The Rookie (2018)

Action · Crime · Drama

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.

IMDb rating: 8.0 (136,792 votes)
Episode average: 7.5 -0.5 vs IMDb
Seasons: 8
Streaming (US): Hulu
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 8 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2018)

8.00 avg 20 episodes 7.9 → 8.5 42 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Pilot	7.9	4,174
2	Crash Course	7.8	3,137
3	The Good, the Bad and the Ugly	7.7	2,853
4	The Switch	7.6	2,695
5	The Roundup	7.7	2,583
6	The Hawke	7.7	2,577
7	The Ride Along	7.8	2,481
8	Time of Death	8.6	2,911
9	Standoff	8.5	2,751
10	Flesh and Blood	8.1	2,427
11	Redwood	7.9	2,348
12	Heartbreak	7.7	2,326
13	Caught Stealing	7.7	2,260
14	Plain Clothes Day	8.2	2,347
15	Manhunt	8.4	2,541
16	Greenlight	9.0	3,919
17	The Shake Up	7.6	2,290
18	Homefront	7.6	2,172
19	The Checklist	8.1	2,177
20	Free Fall	8.5	2,521

Season 2 (2019)

7.95 avg 20 episodes 7.9 → 8.0 42 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Impact	7.9	2,253
2	The Night General	7.8	2,116
3	The Bet	7.8	2,065
4	Warriors and Guardians	8.0	2,084
5	Tough Love	7.7	1,992
6	Fallout	8.0	2,143
7	Safety	7.8	1,969
8	Clean Cut	8.4	2,230
9	Breaking Point	7.7	1,958
10	The Dark Side	8.6	2,596
11	Day of Death	8.8	3,168
12	Now and Then	7.6	1,913
13	Follow-Up Day	7.6	1,901
14	Casualties	7.6	1,853
15	Hand-Off	7.7	1,851
16	The Overnight	7.7	1,902
17	Control	7.8	1,828
18	Under the Gun	8.1	1,940
19	The Q Word	8.4	2,079
20	The Hunt	8.0	2,350

Season 3 (2021)

7.15 avg 14 episodes 7.9 → 8.2 43 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Consequences	7.9	2,693
2	In Justice	6.3	2,981
3	La Fiera	6.3	2,954
4	Sabotage	6.7	2,547
5	Lockdown	7.8	2,486
6	Revelations	6.7	2,564
7	True Crime	4.5	4,442
8	Bad Blood	7.5	1,993
9	Amber	7.5	2,169
10	Man of Honor	7.8	1,906
11	New Blood	7.4	2,079
12	Brave Heart	7.6	1,859
13	Triple Duty	7.9	1,905
14	Threshold	8.2	2,198

Season 4 (2021)

7.24 avg 22 episodes 7.5 → 7.0 43 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Life and Death	7.5	2,566
2	Five Minutes	7.6	1,876
3	In the Line of Fire	7.7	1,687
4	Red Hot	7.7	1,726
5	A.C.H.	7.6	1,847
6	Poetic Justice	8.3	1,949
7	Fire Fight	7.8	1,732
8	Hit and Run	7.1	1,821
9	Breakdown	7.8	1,668
10	Heart Beat	7.6	1,637
11	End Game	7.6	1,638
12	The Knock	7.2	1,626
13	Fight or Flight	7.2	1,664
14	Long Shot	6.7	1,794
15	Hit List	7.8	1,628
16	Real Crime	4.9	2,934
17	Coding	7.1	1,680
18	Backstabbers	7.5	1,618
19	Simone	6.0	2,441
20	Enervo	6.1	2,206
21	Mother's Day	7.4	1,559
22	Day in the Hole	7.0	2,327

Season 5 (2022)

7.45 avg 22 episodes 8.0 → 9.0 43 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Double Down	8.0	2,209
2	Labor Day	7.5	1,738
3	Dye Hard	7.3	1,629
4	The Choice	7.3	1,963
5	The Fugitive	7.5	1,575
6	The Reckoning	7.2	1,553
7	Crossfire	7.2	1,492
8	The Collar	7.8	1,575
9	Take Back	7.5	1,521
10	The List	7.4	1,690
11	The Naked and the Dead	7.4	1,406
12	Death Notice	7.7	1,549
13	Daddy Cop	7.8	1,569
14	Death Sentence	7.5	1,382
15	The Con	7.6	1,527
16	Exposed	7.3	1,453
17	The Enemy Within	7.8	1,472
18	Double Trouble	4.5	2,617
19	A Hole in the World	7.9	1,462
20	S.T.R.	7.1	1,436
21	Going Under	7.5	1,426
22	Under Siege	9.0	2,873

Season 6 (2024)

7.44 avg 10 episodes 7.7 → 7.6 43 min avg

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Strike Back	7.7	1,756
2	The Hammer	7.1	1,652
3	Trouble in Paradise	6.2	1,636
4	Training Day	7.6	1,334
5	The Vow	7.5	1,297
6	Secrets and Lies	7.4	1,348
7	Crushed	7.3	1,285
8	Punch Card	7.9	1,285
9	The Squeeze	8.1	1,335
10	Escape Plan	7.6	1,436

Season 7 (2025)

7.52 avg 18 episodes 7.8 → 7.7 43 min avg

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Shot	7.8	1,649
2	The Watcher	7.6	1,390
3	Out of Pocket	7.5	1,338
4	Darkness Falling	8.0	1,399
5	Til Death	7.9	1,342
6	The Gala	7.6	1,511
7	The Mickey	7.8	1,367
8	Wildfire	8.4	1,641
9	The Kiss	8.1	1,425
10	Chaos Agent	7.8	1,343
11	Speed	7.6	1,343
12	April Fools	7.3	1,603
13	Three Billboards	7.6	1,251
14	Mad About Murder	7.7	1,318
15	A Deadly Secret	3.6	2,958
16	The Return	7.9	1,377
17	Mutiny and the Bounty	7.5	1,247
18	The Good, The Bad, and The Oscar	7.7	1,296

Season 8 (2026)

7.48 avg 18 episodes 7.5 → 7.9 43 min avg

Season 8 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Czech Mate	7.5	1,962
2	Fast Andy	7.8	1,430
3	The Red Place	8.6	1,705
4	Cut and Run	7.4	1,238
5	The Network	7.6	1,210
6	Burn 4 Love	8.1	1,430
7	Baja	7.9	1,243
8	Grand Theft Aircraft	7.3	1,283
9	Fun and Games	7.3	1,192
10	His Name Was Martin	7.3	1,586
11	Aftermath	7.8	1,063
12	Spy Games	7.7	1,061
13	The Thinker	7.6	1,008
14	Tiger Bear	7.4	1,057
15	Survive the Streets	3.1	2,852
16	Out of Time	7.8	1,066
17	Dead Ringer	8.6	1,321
18	The Bandit	7.9	1,281