John Nolan. Oldest rookie. Got shot. Still on the job. That about sums up where we’re at as “The Rookie” is back for, yes, a seventh season. While other cops his age are probably polishing their golf clubs and arguing about early-bird specials, Nolan’s out there dodging bullets and mentoring fresh-faced newbies who probably think disco is a new kind of TikTok dance.
This season opener, “The Shot,” finds Nolan wrestling with his mortality and the annoying realities of aging in a profession that prioritizes youth and reckless abandon. As if that wasn’t enough, two shiny new rookies are thrown into the mix, disrupting the delicate ecosystem of the precinct and making Nolan feel approximately 150 years old. Oh, and did I mention escaped convicts? Because of course there are escaped convicts, and not just any escaped convicts, but the kind with personal vendettas. As one does.
With Nathan Fillion at the helm, “The Rookie” somehow still manages to charm its way through increasingly preposterous storylines. This season, he’s joined by Mekia Cox, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Jenna Dewan, Shawn Ashmore, and Lisseth Chavez. Let’s see if they can keep this aging procedural from veering entirely into self-parody.
“The Rookie” airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC.
