The Rookie (2018)
Never off duty.
Starting over isn't easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being an LAPD 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.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 16 October 2018 |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Comedy |
| Created by | Alexi Hawley |
| Starring | Nathan Fillion, Melissa O'Neil and Eric Winter |
| Seasons | 9 seasons, 145 episodes |
| Episode length | about 43 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 104 hours |
| Rated | TV-14 |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.5/10 |
Where to watch The Rookie
The Rookie is streaming on Hulu ($18.99 a month) in the US. It is also on Fubo. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 3 months of Hulu, or $56.97 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 12 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
Nathan Fillion stars as John Nolan, a 40-year-old who trades a quiet life in Pennsylvania for the chaos of the LAPD. He is the oldest rookie on the force, a fact that makes his colleagues treat him like a walking midlife crisis. The show leans on that friction, blending procedural crime beats with the specific awkwardness of a man trying to prove he belongs in a room full of much younger people. It runs 104 hours across 9 seasons, a long haul for a show about bad hair days and gunfights. The tagline is never off duty, which is accurate, though the coffee budget is questionable.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes gives Season 1 a 68% approval rating, an average of 6.3 out of 10 from 22 reviews. The consensus says Nathan Fillion’s reliably likable presence makes the show worth tuning in, even if the rest isn’t particularly memorable. Metacritic assigns a 64 out of 100 based on 12 critics, a score that lands in the generally favorable range.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Rookie.
Sources
- The Rookie on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q48744320 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Rookie” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the series you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add The Rookie to your list