For those of us who still believe the expanse of summer television is comparable to a barren plain of reruns and mediocrity, I'm here to tell you that this summer, a new trend is afoot. Thanks to exciting new shows like NYC 22 -- a gritty, urban cop drama by executive producers Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal -- summer programming is shaking off its taboo of being the season of bad television. We got a sneak peek at NYC 22 and have a few spoilers to share before the pilot episode airs this Sunday at 10.00 et/pt. And with our very own homegrown rookie cop show returning for its third season May 24, maybe we can get a little closer to answering the question of why we love the rookie.
Fresh out of the academy and all eager to prove themselves in their own right, NYC 22 begins by navigating us through six rookies' first day on the job from beginning to end. In each of the three pairings what is supposed to be a menial day of patrolling transforms into a high pressure scenario, ande the rookies are forced to think on their feet. In the midst of these situations, we're revealed the emotional crux this ensemble cast of rookies all share -- by becoming a cop, each character has something to prove.
Expect setting to play an important role in NYC 22. Some characters already have strong ties to the neighbourhood, while others already begin to develop strong connections the first day on the job. Hints are dropped at a potential romance between a rookie cop and a troubled kid's protective sister. One rookie's temper may prove too short unless he undergoes some kind of major transformation. Character arcs will burn slowly throughout this season, and you can expect as many mistakes from these rookies as feats of remarkable heroism.
"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 of Rookie Blue.
The allowance to make mistakes, after all, is what separates a rookie cop show from regular procedural cop drama. We love the rookie because alongside them, anything can happen. The rule books aren't thrown out the window because they haven't even been written yet. Learning alongside these characters is what allows us to relate to shows like Rookie Blue, NYC 22, even if the characters live wildly different lives then our own.
In the collective habit of hotter months to wake from hibernation, leave the house more often, and experience new things, it is the unpredictability of rookie cops who throw themselves into the deep end which we may be able to relate to the most.
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Watch NYC 22 Sundays at 10.00 et/pt.
Rookie Blue season 2 airs Wednesdays at 9.00 et/pt
Rookie Blue season 3 premieres Thursday, May 24.