The WORST episodes of The Rookie

Every episode of The Rookie ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst 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.

Last Updated: 12/20/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Continuing
True Crime
star
6.29
1155 votes

#1 - True Crime

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/28/2021

The team gets the true crime docuseries treatment when they analyze a recent case featuring a former child actor whose adult life has garnered him a cult following.

Directors: Bill Roe
Watch Now:Apple TV
Double Trouble
star
6.77
876 votes

#2 - Double Trouble

Season 5 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/21/2023

When Dim goes missing, Officer Chen and Sergeant Bradford, along with the CIA, set out to find him and enlist the help of Juicy.

Directors: Jon Huertas
Watch Now:Apple TV
Real Crime
star
7.09
1054 votes

#3 - Real Crime

Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/13/2022

Desperate to reset the way the world sees him, Officer Thorsen reluctantly decides to be a part of a reality show to help rebrand his image, only to be thrust back into yet another deadly situation. With cameras rolling, the show’s producer is found murdered and the team must investigate before Aaron is made suspect number one.

Directors: Rob Seidenglanz
Watch Now:Apple TV
Trouble in Paradise
star
7.40
748 votes

#4 - Trouble in Paradise

Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/5/2024

Nolan and Bailey's honeymoon is more of a nightmare than a dream when it turns into an active crime scene. Meanwhile, Tim and Celina partner up and must uncover the identity of a John Doe.

Directors: T.K. Shom
Watch Now:Apple TV
Revelations
star
7.47
1137 votes

#5 - 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.

Directors: Chi Yoon Chung
Watch Now:Apple TV
Long Shot
star
7.48
1048 votes

#6 - 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.

Watch Now:Apple TV
S.T.R.
star
7.51
850 votes

#7 - S.T.R.

Season 5 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/18/2023

Officer Tim Bradford’s ex-wife returns and asks the team to help her save someone from her undercover past. Isabel’s return also creates additional pressure in Lucy and Tim’s relationship as they assist in the search.

Directors: Chi Yoon Chung
Watch Now:Apple TV
Crushed
star
7.52
718 votes

#8 - Crushed

Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/30/2024

When two teenagers go missing, it is up to the entire team to find the girls and uncover the truth about their disappearance. Meanwhile, Lopez and Harper are on a different kind of investigation – the search for the perfect nanny.

Directors: Tori Garrett
Watch Now:Apple TV
Enervo
star
7.53
1009 votes

#9 - Enervo

Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/1/2022

The team alongside the LA Division of the FBI are in a race to stop bombs that have been scattered throughout the city by a suspected terrorist. The joint task force is suspicious of the CIA’s involvement in the situation.

Directors: Bill Roe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Simone
star
7.54
1026 votes

#10 - Simone

Season 4 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/24/2022

Officer Nolan and the LA division of the FBI enlist the help of FBI trainee Simone Clark when one of her former students is suspected of terrorism following an explosion at a local power station.

Directors: Liz Friedlander
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Going Under (1)
star
7.55
851 votes

#11 - Going Under (1)

Season 5 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/25/2023

Officer Lucy Chen goes undercover to infiltrate an illegal firearm operation, and Detective Harper and Officer John Nolan work together to solve a mystery involving severed limbs found around the city.

Directors: Anne Renton
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Day in the Hole
star
7.55
1060 votes

#12 - 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.

Directors: Alexi Hawley
Writer: Alexi Hawley
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Vow
star
7.55
754 votes

#13 - The Vow

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/2/2024

When a toddler is found at the scene of a crime, John and Bailey must decide whether to let the child go to a shelter for the night or care for her themselves. Meanwhile, when someone from his past returns, Tim disappears and leaves Lucy in the dark.

Directors: Chi Yoon Chung
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Bad Blood
star
7.56
1127 votes

#14 - Bad Blood

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/28/2021

Nolan, Harper and Lopez are assigned to the kidnapping of the son of a criminal court judge who has a long list of enemies who could possibly be involved.

Directors: Sylvain White
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Hammer
star
7.56
805 votes

#15 - The Hammer

Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/27/2024

The team comes together to celebrate John and Bailey’s wedding; meanwhile, Celina discovers a discrepancy in her case, leading to a new discovery. Elsewhere, Lucy and Tim’s relationship is put to the test.

Directors: Alexi Hawley
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
La Fiera
star
7.56
1174 votes

#16 - La Fiera

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/17/2021

Officer John Nolan’s mom makes an unannounced visit that complicates his life, and Sergeant Grey considers retiring.

Directors: Sylvain White
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
star
7.57
2009 votes

#17 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/30/2018

After Nolan and Talia lose control of a crime scene, they begin to debate whether people are fundamentally good or bad and what that means for a police officer. Meanwhile, Lucy is concerned Tim is enabling his wife’s destructive behavior and not taking care of himself.

Directors: Greg Beeman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
In Justice
star
7.57
1180 votes

#18 - In Justice

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/10/2021

Officer John Nolan and Officer Nyla Harper are assigned to a community policing center to help rebuild their station’s reputation in the community. Nolan is determined to make a positive impact but Nyla has her doubts.

Directors: Michael Goi
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Sabotage
star
7.58
1191 votes

#19 - Sabotage

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/24/2021

Officer Jackson West’s relationship with his new training officer escalates, and he works with Sergeant Grey to find a solution.

Directors: Daniel Willis
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Knock
star
7.58
1045 votes

#20 - The Knock

Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/23/2022

The team responds to the report of a severed hand washing up on the beach and are on the hunt to find its owner. Meanwhile, Tim attempts to prove he isn’t a control freak to Lucy and invites her on a double date with him and Ashley.

Writer: Zoe Cheng
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Crossfire
star
7.58
980 votes

#21 - Crossfire

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/6/2022

Officer John Nolan and Celina witness a shooting, realize the victim was already dead, and investigate further. Back at home, Bailey has been feeling off-center ever since the proposal, leaving Nolan to wonder what he can do to make her feel more comfortable. Elsewhere, Lopez and Harper enlist Lucy’s help to investigate the gang-related murder of a local shopkeeper.

Directors: Jon Huertas
Writer: Glen Mazzara
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Naked and the Dead
star
7.58
899 votes

#22 - The Naked and the Dead

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/10/2023

The search for a missing boy leads the team into the middle of a dangerous drug war between two rival gangs.

Directors: Robert Bella
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Coding
star
7.59
994 votes

#23 - Coding

Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/3/2022

Officer John Nolan and the team feel they must negotiate with a distraught man who is holding a hospital hostage to ensure his wife receives a lifesaving surgery.

Directors: Bill Roe
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
In the Line of Fire
star
7.59
1120 votes

#24 - In the Line of Fire

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/10/2021

Officer Nolan and officer Chen report to a structure fire and suspect that there is more to the situation than meets the eye. Meanwhile, after witnessing a sniper shooting, the team searches for the shooter and discovers that the perpetrator has a connection to one of their own.

Directors: Daniel Willis
Writer: Robert Bella
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Reckoning
star
7.59
1028 votes

#25 - The Reckoning

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/30/2022

Nolan and Celina investigate a cash deposit linked to an old DEA case.

Directors: Lanre Olabisi
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV