Rookie Blue

Rookie Blue
Genre Police drama
Created by
Starring
Composer(s) Ron Sures
Country of origin Canada
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 6
No. of episodes 74 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) David Wellington
John Morayniss
Noreen Halpern
Ilana Frank
Tassie Cameron
Editor(s) Paul Day
Location(s) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Cinematography David Perrault
Camera setup Single-camera setup
Running time 44 minutes
Production company(s) Shaw Media
Thump, Inc.
Canwest
Ilana C. Frank Films
Entertainment One
Distributor Entertainment One International
Release
Original network
Picture format HDTV
1080i (Canada)
720p (U.S.)
Original release June 24, 2010 (2010-06-24) – July 29, 2015 (2015-07-29)
External links
Website

Rookie Blue is a Canadian police drama television series starring Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith. It was created by Morwyn Brebner, Tassie Cameron, and Ellen Vanstone.[1] The police drama premiered on June 24, 2010, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/8:00 p.m. Central,[2] and aired on Global in Canada and on ABC in the United States.[3]

On July 17, 2013, ABC and Global announced that Rookie Blue was renewed for a fifth season.[4] Originally intended to be a single season consisting of 22 episodes (up from the usual 13),[5] the season was split in two, with ABC and ET Canada at first announcing that the first half would premiere on July 17, and the other half "at a later date".[6][7][8] Season 5 premiered on May 19 on Global,[9] on June 19 on ABC,[10] and on July 20 on Universal Channel in the UK.[11] Global's early premiere marked the first time that the series aired on separate dates in Canada and the U.S.

On October 16, 2015, it was announced that Rookie Blue has completed its run after six seasons and will not return for a Season 7.[12]

Plot

There's something really primal about the idea of being a rookie—it hits that horrible, eternal sense of feeling like a fraud, like a kid dressed in grown-up clothes, trying to pretend you know what you're doing. And I thought, what if you were feeling just like that—but with a gun?
—Tassie Cameron, Executive Producer.[13]

Set in Toronto, the series follows the lives of five rookie cops from fictional 15 Division who have just graduated from the academy. Training's over, life begins. They must learn not only to deal with their duties as police officers, but also deal with the problems and expectation of their families and friends. They are first responders and they are about to learn that no amount of training prepares you for life.

"To serve, protect and..." is usually used in the parade room before shift starts by the cop leading the reunion. It always has a significant meaning in the episode plot or context. The one they use more often though is "to serve, protect and don't screw up".

It has been described as Grey's Anatomy in the world of rookie cops.[14]

Setting

The series is set in Toronto,[15][16] though, similar to Flashpoint and Orphan Black, it does not make overt references[17] to local street names or landmarks. These are however recognizable, as is the case with Jameson Avenue in Parkdale, the location of a call-out in the pilot episode.[18] As the series progressed, Toronto was embraced more openly, featuring frequent shots of the city skyline, explicit references to Toronto streets, references to neighboring cities such as Mississauga, and references to other police departments within Canada.

Main cast

Actor Character Position Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6[19]
Missy Peregrym Andy McNally Training Officer Main
Travis Milne Chris Diaz Main
Charlotte Sullivan Gail Peck Main
Priscilla Faia Chloe Price Main
Peter Mooney Nick Collins Officer Main
Enuka Okuma Traci Nash Detective Sergeant Main
Gregory Smith Dov Epstein Detective Main
Ben Bass Sam Swarek Main
Adam MacDonald Steve Peck Recurring Recurring Main Recurring
Rachael Ancheril Marlo Cruz Main Recurring
Eric Johnson Luke Callaghan Main Recurring
Noam Jenkins Jerry Barber Main
Melanie Nicholls-King Noelle Williams Recurring Main Recurring Recurring
Lyriq Bent Frank Best Staff Sergeant Main Guest
Matt Gordon Oliver Shaw Main

Officers

Detectives

Sergeants

Supporting cast

Production and development

The series is produced by E1 Entertainment, Canwest, and Thump, Inc. The pilot script was written by Ilana Frank.[14] In February 2009, Canwest ordered the show straight-to-series with a 13 episode order under the working title Copper.[14][25][26] ABC purchased the U.S. broadcast rights to the series in April 2009.[27]

The first role cast was Andy McNally, portrayed by Missy Peregrym, followed by Gregory Smith cast as Dov Epstein.[28][29] Additional casting was announced in early July.[30] Production began in Toronto, Ontario, on July 14, 2009, and was expected to continue through November 2009.[31] Thirteen episodes were produced.[3]

On June 21, 2010 The Accessible Channel announced that Rookie Blue would be the first series to premiere with a simultaneous Described Video broadcast for people with vision impairments.[32]

Filming of the second season took place between September 1, 2010 and January 25, 2011.[33] Tassie Cameron serves as head writer and the series showrunner.

Filming of the third season took place between August 25, 2011 and January 23, 2012.

Filming of the fourth season took place between August 20, 2012 and January 25, 2013.[34]

Filming of the combined fifth and sixth seasons took place between January 20, 2014 and October 1, 2014.[35]

On September 3, 2015, during an interview with Missy Peregrym in The Hollywood Reporter, it was reported that the season six finale would likely be the Rookie Blue series finale, since the series regulars have not been called back for another season.[36]

Reception

Ratings

The Canadian premiere drew an audience of 1.9 million viewers[37] with 712,000 in the 18–49 category,[38] placing first for the night and second for the week.[37] It is the highest rated premiere for a Canwest-commissioned drama series within the previous five years.[38]

In the U.S.A the premiere drew 7.253 million viewers and an audience share in the 18–49 category of 2.0 out of 6.[39] Furthermore, it improved upon the programming a year beforehand (20/20 special) by having +1.6 million viewers and +18% in the 18–49 age group. The premiere became the most successful scripted summer debut in over a year and in nearly six years for ABC.[40]

Season Canadian Timeslot (ET/PT) Original airing Average viewers (millions)
Season premiere Season finale Television
season
Canada U.S.
1 Monday 9:00 p.m. June 24, 2010 September 9, 2010 2010 1.597 6.125
2 Tuesday 10:00 p.m. June 23, 2011 September 8, 2011 2011 1.351 4.995
3 Wednesday 10:00 p.m. May 24, 2012 September 6, 2012 2012 1.202 4.945
4 Thursday 10:00 p.m. May 23, 2013 September 12, 2013 2013 1.203 5.075
5 Monday 10:00 p.m.(Episodes 1-6)
Wednesday 10:00 p.m.(Episodes 7-9)
Wednesday 9:00 p.m.(Episodes 10 & 11)[19]
May 19, 2014 August 6, 2014 2014
6 Thursday 9:00 p.m.(Episodes 1-5)
Wednesday 9:00 p.m.(Episodes 6-9)
Wednesday 10:00 p.m. (Episodes 10-11)
May 21, 2015 July 29, 2015 2015

Critical reception

Metacritic summarizes the response as "mixed or average reviews".[41] One of the more favorable reviews came from Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times, saying "it's not a groundbreaking police drama, nor is it divertingly cheesy. It's well made and well meaning."[42] Robert Lloyd from the Los Angeles Times was also favorable with the show, and agreed with Stanley describing it as nothing new to television, but he rather enjoyed it and saying "Rookie Blue doesn't oversell itself. It is modest and plain in a way that makes even its less likely moments feel credible enough."[43] Rob Salem of the Toronto Star favorably compared the series to Grey's Anatomy. "Call it Blues Anatomy (or Gray's Academy, take your pick)." Salem found the show "slickly produced and engagingly acted" and had a particular fondness for Missy Peregrym's character, which he described as "the Meredith surrogate".[44] The Globe and Mail's television critic, John Doyle, described Rookie Blue as "a good cop show with a terrible title." Doyle went on to say "it's a very slick, glossy melodrama, all handsome actors and admirably sharp storylines. Yet it's true to its Toronto roots."[45]

Among the more negative reviewers was Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Owen calls the show "Grey's Anatomy in a police station." He did however hope to see some interaction between religion and police through one of the characters but stated "Given the generally bland nature of Rookie Blue, that's probably too much to ask."[46] Paige Wiser from the Chicago Sun-Times describes the show as overly generic and claims that the rookies look more like puppies than police officers. She said "if you're looking for a new cop drama to serve and protect your entertainment interests, leave the rookies alone to ripen, and go for a ride-along with Jason Lee's Dwight."[47] Randee Dawn from The Hollywood Reporter was much harsher, calling the writing lazy and describing the motivation of the rookies as selfish, saying that they are there to make themselves feel good and not to protect the city. Dawn said "at its core, Rookie is a terrible show."[48] Alex Strachan of Montreal's The Gazette was unimpressed, stating that "The acting is uneven, the writing and directing aren't particularly stylish or inspired, and you've seen it countless times before." Strachan went on to say that Rookie Blue is "a harmless enough diversion on an otherwise lazy summer TV night."[49]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Rookie Blue
Year Presenter Award Work Result
2011 Gemini Awards Best Writing in a Dramatic Series Big Nickel[50] Nominated
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series Matt Gordon[50] Nominated
Noam Jenkins[50] Nominated
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series Melanie Nicholls-King[50] Nominated
Enuka Okuma[50] Nominated
Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role, Dramatic Series Michelle Nolden[50] Nominated
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actor Ten and Under Drew Davis[51] Nominated
Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor Ten and Under Jacob Ewaniuk[51] Nominated
2012 PRISM Awards Performance in a Drama Episode Missy Peregrym[52] Nominated
Drama Series Episode Bad Moon Rising[53] Nominated

Broadcast

Rookie Blue is distributed by E1 Entertainment. NBC Universal Global Networks (also known as Universal Networks International) purchased broadcast rights in all markets except Canada (country of origin), France, Germany, and the United States.[54] Ion Television acquired the off network rights to the series in the United States.[55][56] Ion ran the show starting in December 2014 on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. with five episodes in a row, however by mid-February 2015 the show had been pulled from Ion's schedule due to low ratings, and replaced first by Blue Bloods, then Cold Case.

DVD releases

Entertainment One releases the show on DVD and a few season on Blu-ray in Region 1. The Canadian releases contain an additional French audio track and the Canadian Blu-ray release is three discs instead of four.

DVD Name Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 Ep # Discs Extras
Rookie Blue: The Complete First Season May 31, 2011 October 10, 2011 April 4, 2012 13 4 Making-Of Featurettes
The Stryker Report: Behind the Scenes on Rookie Blue, Season 1 Trailer
Season 2 On-Set Trailer
Rookie Blue: The Complete Second Season May 29, 2012 October 8, 2012 July 18, 2012 13 4 Season 2: Every Day is a First
Shots Fired: Inside the Season Premiere
Horsing Around
Cops on Coffee
Travis Talk
Disorderly Conduct
Split Screen Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Rookie Blue: The Complete Third Season May 7, 2013 August 12, 2013 May 7, 2013 (Questionable Source - Was Never Made Available Or No Longer In Production For This Region) 13 4 Making-Of Featurettes that include Behind-the-Scenes material
Interviews with the Cast and Crew
Rookie Blue: The Complete Fourth Season May 6, 2014 September 1, 2014 Entertainment One Canceled This Release For This Region 13 4 Five "Making-Of" Featurettes

Rookie Blue: In Session Webisodes

Rookie Blue: Season 5, Volume 1 August 18, 2015 11
Rookie Blue: Season 6 March 8, 2016 11

References

  1. "Canwest and ABC join forces with E1 Entertainment on original series, Copper". The Futon Critic. April 22, 2009. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  2. "ABC Announces 2010 Summer Schedule" (Press release). ABC Television Network. April 7, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "ABC sets "Rookie Blue" premiere". The HollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  4. "ABC Announces Early Renewal of Popular Summer Drama Series "Rookie Blue"". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  5. Ben Bass on Twitter: "@michellepego hey YO, all is well. we're in for the long haul cuz we're shooting 22 eps. cool for fans, huh? having fun here. hope u good"
  6. "ABC Announces Its 2014 Summer Schedule". The Futon Critic.com. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  7. "Rookie Blue Cops Supersized Season 5 — But When Will It Air on ABC?". TVLine.com. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  8. "Rookie Blue Lands Extended Episode Order, Adds Two New Characters For Season 5". ETCanada.com. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  9. "'Rookie Blue' comes to Canada ahead of States". TheLoop.ca. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  10. Bibel, Sara. "'Sing Your Face Off' to Premiere Saturday May 31 on ABC; 'Rookie Blue' Premiere Moves to June, 'The Quest' Premiere to July". TVbythe Numbers.com. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  11. "'Universal Channel Sets UK Premiere Date For ‘Rookie Blue’ Season 5'". TVWise. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  12. http://www.shawmedia.ca/Media/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?pressReleaseId=6442464018
  13. "Rookie Blue. About the show". ABC. Retrieved April 2009.
  14. 1 2 3 Vlessing, Etan (April 22, 2009). "ABC picks up Canadian drama 'Copper'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  15. Annette Bourdeau (June 21, 2010). "'Rookie Blue' Set Visit: This Is Not Your Average Cop Show". AOLTV (Toronto). Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  16. Salem, Robert (June 20, 2010). "Young series veterans sing Rookie Blues". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  17. Ryan, Andrew (June 24, 2010). "Rookie Blue: Our latest export to the U.S.". The Globe and Mail (Toronto). Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  18. Doyle, John (June 6, 2010). "Some home truths about Canadian TV". The Globe and Mail (Toronto). Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  19. 1 2 "What’s next after Rookie Blue finale bombs?". TheTVJunkies.com. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  20. "Messy Houses". Rookie Blue. Season 3. Episode 5. July 5, 2012. ABC.
  21. Cameron, Tassie (June 14, 2012). "@stompermonster #RBParty #RookieBlueTV I can try...#1. Andy studied Sociology/Psych before becoming a cop. And she was an A student.". Twitter. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  22. Cameron, Tassie (June 14, 2012). "@RB_Phan @Studley @stompermonster #3) Gail misspent a few years as a half-Goth, before realizing that she looked gorgeous without makeup.". Twitter. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  23. Bobbin, Jay (September 11, 2013). "'Rookie Blue' Season 4 finale: Charlotte Sullivan 'sort of had her suspicions' about Peck's sexuality". Zap2it. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  24. Cameron, Tassie (June 14, 2012). "@stompermonster #RBParty #RookieBlueTV #2) Dov was a sickly asthmatic kid who watched reruns of Starsky&Hutch in bed.". Twitter. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  25. Vlessing, Etan (April 7, 2010). "ABC to premiere Canadian cop show in June". Reuters (Toronto ON). Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  26. "Canadian TV trend". New York Post (New York NY). April 9, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  27. Schneider, Michael (April 22, 2009). "ABC picks up 'Copper'". Variety. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  28. "Development Update: Monday, June 29". The Futon Critic. June 29, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  29. "Development Update: Friday, July 10". The Futon Critic. July 10, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  30. Vlessing, Etan (July 20, 2009). "More cast for ABC's 'Copper'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  31. Stevens, Michael (July 20, 2009). "ABC takes a shine to 'Copper'". Torontofilm.net. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  32. "a world first: tactv to air television program in simulcast, providing blind and low-vision audiences with real-time viewing" (Press release). The Accessible Channel. June 21, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  33. "OMDC MEDIA LIST – August 13, 2010 Productions currently shooting in Ontario.". Ontario Media Development Corporation. August 13, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  34. "OMDC MEDIA LIST – August 27, 2012 Productions currently shooting in Ontario.". Ontario Media Development Corporation. August 27, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  35. ‘Rookie Blue’ — ABC Renews Cop Drama for Season 5 | TVLine
  36. 'Rookie Blue' Star Previews Potential Series Finale: "It Felt Like We Were Saying Goodbye" - Hollywood Reporter
  37. 1 2 "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) June 21–27, 2010" (PDF). BBM Canada. July 2, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  38. 1 2 "ROOKIE BLUE’S ARRESTING PREMIERE WINS THE NIGHT WITH 1.8 MILLION VIEWERS" (Press release). CanWestTVMedia.com. June 25, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  39. Gorman, Bill (June 25, 2010). "TV Ratings Thursday: Rookie Blue Premieres OK, Boston Med Not OK". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  40. Gorman, Bill (June 25, 2010). "ABC's "Rookie Blue" Stands as TV's Top-Rated Scripted Summer Debut in Over 1 Year". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  41. "Rookie Blue reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. CNET Networks. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  42. Stanley, Alessandra (June 23, 2010). "Newbie, Nubile Cops Learning a Sober Beat". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  43. Lloyd, Robert (June 24, 2010). "Television review: 'Rookie Blue'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  44. Salem, Rob (June 9, 2010). "Salem: I Know What You’ll Watch This Summer". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  45. Doyle, John (June 7, 2010). "Some home truths about Canadian TV". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  46. Owen, Rob (June 24, 2010). "'Rookie Blue' proves too vanilla". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  47. Wiser, Paige (June 24, 2010). "TV reviews: ABC's 'Rookie Blue,' TNT's 'Memphis Beat'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  48. Dawn, Randee (June 21, 2010). "Rookie Blue -- TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  49. Strachan, Alex (June 23, 2010). "Rookie Blue a harmless police diversion". The Gazette. Retrieved July 3, 2010.. Note, corrected original author's typo; original quote said "another wise".
  50. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "26TH Annual Gemini Awards". tribute.ca. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  51. 1 2 "2011 Young Artist Award". www.youngartistawards.org. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  52. Burbank. "EIC Announces Nominations for 16th Annual PRISM Awards Including Performances by Claire Danes, Tommy Lee Jones, Nick Nolte, Helen Mirren, and Russell Brand". PRISM Awards. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  53. "Awards & Nominees 2012". PRISM Awards. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  54. "E1 Entertainment's Rookie Blue Scores Ratings Success in U.S. and Canada" (Press release). E1 Entertainment. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  55. ION Acquires Off-Network Rights To ‘Rookie Blue’ | Deadline
  56. ION Television | Episodes | Rookie Blue

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