By Jonathan Klotz | Published
The television landscape has changed thanks to the rise of streaming, but one thing remains the same: people love procedurals, whether they’re medical, legal, detective, or mystery, watching comfort food isn’t going anywhere. Alright, make it two things because people love Nathan Fillion too, which is why Castle was a huge success. Lightning struck twice, like now, The rookieFillion’s latest police procedural, is Hulu’s number one show again.
Nathan Fillion’s latest success
The rookie stars Nathan Fillion, still better known to science fiction fans as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in Fireflyas John Norris, a 45-year-old man who lives his dream of becoming a Los Angeles police officer. After Norris helps stop a bank robbery in his hometown, he joins the LAPD in what appears to be an absurd plot, but it is based on the true story of William Norcross, who serves as executive producer of the series and also LAPD. Officer to date. Fillion, as he always does, can take any concept and make it must-see television through the force of his mischievous charm.
In the hands of any other star, The rookie may not have lasted seven seasons, but besides Fillion, part of the appeal was that the characters were allowed to change and grow, which is big news for a procedural. As of season 5, Norris is no longer a “recruit” but rather a training officer overseeing a new class of recruits. This doesn’t sound like much, but consider that the overall concept of NCIS hasn’t moved in 20 years, even though McGee is no longer a “probie”, he does the same thing week after week.
Nathan Fillion is the biggest name in the cast of The rookiebut science fiction fans will also recognize Melissa O’Neal from Dark matter as Lucy Chen, a fellow rookie officer, and Shawn Ashmore of Fox’s X-Men as defense attorney Wesley Evers. The list of guest stars includes more notable sci-fi cult favorites, including Felicia Day, Stephen Lang, David Dastmachlain and The X Files Mitch Pileggi, among many others. Sean Maher, Simon Firefly And Serenityeven appears in one episode as a different type of escaped convict.
How-tos are still the backbone of television
For all discussions about streaming original shows from Shogun has Stranger Thingsthe backbone of each service is classic sitcoms and procedurals that can be watched and rewatched over and over again, often with dozens of seasons and hundreds of episodes. This is why NCIS dominates Paramount+ between seasons of Yellow stoneMax was built on The Big Bang Theoryand why it’s a big deal when the rights of Friends change hands. The rookie doesn’t reinvent the wheel and encompasses every procedural trope you can think of, but that’s not a bad thing.
How-tos are comfort food because they’re very predictable, with just enough twists and turns and colorful characters to keep audiences coming back week after week to spend an extra hour living in its world. Nathan Fillion has enjoyed back-to-back successes with Castle and now The rookiewhich proved so popular that it spawned a spin-off, The recruit: the fedsthat’s exactly what it sounds like, and that’s still not a bad thing. It’s ironic that Fillion’s most beloved series is also his least successful, but at least millions can now appreciate the unparalleled charm and daring of Captain Malcolm Reynolds.
The rookie is streaming on Hulu.
