAPD sergeant and a handful of local cops conducting a room-to-room stealth infiltration of an international military transport ship. By literally embedding the FBI into the Mid-Wilshire precinct just to give the characters an excuse to handle global syndicates and cartoonish villains like Heath Everett, the showrunner is admitting they can no longer justify the show's original premise.
When you binge-watch the series from the beginning, the shift in stakes becomes incredibly stark. Look back at Season 1, specifically that anthological scene where Lucy Chen has to overcome absolute terror to pull an unconscious, bleeding Tim Bradford out of a fatal alleyway shooting. The stakes there were the highest the show has ever felt because they were intimate, raw, and believable. It wasn't about saving Los Angeles from a bomb or a drone strike; it was a rookie holding a gun with shaking hands, just trying to survive. By making the physical threats bigger in recent seasons—helicopters with giant magnets, untouchable private armies, and convenient legal loopholes—the emotional stakes have actually become much smaller. The core cast now wears impenetrable plot armor, and every massive season-ending cliffhanger is rushed to a resolution in the first twenty minutes of the next premiere.
The solution isn't to keep escalating the action into Fast & Furious territory; it’s to look backward. In the early seasons, the Training Officers would frequently give 15-second teaching moments in the shop about how "cold burglary cases just sit in a file" or how missing persons reports often go completely unanswered. The writers already built the perfect puzzle pieces—they just need to connect them. Instead of introducing another flashy, outside warlord, Season 10 needs a homegrown, shadow kingpin who has been operating in the background since Day One. The perfect template for this already exists in television history: Carl Elias from Person of Interest.
Imagine a Machiavellian mastermind who started as a low-level punk or a quiet lookout arrested by Nolan or Chen back in Season 1 or 2. While Mid-Wilshire was completely distracted by loud cartels, Elijah, Monica and literal helicopter attacks, this individual was quietly studying the LAPD's blind spots. They realized that the police only panic over blood and high-level drug shipments. By taking over the exact "cold cases" the TOs warned us about—running a highly sophisticated fencing operation for high-end art burglaries and utilizing a DMV identity-theft ring to make fugitives vanish—this local mastermind quietly built a multi-million dollar empire entirely under the precinct's radar.
An Elias-style villain would completely revitalize the show because they bring order, not chaos. They wouldn't want to blow up a precinct; they would want a clean, unified underworld because violence brings heat from the cops. When an outside cartel tries to move into Los Angeles, this homegrown kingpin would eliminate them before the FBI even gets a warrant. This introduces a brilliant moral dilemma for Lieutenant Grey, Sergeant Bradford and Officer Nolan: do you cross ethical lines to shut down a criminal genius who is actively keeping the city's homicide rate down? It trades cheap action for a slow-burn psychological chess match, where the villain might casually sit down at a diner with Nolan, buy him a coffee, and explain exactly why the LAPD needs him in power. It rewards long-term fans for binging, justifies why the cops missed the signs, could explain many of the "sudden incompetences" we've over the years, and drags the show kicking and screaming back to the gritty, philosophical streets of Los Angeles. We can only wish the writers would look at it this way.
With all the talk about the The Rookie universe expanding again, I’ve been thinking about The Rookie: Feds. It got axed after Season 1 back in November 2023, right around the strikes. ABC cited low ratings, the tough Tuesday 10pm death slot, and broader industry economics (streaming wars, consolidation). Creator Alexi Hawley said it wasn’t really a creative failure but a business one.
They tried hard to integrate it with frequent crossovers and shared plots (Rosalind Dyer stuff, etc.) to “bed it in,” but a lot of fans hated feeling forced to watch it just to follow the main show.
What do you all think?
I know opinions are split — some people warmed up to the supporting cast (Garza, etc.) and thought it improved, others couldn’t stand it from the backdoor pilot. Curious to hear fresh takes now that some time has passed and we’ve seen more of the main show without it.
Did anyone actually enjoy Feds more than the OG? Or are you glad it’s gone?
Nathan Fillion has advised he would love to play Nolan for years to come.
This coupled with the fact season 9 has been granted a $34,000,000 California Tax credit which is double of that for season 8 bodes very well.
Its clear to see from between scene takes how much fun the cast has making this so I do hope it runs for a long time to come.
If you could spin off 1 or 2 characters into their own characters into their own series who would it be?
Mine would be Lopez and Harper
It would just run between seasons of the Rookie lok
I wondered how such an annoying character was persisting
I've been thinking a lot about John Nolan's character arc, especially after Season 5's "Golden Ticket" moment. For those who might need a quick refresher on his path:
Nolan faced some major setbacks that blocked traditional advancement. The big one was the Letter of Reprimand in Season 3 after getting involved in exposing corrupt Detective Nick Armstrong (who briefly mentored him). Nolan got framed, went on the run, and that reprimand effectively closed doors to detective roles or specialized units for a while. It forced him to pivot.
By Season 5, the Golden Ticket — that rare chance to pick any assignment in the LAPD basically wiped the slate clean and reopened every door, including detective tracks. But instead of chasing the detective exam or a high-profile unit, Nolan chose to become a Training Officer (TO). He's since thrived in that role, mentoring rookies like Celina Juarez, Aaron Thorsen, Seth Ridley, and Miles Penn. It feels like he's found real fulfillment in shaping the next generation of officers.
The question is: Do you think Nolan should have used that Golden Ticket to pursue becoming a detective (or something more "prestigious"), or is keeping him as a Training Officer the right call and actually the emotional core of the show?**
On one hand:
Detective Nolan could open up fresh storylines — more intense cases, deeper investigations, higher stakes, and seeing him finally "level up" after all the obstacles he's overcome. It might feel like earned progression after everything he's been through.
Some fans argue the show started with him as the underdog rookie who was "too old" for the job, and becoming a detective would complete that classic hero's journey.
On the other hand:
Nolan as a TO has become one of the most wholesome and impactful parts of the series. His patience, life experience, and mentorship style bring heart, humor, and growth to the rookies (and the show itself). It keeps him grounded and relatable instead of turning him into just another hardened detective.
The show has always been about more than climbing the ranks — it's about found family, second chances, and making a difference in everyday ways. Staying a TO reinforces that theme beautifully.
What do you all think? Would detective Nolan energize the show going forward, or would it lose something essential? Is the TO path more true to his character, or does it hold him back? Curious to hear everyone's takes — especially from those who love the mentoring scenes vs. those craving more procedural detective work.
Bonus: How do you feel about the other rookies' trajectories in comparison?
Would Baileys character played better as a TO or Detective instead of the always on hand paramedic/fire/Pentagon/National Guard lol
I'm waiting for her to run for Senate or President ha
Am I the only one how thinks la law would be a good show like with Wesley and shone
I would chose Wesley and Monica because I would get all kinds of money and plus they are some of my favorite villains in the show. (I meant to say Monica and Wesley but Monica and Elijah was the last thing i searched so it was still stuck in my head.)
I made a Chenford Fanfiction and uploaded it onto my AO3. Please have a look: https://archiveofourown.org/works/87732091/chapters/232488881
Never really got into the show until my wife and I started binging this a little bit ago and just finished up season 8 a couple weeks ago and we're looking for something else to binge watch and decided on Castle.
Something came to me while watching the Halloween episode of Castle where Nathan fillion dressed up as Captain Mal for Halloween at least in one scene. I thought it would be kind of interesting to either have an episode where they show a bookshelf in Nolan's house that has a series of the books from Castle, from Richard Castle, or even have an episode where they make a call to a New York detective named Kate Beckett.
Not suggesting an ongoing thing just a little one off that would potentially catch the eye of people that have seen both shows. There's a couple different ways of doing that like the supposed movie that they were going to be making from Castle's book, being in Hollywood that would be an easy one to slip in there. Maybe have a scene that takes place on a movie lot and a sign talks about the movie or there's addressing room trailer for the character Nikki Heat.