The Rookies

The Rookies

1972
The Rookies
The Rookies

The Rookies

6.8 | en | Drama

The Rookies is an American crime drama 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.

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Seasons & Episodes

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EP23  Journey to Oblivion
Mar. 30,1976
Journey to Oblivion

A gambler kills his creditor and is witnessed by Jill Danko whom he and his accomplice must now do away with. Another episode dedicated to nurse Jill Danko. In this episode Jill bears a big resemblance to her later character Sabrina Duncan.

EP22  Deliver Me From Innocence
Mar. 02,1976
Deliver Me From Innocence

A frightened sixteen-year-old boy is forced to take the blame for the crimes of a junkie he has become mixed up with. The two had committed a burglary and escaped after killing a cop. The boy is Terry's current girlfriend's brother.

EP21  Blue Movie, Blue Death
Feb. 24,1976
Blue Movie, Blue Death

The rookies are given undercover assignments in order to smash a syndicate-owned porno film company responsible for the deaths of some of its actors.

EP20  The Mugging
Jan. 27,1976
The Mugging

After a woman is fatally assaulted by three junkies, her son, a doctor in the same hospital where Jill works, announces his intention to get revenge against the three, who were released from jail on a technicality.

EP19  From Out of the Darkness
Jan. 20,1976
From Out of the Darkness

Terry vows to find the murderer of Dan Kennedy, a retired cop turned security guard. Dan was the father of a blind girl, Terry's former girlfriend.

EP18  Sudden Death (a.k.a.) Return from the Past
Jan. 06,1976
Sudden Death (a.k.a.) Return from the Past

Mike, a former helicopter pilot in Vietnam, becomes the prey of a deranged ex-POW who blames the policeman for his capture by the Vietcong.

EP17  Eye for an Eye
Dec. 30,1975
Eye for an Eye

A man who was forced to spend eighteen years in prison for a crime he did not commit is determined to get the men who framed him.

EP16  Shadow of a Man
Dec. 23,1975
Shadow of a Man

Forest, a tough career cop, takes $10,000 from the scene of a robbery after his partner is killed by the robbers. Lt. Ryker puts an undercover investigator on the case to retrieve the money.

EP15  The Code Five Affair
Dec. 16,1975
The Code Five Affair

The rookies stake out an abandoned factory where a heroin deal is about to take place, and are able to seize the drugs and arrest all but one man. This man must get the heroin back from the police.

EP14  The Voice of Thunder
Dec. 09,1975
The Voice of Thunder

After a series of Sunday bombings of porno bookshops and massage parlors sweep the city, Chris and Terry recognize the same girl, at the scene of each incident. The dangerously schizophrenic top fashion model believes she is being instructed by a supreme being.

EP13  Dead Heat
Dec. 02,1975
Dead Heat

Chris and Terry have their patrol car stolen by teenage vandals while investigating a major robbery in a department store and three heavily armed killers trap them there.

EP12  Reluctant Hero
Nov. 25,1975
Reluctant Hero

A rookie accidentally overpowers a professional assassin and is named ""hero"". The assassin vows to kill the rookie and escapes with Jill as a hostage, offering to exchange her for the rookie.

EP11  Invitation to a Rumble
Nov. 18,1975
Invitation to a Rumble

Terry is run down by a car driven by the leader of a street gang in his old neighborhood. When one of the members of the gang is overheard calling for an ambulance, he is forced to kill Terry or he will be killed by the gang for betrayal.

EP10  The Torch Man
Nov. 11,1975
The Torch Man

An ex-convict, out on parole, desperately wants to go straight, but is sought after by his ex-cellmates to use his safe-cracking abilities in a robbery.

EP9  A Time to Mourn
Nov. 04,1975
A Time to Mourn

Chris' sister makes a surprise visit on her brother. He is suspended after conducting an unauthorized bust of the man who molested her.

EP8  Measure of Mercy
Oct. 28,1975
Measure of Mercy

The rookies must investigate a robbery at Memorial Hospital. The blood bank was robbed and its contents sold to the black market, leaving an infant at the hospital on the critical list.

EP7  Death Lady
Oct. 21,1975
Death Lady

A female officer is blamed for her partner's death during a jewelry store robbery. With her new partner, Mike, she sets out to solve the crime and prove her worth to the police department.

EP6  Reign of Terror
Oct. 14,1975
Reign of Terror

Young crooks Pat Stevens and Glen Barton rob ticket agent Brewster and shoot rookie Chris. The scene is witnessed by mailman Charlie Brooks, who is adamant about not getting involved. Eventually his wife, Nadine, and daughter, Stacy, encourage him to cooperate with the rookies, and finally, the criminals are apprehended.

EP5  Ladies Day (a.k.a.) Ladies Kill, Too
Oct. 07,1975
Ladies Day (a.k.a.) Ladies Kill, Too

Jill is working in a womens prison, fighting an outbreak of diphtheria. In order to protest for better food and working conditions, inmates take Jill Danko and Dr. Malcolm hostage.

EP4  Someone Who Cares
Sep. 30,1975
Someone Who Cares

An unidentified nine-year-old girl is accidentally hit by a car after two hedonistic ""swinging single"" men spike her lunch with narcotics. Before she dies, she begs Terry for help. Terry, reluctant to let her die a Jane Doe, investigates.

EP3  One-Way Street to Nowhere
Sep. 23,1975
One-Way Street to Nowhere

Mike is critically injured when he tries to capture the leader of a militant group and Terry is taken hostage.

EP2  Reading Writing and Angel Dust
Sep. 16,1975
Reading Writing and Angel Dust

After the tragic death of a bright high school student, the rookies put in a team effort to get the pushers off the school campus. They get some help from a pusher who is pretending to scorch for the source.

EP1  Lamb to the Slaughter
Sep. 09,1975
Lamb to the Slaughter

When burglar Brad Gifford is arrested, his cop-hating, now orphaned son, Jody, is taken to Lambert Hall where he is befriended by Ryker, a former orphan himself. Jody is just beginning to trust and like Ryker when his father, aided by Augie Baker and P.G. Larkan, escapes custody and comes for him. Ryker is taken hostage. The group is traced down by Mike and Terry. In the resulting shootout, Augie is killed, P.G. arrested, and Brad Gifford is mortally wounded. Jody is taken back to the home where he is given foster parents, and a new life.

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6.8 | en | Drama , Crime | More Info
Released: 1972-09-11 | Released Producted By: , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

The Rookies is an American crime drama 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.

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The tv show is currently not available onine

Cast

Georg Stanford Brown , Sam Melville , Bruce Fairbairn

Director

Aaron Spelling

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Reviews

raysond One of the most successful police dramas to ever come out of the 1970's "The Rookies" was one of the many police dramas that came from the production factory of producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg that premiered on March 7, 1972 as the 90-minute pilot episode for "The ABC Movie Of The Week" which became a colossal hit. Then ABC greenlighted it as a weekly series that premiered the following fall of that year. From the first three seasons of the series(1972-1974) it aired on Monday nights where it faced competition from CBS' Gunsmoke and NBC's Laugh-In among other shows that were on prime time Monday nights. The fourth and final season saw the series moved from Monday nights to Tuesday nights where it went opposite the strong competition with NBC's Police Story, and two CBS powerhouse comedies "One Day At A Time", and "M*A*S*H" during the 1975-1976 season.The Rookies came on the success of Joesph Wambaugh's book "The New Centurions", as well as the huge ratings success on television with Jack Webb's "Adam-12" sparked interest in depth about the realistic depiction and storytelling of the typical police officer and the situations these brave men and women faced everyday on the streets to uphold the law and to serve and protect the public gain virtual interest. The Rookies was the story of young police officers(Georg Stanford-Brown, Micheal Ontkean, and Sam Melville) straight out of the academy taking on their first assignment in the fictional community of Santa Clara under the moral authority and guidance of the Lieutenant(Gerald S. O'Laughlin) who took these young rookies under his wing and taught them to be good cops. Out of the 94 episodes that this series produced this was indeed one of the most intense and action packed police dramas of the era...so successful that it spawn a spin-off S.W.A.T that was successful too. "The Rookies" launched the careers of Micheal Ontkean, Georg Stanford-Brown and Kate Jackson. Notable guest stars ranging from Claude Akins, Ned Beatty, Joesph Campanella, Tyne Daly, Susan Dey, Sissy Spacek, Martin Sheen, Don Gordon, Louis Gossett Jr., Roddy McDowell, Cameron Mitchell, John Saxon, Jim Nabors, John Ritter, Della Reese, David Soul, Steve Forrest, Mark Slade, Nick Nolte, Stefanie Powers, William Shatner, Don Stroud, Cleavon Little, Amy Irving, Earl Holliman and many more were among the guest stars of the series that lasted four seasons and 94 color episodes ending it's run on March 30, 1976.The Rookies were not your average supercops or over the top showoffs neither. These young men made mistakes out there and they were inexperienced with some of the training they received fresh out of the academy. Those mistakes became the basis of several great storylines as well as several great episodes that stood out. But it was under the wing of the Lieutenant that taught these Rookies right from wrong and any other situations that many occur on the streets and how to handle them became one of the great cop shows of the 1970's.
MartinHafer I used to watch "The Rookies" as a kid and out of nostalgia's sake, I decided to try watching the old episodes now that they are out on DVD...big mistake. I was appalled at how badly written the show was--but it's not the sort of thing an 8-11 year-old would notice (and that's how old I was when the show aired). I have now noticed several things about the show that all contribute to its sucking badly: the cops are really not cops but social workers, Kate Jackson is NOT one of these rookies but ends up in the show for no apparent reason (any time anyone goes to the hospital, Kate is THE nurse on duty who treats them), plot holes big enough to drive the USS Enterprise through and the ability to take a good plot idea and completely ruin it. Yup...this show sucks. If it hadn't eventually resulted in a good spin-off series ("S.W.A.T."), I would have nothing positive to say about the show other than it gave folks like Georg Stanford Brown and Gerald O'Laughlin work--and it did have a really cool 70s theme song.
nelson-cruz I'm so glad to say that this summer on August 7, 2012 Shout Factory is releasing The Rookies Season 2 on DVD. It's been a good number of years since Season 1 but the waiting is finally going to be over! Season 2 has some great episodes that I still remember. Such episodes are "Cauldron" which puts both officers Terry and Willie in the hands of a madman who leaves them both stranded in the desert without any hope of being rescued. There's also "Time Lock" about a bank robber who holds Terry Webster and 3 female bankers hostage inside the bank. There are other episodes that I can't think of right now but I know are some great ones. So, let's enjoy the second season and hope that the remaining seasons 3 and 4 can also be released! nelson cruz
srichard-2 Just wanted to say that I've been watching reruns of The Rookies on TVLand and still say it's a great show. I'd rather watch ones like this than some of what they have on TV now. I'm happy that TVLand is airing these great 'classic' shows. Hopefully they will be on for quite some time.