The recent Derek Chauvin court case and other cases of alleged police brutality have put police departments in the spotlight, and opened a public discussion about police training. For an inside look at how a police officer is trained, tune into The Rookie on ABC.

This has always been one of my favorite shows, especially since my dad is a police officer and I hope to work in law enforcement some day. The way the show has changed in light of what happened to George Floyd is even more reason to watch. 

 The Rookie follows 40-year-old John Nolan, who joins the LAPD after a death in the family. It is based on a real person, William Norcross, played by Nathan Fillion. 

 This show gives accurate statements, codes, and responses of the police force. As we follow John through his career with the LAPD we see him start to grow and learn in order to make it in not just the precinct but the world. He starts out as a rookie, which means he has the lowest rank and is straight out of the academy. We watch as he goes through all the tests and trials that go along with being a rookie. They must first ride with a training officer and follow what they say. Officers in training have to complete over 600 hours with an FTO (full-time officer) before they can “graduate” and go on their own. It is also a show that people can watch with the family without worrying about it being too graphic or inappropriate.

To make the show even more realistic, the directors made changes to address recent police brutality incidents and to show the police are not perfect. One of the changes being made is bringing on actor Brandon Routh to play a “polarizing” police officer who will help the show address the issue of systematic racism. “Coming into Season 3, it definitely felt like we really needed to honor the conversations that were going on in the wake of George Floyd’s death by digging into some of these bigger issues,” Executive Producer Alexi Hawley explains.

Nathan Fillion  said the goal is to  humanize the job of a police officer. “We want to honor the job,” he said, “but at the same time show you that these are actual people, real-life people, struggling with real-life issues.”

The show The Rookie is a great show for anyone and really gives an inside scoop of the life of an officer.