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.
#1 - Breakdown
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/12/2021
Desperate to break free from his connection to Elijah, Wesley tries to plant a listening device in his office to incriminate him. Meanwhile, Officer Bradford and his sister, Genny, learn an unsettling truth about their father.
#2 - Take Back
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/4/2022
Officer John Nolan and the team investigate the unexpected death of a suspect in police custody. Their search also uncovers a very delicate loose end that could jeopardize Officer Celina Juarez’s career. Meanwhile, Sergeant Grey and his wife, Luna, go to New York to visit their daughter, Dominique, only to realize she never made it home from the night before.
#3 - The Collar
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/4/2022
Officers John Nolan and Celina Juarez are in a race against time to stop the source of an explosive rampage.
#4 - 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.
#5 - The Reckoning
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/30/2022
Nolan and Celina investigate a cash deposit linked to an old DEA case.
#6 - The Fugitive
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/23/2022
Officer John Nolan and Officer Celina Juarez are on the hunt for a fugitive after a car incident goes awry. Meanwhile, a past injury comes to haunt Tim and Lucy comes through during his time in need in more ways than one.
#7 - Dye Hard
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/9/2022
Officer John Nolan is assigned his first rookie, Officer Celina Juarez, whose unconventional approach to police work poses a unique challenge for him.
#8 - Labor Day
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/2/2022
Officer John Nolan is moving closer to his new role as a training officer. In preparation, he is tasked with overseeing Officer Aaron Thorson and must uncover the truth about another officer’s suicide. Meanwhile, Lucy’s successful undercover assignment earns her an invitation for specialized training in Sacramento and she must decide if this is the path she wants to take.
#9 - Mother’s Day
Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/8/2022
Sergeant Grey supports Officer Nolan’s desire to become a training officer and offers to ride with him for the day to get him ready. Meanwhile, Tim and Lucy must manage expectations in their respective relationships as they decide on their plans for Mother’s Day and a romantic vacation.
#10 - Backstabbers
Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/10/2022
After the robbery of a train filled with valuable auction items turns deadly, the team is called to investigate. Meanwhile, Officer Chen has doubts about being Sergeant Bradford’s aid and is upset when he doesn’t give her the recognition she deserves. Elsewhere, Officer Harper takes matters into her own hands and makes a life-changing decision about her personal life.
#11 - 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.
#12 - Hit List
Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/6/2022
Officer Harper puts Officer Aaron through “Plain Clothes Day,” but the exercise is interrupted by an unsuspected visitor. After two witnesses for an upcoming grand jury case are murdered, the team must track down the killers before it’s too late.
#13 - Fight or Flight
Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/30/2022
Officers John Nolan and Lucy Chen must fulfill three quests if they want to get a stolen police helicopter back safely from a teenage thief. Meanwhile, Officer Nyla Harper and Aaron Thorson must guard a convicted cop killer in the hospital following a prison riot.
#14 - 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.
#15 - End Game
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/9/2022
The team must rely on a criminal for his expertise to help take down an even bigger threat. Meanwhile, Officers Chen and Bradford investigate the murder of an unhoused teenager who used to be friends with Tamara.
#16 - Heart Beat
Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/2/2022
Now that Nolan knows about Bailey’s past, he must decide if they still have a future. When a plane crashes in the middle of the city, the team races to find out why.
#17 - The List
Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/3/2023
Detective Nyla Harper and James find themselves in the middle of a bank robbery which leads the entire team on a citywide manhunt. Meanwhile, Tim and Lucy finally go on their first date, but it does have a few complications.
#18 - Hit and Run
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/5/2021
The team goes on a city-wide hunt for an individual who is threatening a mass casualty event. Meanwhile, Tim’s sister Genny shows up unannounced with some surprising news, and Lopez continues her inner struggle over Wesley’s deal with Elijah and tries to come up with a plan to get them out of it.
#19 - Poetic Justice
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/7/2021
Officer Nolan and team are on a hunt to retrieve a buried stash of gold before any treasure seekers get hurt. Meanwhile, Bradford is tasked with encouraging the oldest cop at the station to retire and invites him to ride with him.
#20 - A.C.H.
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/31/2021
When a new designer drug hits LA streets, it turns users into “zombies,” and Officer Nolan and the team have a Halloween they won’t soon forget. Back at home, Lucy questions whether her apartment building might be haunted.
#21 - Red Hot
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/17/2021
Officer Nolan and Officer Chen search for a missing person who may have international ties that puts everyone’s lives in danger. Meanwhile, Harper continues the search for a serial arsonist after responding to a report of an injured cyclist, and Wesley must overcome an impossible task.
#22 - 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.
#23 - Five Minutes
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/3/2021
Officer Nolan and Officer Chen’s run-in with an infamous thief tips them off to a potentially big heist surrounding the Getty’s big gala event. Meanwhile, Nolan works up the courage to ask Bailey out on a date.
#24 - Life and Death
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/2021
Nolan and the entire team race against the clock to locate Lopez after she is kidnapped on her wedding day, not only to save her life but her unborn child’s.
#25 - Brave Heart
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/2/2021
After rushing his son to the hospital following his collapse, Nolan is reunited with his ex-wife and they must come together to help their son. Detective Lopez discovers "La Fiera" is in the same hospital and wants to find out exactly why.