The series stars Nathan Fillion, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O'Neil, Mekia Cox, Lisseth Chavez, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, and Eric Winter.

After graduating from the Police Academy as the oldest rookie on the force, Nolan must navigate the dangerous, unpredictable nature of his job.

[1] During an interview, series lead Nathan Fillion said that the drama was inspired by a true story as the LAPD is one of just two agencies that accepts new officers over the age of 37.

Fillion and Hawley serve as executive producers, along with Mark Gordon, Nicholas Pepper, Michelle Chapman, and Jon Steinberg.

[41][42] On February 17, 2024, executive producer and showrunner Alexi Hawley confirmed in an interview with TVLine that the sixth season would contain ten episodes.

[46] They were shortly followed by Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen,[47] Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey,[48] Titus Makin as Jackson West,[6] Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez,[49] and Mercedes Mason as Captain Zoe Andersen.

[52] Production on the pilot began on March 7, 2018,[53] with filming taking place in Los Angeles, Oxnard, Burbank and New York City.

[54] On April 15, 2021, police received a call of a possible shooting while filming was taking place between Hartford Avenue and West 5th Street in Los Angeles.

While the outlet initially claimed that the split was amicable, Williamson, in a lengthy Instagram post, stated that she left the series due to having "experienced racial discrimination/racially charged inappropriate comments from the hair department.

Williamson stood by her claims, calling the results of the investigation "heartbreaking" and postulated that the producers had lied to cover up the truth of what happened.

The website's consensus reads, "Nathan Fillion's reliably likable presence makes The Rookie worth tuning in, even if the show around him isn't particularly memorable.

[68] On February 8, 2022, ABC ordered a pilot for a planned FBI spin-off of the series starring Niecy Nash.

[91] It was then reported that the series had undergone creative tweaks that cut Foster's character, Special Agent Casey Fox.