The Rookie Fans Fume as Crucial Storyline Disappears into Thin Air

The term "procedural" refers to series that follow the "one episode – one plot" format. This formula is often criticized for its simplicity and incompatibility with deep character development, but it is still very popular because of its convenience for the average viewer – you can start watching the project from any episode and not miss anything.

The Rookie was a pleasant exception – despite its format, it allowed for character development, and cross-cutting plots could drag on for many episodes while intertwining with the investigation in each episode.

The Rookie Episodes Are Less And Less Connected to Each Other

However, red flags about the show's oversimplification, which fans are increasingly complaining about, began to appear in the very first seasons.

The second season of The Rookie began with a disappointment: the huge cliffhanger of the first season, in which the city is hit by a terrible virus and one of the main characters falls ill with it, ends as happily as possible in the very first episode of the next season – everyone is alive and well. Such twists look like intrigue for intrigue's sake.

“The episodes become less and less important to each other as the show progresses. [...] Each episode is basically its own thing, major plot events rarely continue for more than 2 or 3 episodes,” Reddit user Typical-Excuse-9734 wrote.

However, fans were most upset by one particular storyline that was unexpectedly interrupted and went nowhere.

The Bank Heist Storyline Was Never Resolved

In the final episode of the fifth season, the main characters are attacked by criminals wearing creepy masks. Aaron Thorsen was shot in the back and is in critical condition. Celina Juarez was hospitalized. After Juarez comes to her senses, she gives John Nolan a mysterious message from one of the attackers.

In the first episode of the sixth season, this storyline is continued and intertwined with a bank heist... sounds exciting, doesn't it? However, the case was never brought to its logical conclusion, and the characters never even found the main person behind all of this, much to the disappointment of fans.

Some viewers attribute this to the fact that this storyline began to develop just before the massive Hollywood strikes, and the writers simply did not have time to finish it due to the shortened season. Also, this storyline was apparently going to be continued in Rookie: Feds, which was canceled after the first season.

While the show's production difficulties are understandable, The Rookie is receiving more and more criticism from fans, and storylines like this that end suddenly may turn off many viewers and have a negative impact on the show's ratings.