The Rookies is an American police procedural series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department (SCPD).
History
The success of Joseph Wambaugh's book The New Centurions, as well as NBC's ratings success with Adam-12, had sparked interest at the time in a more realistic depiction and storytelling of the typical uniformed police officer. Although various incidents during the late 1960s and early 1970s, particularly in California, had sparked controversy and negative feelings toward police officers in general, The Rookies tried to better humanize the character of a police officer and show the struggles that new, younger men and women (who were often Vietnam-era military veterans or college graduates) faced in their lives as law enforcement persons sworn to serve and protect the public.
The pilot for the series began as an ABC Movie of the Week airing on March 7, 1972. The TV movie features five rookies newly arrived at a police academy in southern California: cadets Jared Whitman (Robert F. Lyons), Kevin Lassiter (Jeff Pomerantz), Mike Danko (Sam Melville), William "Willie" Gillis (Michael Ontkean), and Terry Webster (Georg Stanford Brown), all coming from different backgrounds including the military, college and social work. The cadets' training sergeant was Eddie Ryker, played by Darren McGavin. In the later series, Sgt. Ryker was promoted to lieutenant and was played by Gerald S. O'Loughlin. The character of Jill Danko in the movie pilot was played by Jennifer Billingsley, but was recast for the series with Kate Jackson appearing as a registered nurse.
Episodes
The Rookies centers around three rookie officers: Danko, Webster and Gillis, and their superior officer/mentor Lieutenant Ryker. The show was produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. Each episode showcased highly dramatized versions of police cases and activities, often intertwined with the off-duty lives of the officers and their wives. Danko was the only officer in the series who was married. Although filmed in and around Los Angeles, the "SCPD" badge the officers wore was said to stand for "Southern California Police Department."
After the second season, Gillis was replaced (Ontkean left the show over complaints in the story writing) with the character Chris Owens, played by Bruce Fairbairn.
During the series' third season, a two-part episode (titled "S.W.A.T.") aired on February 17, 1975 and served as the pilot for the spin-off series S.W.A.T. The SWAT two-part episode only aired on ABC in 1975 and was subsequently never part of the syndicated TV rerun package as Spelling-Goldberg decided it might confuse viewers as to which TV show it belonged. Both parts of the S.W.A.T. pilot are now considered "lost".
Cast
Notable guest stars
Claude Akins
Edward Albert
Herbert Anderson
Edward Andrews
Tom Atkins
Malcolm Atterbury
René Auberjonois
Ned Beatty
Eric Braeden
Brooke Bundy
Wendell Burton
Joseph Campanella
John Carradine (voice only) Jack Colvin Didi Conn Tyne Daly (who was married to Georg Stanford Brown at the time) Susan Dey Elinor Donahue Jerry Douglas Leif Erickson Bill Erwin Shelley Fabares Mike Farrell Arthur Franz Victor French Beverly Garland Lorraine Gary Jonathan Goldsmith Don Gordon Louis Gossett Jr. Harold Gould Teresa Graves Robert Harland Christina Hart Richard Hatch Katherine Helmond Robyn Hilton Pat Hingle Earl Holliman Bo Hopkins Clint Howard Rance Howard Season Hubley David Huddleston Amy Irving Herbert Jefferson Jr. Don Johnson William Katt Sally Kirkland Martin Kove Matthew Labyorteaux Cheryl Ladd Robert Lansing Geoffrey Lewis Cleavon Little Laurence Luckinbill, as "Larry Luckinbill" Arlene Martel Jared Martin Strother Martin Roddy McDowall Ralph Meeker Cameron Mitchell Belinda Montgomery Roger E. Mosley Jim Nabors Charles Napier Nick Nolte Glynnis O'Connor Michael Parks Larry Pennell Albert Popwell Don Porter Stefanie Powers (billed as Stephanie Powers) Dack Rambo Della Reese John Ritter Andrew Robinson Alex Rocco Ayn Ruymen Fran Ryan Raymond St. Jacques John Saxon Jerry Schilling William Shatner Marc Singer Martin Sheen Mark Slade Jeremy Slate Charles Martin Smith Jaclyn Smith David Soul Sissy Spacek Craig Stevens Robin Strasser Austin Stoker Don Stroud Olive Sturgess Kristoffer Tabori Vic Tayback Linda Thompson John Travolta Lurene Tuttle Dick Van Patten Abe Vigoda Robert Walden Ray Walston Red West David White Fred Williamson William Windom James Woods Keenan Wynn Tony Young