<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Official website </Td> </Tr> <P> The Rookie is an American crime drama television series created for ABC by Alexi Hawley . The series follows John Nolan, a forty - year - old man, who becomes the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department . The series is produced by ABC Studios and The Mark Gordon Company . </P> <P> The series stars Nathan Fillion, Afton Williamson, Eric Winter, Melissa O'Neil, Richard T. Jones, Titus Makin, Alyssa Diaz, and Mercedes Mason . In October 2017, The Rookie received a series order from ABC, and premiered on October 16, 2018 . </P> <P> The series follows John Nolan, a forty - year - old construction worker fresh from a divorce with a son in college who, after inadvertently helping police officers during a bank robbery, moves to Los Angeles to pursue a new career as a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department . As the oldest rookie on the force, John must navigate the dangerous, unpredictable nature of his job and is determined to make it in his new career despite the challenges . </P>

When does the tv show the rookies start