The Worst Episodes of The Rookie
Every episode of The Rookie ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Rookie!
Starting over isn’t easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being an LAPD officer. As the force’s oldest rookie, he’s met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as just a walking midlife crisis.
Lowest Rated Episodes Summary
The worst episode of "The Rookie" is "True Crime", rated 4.4/10 from 2935 user votes. It was directed by Bill Roe and written by Alexi Hawley, Zoe Cheng. "True Crime" aired on 2/28/2021 and is rated 0.0 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "Double Trouble".
4.4/10 2,935 votes#1 - True Crime
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 2/28/2021
The team gets the true crime docuseries treatment when they analyze a recent case featuring a former child actor whose adult life has garnered him a cult following.
Director: Bill Roe
Writer: Alexi Hawley, Zoe Cheng
4.4/10 1,489 votes#2 - Double Trouble
Season 5 Episode 18 - Aired 3/21/2023
When Dim goes missing, Officer Chen and Sergeant Bradford, along with the CIA, set out to find him and enlist the help of Juicy.
Director: Jon Huertas
Writer: Glen Mazzara, Caroline Bible
4.8/10 1,769 votes#3 - Real Crime
Season 4 Episode 16 - Aired 3/13/2022
Desperate to reset the way the world sees him, Officer Thorsen reluctantly decides to be a part of a reality show to help rebrand his image, only to be thrust back into yet another deadly situation. With cameras rolling, the show’s producer is found murdered and the team must investigate before Aaron is made suspect number one.
Director: Rob Seidenglanz
Writer: Bill Rinier, Paula Puryear
6.0/10 1,468 votes#4 - Simone
Season 4 Episode 19 - Aired 4/24/2022
Officer Nolan and the LA division of the FBI enlist the help of FBI trainee Simone Clark when one of her former students is suspected of terrorism following an explosion at a local power station.
Director: Liz Friedlander
Writer: Alexi Hawley, Terence Paul Winter
6.0/10 1,286 votes#5 - Enervo
Season 4 Episode 20 - Aired 5/1/2022
The team alongside the LA Division of the FBI are in a race to stop bombs that have been scattered throughout the city by a suspected terrorist. Meanwhile, the joint task force is suspicious of the CIA’s involvement in the situation.
Director: Bill Roe
Writer: Alexi Hawley, Terence Paul Winter
6.2/10 1,990 votes#6 - La Fiera
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 1/17/2021
Officer John Nolan's mom makes an unannounced visit that complicates his life, and Sergeant Grey considers retiring.
Director: Sylvain White
Writer: Terence Paul Winter, Natalie Callaghan
6.3/10 1,999 votes#7 - In Justice
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 1/10/2021
Officer John Nolan and Officer Nyla Harper are assigned to a community policing center to help rebuild their station’s reputation in the community. Nolan is determined to make a positive impact but Nyla has her doubts.
Director: Michael Goi
Writer: Brynn Malone, Fredrick Kotto
6.4/10 753 votes#8 - Trouble in Paradise
Season 6 Episode 3 - Aired 3/5/2024
Nolan and Bailey’s honeymoon is more of a nightmare than a dream when it turns into an active crime scene. Meanwhile, Tim and Celina partner up and must uncover the identity of John Doe.
Director: TK Shom
Writer: Glen Mazzara, Madeleine Coghlan
6.6/10 1,662 votes#9 - Sabotage
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 1/24/2021
Officer Jackson West’s relationship with his new training officer, Stanton, has escalated and he begins to work with Sergeant Grey to find a solution.
Director: Daniel Willis
Writer: Vincent Angell, Diana Mendez Boucher
6.6/10 1,670 votes#10 - Revelations
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 2/21/2021
Officer Nolan’s decision to return to school in order to become a training officer is proving to be much harder than he expected. Meanwhile, Officer Chen considers going into undercover work after getting a taste of the job when Harper’s former colleague needs help.
Director: Chi-Yoon Chung
Writer: Fredrick Kotto, Corey Miller
6.7/10 1,047 votes#11 - Long Shot
Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 2/27/2022
Officer Nolan and Detective Harper help Skip Tracer Randy on his first bounty hunter case. Meanwhile, Officer Chen and Sergeant Bradford are on the hunt for a perpetrator on a citywide crime spree.
Director: Fernando Sariñana
Writer: Natalie Callaghan
6.9/10 1,371 votes#12 - Day in the Hole
Season 4 Episode 22 - Aired 5/15/2022
Officer John Nolan is forced to spend a week in solitary confinement in a quiet border town with a young local officer who is in need of some training. Meanwhile, Sergeant Bradford and Officer Chen discover that looks are deceiving and go undercover together in a possible drug trafficking case.
Director: Alexi Hawley
Writer: Alexi Hawley
7.1/10 1,094 votes#13 - Hit and Run
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 12/5/2021
The team goes on a city-wide hunt for an individual who is threatening a mass casualty event. Meanwhile, Tim’s sister Genny shows up unannounced with some surprising news, and Lopez continues her inner struggle over Wesley’s deal with Elijah and tries to come up with a plan to get them out of it.
Director: Bill Roe
Writer: Vincent Angell
7.1/10 941 votes#14 - Coding
Season 4 Episode 17 - Aired 4/3/2022
Officer John Nolan and the team feel they must negotiate with a distraught man who is holding a hospital hostage to ensure his wife receives a lifesaving surgery.
Director: Bill Roe
Writer: Nick Hurwitz, Sylvia Franklin
7.2/10 946 votes#15 - Fight or Flight
Season 4 Episode 13 - Aired 1/30/2022
Officers John Nolan and Lucy Chen must fulfill three quests if they want to get a stolen police helicopter back safely from a teenage thief. Meanwhile, Detective Nyla Harper and Officer Aaron Thorsen must guard a convicted cop killer in the hospital following a prison riot.
Director: Lanre Olabisi
Writer: Brynn Malone
7.2/10 1,098 votes#16 - The Choice (I)
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 10/16/2022
Rosalind returns with a vengeance and Bailey’s life is left hanging in the balance. With a ticking clock, the LAPD and the FBI join forces, and Officer John Nolan is forced to make a deadly decision after a harrowing ultimatum. The crossover continues on The Rookie: Feds S01E04 To Die For (II).
Director: Bill Roe
Writer: Fredrick Kotto
7.2/10 837 votes#17 - The Reckoning
Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 10/30/2022
Officer John Nolan and a sleep-deprived Celina investigate a cash deposit linked to an old DEA case. Meanwhile, Wesley grows increasingly concerned about his deposition and is shocked when he realizes Elijah’s attorney is a familiar face from his past.
Director: Lanre Olabisi
Writer: Leland Jay Anderson
7.2/10 735 votes#18 - S.T.R.
Season 5 Episode 20 - Aired 4/18/2023
Officer Tim Bradford’s ex-wife returns and asks the team to help her save someone from her undercover past. Isabel’s return also creates additional pressure in Lucy and Tim’s relationship as they assist in the search.
Director: Chi-Yoon Chung
Writer: Natalie Callaghan
7.3/10 931 votes#19 - The Knock
Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 1/23/2022
The team responds to the report of a severed hand washing up on the beach and are on the hunt to find its owner. Meanwhile, Tim attempts to prove he isn’t a control freak to Lucy and invites her on a double date with him and Ashley.
Director: Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul
Writer: Zoe Cheng
7.3/10 806 votes#20 - Crossfire
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 11/6/2022
Officer John Nolan and Celina witness a shooting, realize the victim was already dead, and investigate further. Back at home, Bailey has been feeling off-center ever since the proposal, leaving Nolan to wonder what he can do to make her feel more comfortable. Elsewhere, Lopez and Harper enlist Lucy’s help to investigate the gang-related murder of a local shopkeeper.
Director: Jon Huertas
Writer: Glen Mazzara
7.3/10 935 votes#21 - The List (I)
Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 1/3/2023
Detective Nyla Harper and James find themselves in the middle of a bank robbery which leads the entire team on a citywide manhunt. Meanwhile, Tim and Lucy finally go on their first date, but it does have a few complications. The crossover continues on The Rookie: Feds S01E10 The Silent Prisoner (II).
Director: Robert Bella
Writer: Vincent Angell
7.3/10 770 votes#22 - Exposed
Season 5 Episode 16 - Aired 2/21/2023
The team must stop a militia from detonating a highly combustible truck in their possession. Meanwhile, Officers Nolan, Thorson, Juarez and Detective Harper search for three men who may have been exposed to Ebola and detain them for quarantine.
Director: Ryan Krayser
Writer: Paula Puryear
7.3/10 832 votes#23 - The Hammer
Season 6 Episode 2 - Aired 2/27/2024
The team comes together to celebrate John and Bailey’s wedding; meanwhile, Celina discovers a discrepancy in her case, leading to a new discovery. Elsewhere, Lucy and Tim’s relationship is put to the test.
Director: Alexi Hawley
Writer: Alexi Hawley, Brynn Malone
7.4/10 1,270 votes#24 - New Blood
Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 4/18/2021
When professor Fiona Ryan’s car window is smashed following a series of mysterious notes, Nolan volunteers to guard her house overnight. Lucy notices that Tim is being much nicer to his new boot than he was with her and she does not like it.
Director: Bill Roe
Writer: Alexi Hawley, Corey Miller, Zoe Cheng
7.4/10 1,601 votes#25 - Life and Death
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/2021
Officer Nolan and the entire team race against the clock to locate Lopez after she is kidnapped on her wedding day, not only to save her life but her unborn child’s.
Director: Bill Roe
Writer: Alexi Hawley