ROOKIE, THE: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this dramatic action series about a fortysomething former construction worker who decides to join the Los Angeles Police Department.
In this episode, recently divorced John Nolan is caught in the middle of a bank heist and unexpectedly saves the day when he distracts the robbers with existential ruminations about whether he has truly "lived." Nine months later, having graduated from the academy, Nolan arrives at the police precinct for "Rookie Day" alongside fellow newbies Jackson West, son of a well-known Internal Affairs detective, and "hotshot" Lucy Chen. Sergeant Wade Grey pairs the rookies off with training officers and informs "walking midlife crises" Nolan that he disapproves of his seemingly selfish choice to join the force later in life. Nolan's T.O., Talia Bishop, sternly orders him not to interfere with her dream of becoming police chief, while elsewhere Officer Tim Bradford aggressively challenges Chen, demanding that she react quickly in tense situations. Nolan and Bishop answer a domestic disturbance call, where the physically imposing husband, Carlo, suggests that his wife Rey is the abusive one; West and his T.O. Angela Lopez arrest a pair of amorous trespassers.
Nolan and Bishop next respond to a scene at which a mentally ill man is attacking cars with a bat, and they soon deduce that he is frantically searching for his son. Nolan eventually finds the boy and rescues him from the hot car, though Bishop points out that he lost precious seconds in a fit of panic. The three pairs regroup over lunch, and Bishop and Nolan are soon called back to the scene of the feuding couple, where they are shocked to witness Rey fatally stabbing her husband. Carlo dies in Nolan's arms, and Nolan, deeply shaken, laments that he did not trust his instincts about the man's claims of abuse. Bishop notes that he "dove right in" to the dangerous scene, though Grey remains skeptical. Chen and West console Nolan over a round of karaoke. Later, Nolan and Chen are revealed to be in a secret relationship.
The next day, Grey teases Nolan with some embarrassing video of his clumsy race to save the boy in the car; he assigns the cops to search for a missing criminal, Lance Selby. Bradford again "tests" Chen by watching as she subdues a violent drug dealer, but he is shocked to then encounter his estranged wife, Isabel, who begs him for money to feed her drug addiction before running off. Bradford and Chen soon track down Selby, and he begins shooting at the cops, injuring Bradford, as Nolan and Bishop arrive. Lopez and West join the fray, and West freezes in terror as Nolan seemingly abandons Bishop in order to protect Chen. Selby, armed with a knife, grabs a hostage, but Nolan effectively talks him down – and then shoots him in the knee before arresting him. Later, Grey furiously "fires" Nolan for abandoning Bishop, but Captain Zoe Andersen, who intentionally assigned Nolan to the precinct, overrules him. Bishop confronts Chen about her clandestine relationship with Nolan, warning her that it will "brand" her for life. Lopez furiously scolds West for losing his nerve in the moment. Nolan defends himself to Grey, unafraid of the sergeant's commitment to force him to abandon his "misguided quest," and the officers soon gather for another day on the job. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:42:29
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 134106
- GENRE: Drama, police/detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/detective; Los Angeles
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2018-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Nathan Fillion … Executive Producer
- Mark Gordon … Executive Producer
- Nicholas Pepper … Executive Producer
- Michelle Chapman … Executive Producer
- Bill Norcross … Executive Producer
- Jonathan E. Steinberg … Executive Producer
- Liz Friedlander … Executive Producer, Director
- Alexi Hawley … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Michele Greco … Producer
- Helen Pai … Co-Producer
- Jason Ramos … Co-Producer
- Jordan Gagne … Music by
- John Frizzell … Music by
- Nathan Fillion … Cast, John Nolan
- Alyssa Diaz … Cast, Angela Lopez
- Titus Makin … Cast, Jackson West
- Richard T. Jones … Cast, Sergeant Wade Grey
- Mercedes Mason … Cast, Captain Zoe Andersen
- Melissa O'Neil … Cast, Lucy Chen
- Afton Williamson … Cast, Talia Bishop
- Eric Winter … Cast, Tim Bradford
- Julie Ann Emery … Cast, Stacy
- Mircea Monroe … Cast, Isabel
- John Nania … Cast, Pistol
- Mike Chat … Cast, Shotgun
- Dominic A. Iannitti … Cast, Lucas a.k.a. Unicorn Kid
- Kai Lennox … Cast, Unicorn Guy
- Anthony Bonaventura … Cast, Lance Selby
- Andrea Alvear … Cast, Indigo
- Eugene Shaw … Cast, Darius Nguyen
- Johnny D'Esposito … Cast, Blaze
- Dorian Kingi … Cast, Phoenix
- Tessa James … Cast, Rey
- Renes Rivera … Cast, Carlo
- Lauro Chartrand … Cast, Male Foxburg Cop
- Mary Albee … Cast, Female Foxburg Cop
- Kelly Connolly … Cast, Hostage
- Patrick Sabongui … Cast, Ghost Head
- J. Francisco Rodriguez … Cast, Gardener
- Teya Patt … Cast, Woman