The BEST episodes of The Rookie
Every episode of The Rookie ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Rookie!
Starting over isn’t easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being a Los Angeles police officer. As the force’s oldest rookie, he’s met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as just a walking midlife crisis. If he can’t keep up with the young cops and the criminals, he’ll be risking lives including his own. But if he can use his life experience, determination and sense of humor to give him an edge, he may just become a success in this new chapter of his life.
#1 - Under the Gun
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/26/2020
Nolan and Harper escort 4 juvenile offenders to a Scared Straight program at a correctional facility that quickly becomes a riotous situation. Nolan is uncertain about his relationship with Grace after she fails to introduce him to her ex-husband.
#2 - Clean Cut
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/2019
Nolan kicks off his birthday by babysitting a crime scene at a law office. Bradford and West are set to receive special awards, and Sgt. Grey rides patrol with Harper after she requests an early annual evaluation.
#3 - Fallout
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/3/2019
An emergency alert of an impending missile attack sends Los Angeles into chaos and uncertainty, while the officers each try to keep the peace and deal with their own disasters.
#4 - Amber
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/4/2021
An Amber Alert sends the team on a race against time to find a newborn infant who was stolen from a local hospital. Jackson and Chen work their last shift as rookies as Nolan continues on for 30 more days.
#5 - The Checklist
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/9/2019
Sergeant Gray informs the rookies that they must track down a specific set of crimes in a 48-hour period in order to qualify for their final exam. Officer Nolan and Officer Bishop answer a silent alarm call at will.i.am’s house.
#6 - The Bet
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/13/2019
Nolan navigates building tension in his relationship with Jessica and a developing rapport with Grace, while working a high-stakes criminal case involving an undercover homeland security agent. Chen meddles with Bradford’s love life. Lopez learns some surprising news about Wesley.
#7 - Now and Then
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/1/2020
Nolan takes his son’s fiancé on a ride-along after she shows an interest in becoming a police officer. Jackson’s relationship becomes complicated at work.
#8 - The Overnight
Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 4/5/2020
Officers Chen and Bradford respond to a call at the Los Angeles auditions of American Idol and Officer Chen ends up facing Ryan Seacrest and the judges. Chen befriends a reporter whose motives are not clear.
#9 - Consequences
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/3/2021
Nearing the end of his training, Nolan now faces his biggest challenge as a police officer yet when he must come to terms with the choices he has made in pursuit of the truth.
#10 - Threshold
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 5/16/2021
Officer Nolan mildly injures himself while chasing down a shoplifter and the local DA wants to charge the suspect with assault despite Nolan’s wishes. Meanwhile, Lucy goes undercover, Lopez’s wedding venue is seized by the FBI, and Nolan meets his new neighbor.
#11 - Safety
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/10/2019
John and Jessica’s relationship gets a lot more complicated after she delivers some surprising news. Bradford and West are assigned a community policing project helping out the Watts Rams as volunteer coaches at their Fall clinic.
#12 - The Q Word
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 5/3/2020
Their rookie year is coming to an end and Nolan, Chen and West are about to be squeezed harder than ever before as their training officers evaluate whether they are truly ready for the job. After one of their rookie classmates is involved in a shooting, the team uncovers some unsettling evidence.
#13 - Lockdown
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/14/2021
Nolan is taken hostage by a man with nothing to lose while the station goes on lockdown and races to identify the suspect before time runs out. Jackson and Stanton reach a tipping point in their relationship that could end Jackson’s career.
#14 - Day of Death
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 2/23/2020
Nolan and the entire team are in a desperate search to rescue Chen after her abduction, and must attempt to get Rosalind to help them in their search. After Lopez discovers Wesley unconscious from a dangerous cocktail of alcohol and pills, she is forced to keep him close by.
#15 - Under Siege
Season 5 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/2/2023
After one of their own is shot, the team suffers a series of close calls and realizes their division may be a target for a group of masked assailants.
#16 - Double Down
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/25/2022
Officer John Nolan’s is once again face-to-face with serial killer Rosalind, and she wants him to know she’s not done with him yet. Meanwhile, officers Bradford and Chen work undercover with Detective Lopez and the Las Vegas Police Department to arrest leaders of a major criminal enterprise.
#17 - Day in the Hole
Season 4 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/15/2022
Officer John Nolan is forced to spend a week in solitary confinement in a quiet border town with a young local officer who is in need of some training. Meanwhile, Sergeant Bradford and Officer Chen discover that looks are deceiving and go undercover together in a possible drug trafficking case.
#18 - Long Shot
Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/27/2022
Officers Nolan and Harper help Skip Tracer Randy on his first bounty hunter case. Meanwhile, Officer Chen and Sergeant Bradford are on the hunt for a perpetrator on a citywide crime spree.
#19 - Revelations
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/21/2021
Nolan’s decision to return to school in order to become a training officer is proving to be much harder than he expected. Chen considers going into undercover work after getting a taste of the job when Harper’s former colleague needs help.
#20 - The Hunt
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/10/2020
Nolan’s discovery goes much deeper than he expected and could put his life and career in jeopardy.
#21 - Impact
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/29/2019
Danger is ever-present as the officers of the Mid-Wilshire precinct grapple with the aftermath of a plotted attack on the city of Los Angeles, leaving Officer Bradford fighting for his life. Flash forward two weeks and the rookies receive the shocking results of their latest training exam, leaving one officer questioning what the future holds. Meanwhile, tension develops at home as Nolan and Lopez advance in their relationships with Jessica and Wesley.
#22 - Greenlight
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/19/2019
Officer Nolan gets a lesson in respect after his arrest of a gang member leads to a free-for-all on his life. Officer Chen and Officer Bradford pull over Mario Lopez, who thinks he can talk his way out of a traffic violation.
#23 - The Roundup
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/20/2018
Nolan, the rookies and their training officers get involved in a competition that pits them against each other. Officer Lucy Chen notices Officer Tim Bradford is obsessed with winning at all costs.
#24 - The Switch
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/13/2018
The rookies are temporarily paired with new training officers, and Officer Nolan is paired with Officer Lopez. When Nolan and Lopez track down an escaped criminal, they discover a little kindness goes a long way. Meanwhile, Jackson is forced to face his fears when he is partnered with Officer Bradford, while Officer Chen and Nolan must face a hard truth.
#25 - Crash Course
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/23/2018
Talia forces Nolan to confront his personal moral instincts in order to be a good cop after he encounters a kidnapping victim. Meanwhile, Lucy is temporarily placed with a new training officer who tests her patience, and Jackson must confront his failures head-on if he wants to be an officer.