The Rookie is unique among police procedurals. Most series try to be as real as possible, and some of them — like Dick Wolf's FBI, One Chicago and Law and Order universes — are pretty good at portraying realism. However, The Rookie isn't always worried about that. It normally prioritizes its characters' personal dilemmas rather than berating characters with case details. The show intentionally keeps things light while allowing for a healthy amount of comedic relief.
With that as a status quo, it's weird whenever The Rookie breaks its mold. After a multi-week hiatus, Season 5, Episode 18, "Double Trouble" returned in a "true crime" format. Camera crews were filming the characters for an in-universe documentary, and it just didn't work. The thing is, this is the third time that The Rookie has unsuccessfully tried the "true crime" format. Here's what happened in the episode and why it's time that the tradition ended.
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'Double Trouble' Brought Back Chenford's Doppelgängers
Since the two became a couple, The Rookie's focusing its attention on Chenford. Bradford had to change jobs so that they could stay together, and they've actually talked about having children together. Even Tamara has noticed how close they've been getting. "Double Trouble" jumped back on the Chenford train and featured Chen and Bradford's doppelgängers: Jake (Dim) and Sava (Juicy). Pretending to be Dim and Juicy was the official catalyst for Chenford anyway, so it was time that they made another appearance.
After Dim got out of jail, he and Juicy started parasitizing at rich people's houses. But after a few failed "jobs," Dim went missing and was eventually found dead. It turned out that his distant cousin was an arms dealer who wanted a specific, ancient flintlock musket. The rich couple that Dim worked for had bought said musket on the black market, so he was targeting them from the beginning. However, his death was unrelated. He had been cheating on Sava, and when he tried to break it off, the other girl had shot him.
The point of the episode was to contrast Dim and Juicy's failed relationship with Chen and Bradford's progress as a couple, but it didn't quite work. While The Rookie fans always want more Chenford, the contrast didn't really hit home. The episode tried to make Dim and Juicy's fates matter, but they were never going to impact the series. So, the plot never really resonated — even though there was some good Chenford content mixed in.
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'True Crime' Episodes Don't Resonate with The Rookie's Fans
Regardless of the plot's resonance, "Double Trouble's" format was even worse. It was set in a "true crime" style, where the documentary was being filmed inside the episode. While the concept sounds cool, it wasn't. It's hard to pinpoint why it didn't work, but the tonal shift often feels inorganic. Because cops were being interviewed by filmmakers, information about the case came in odd and ill-timed ways. Not to mention, everything felt disjointed and off-balance — even comical by losing The Rookie's tried-and-true successful format.
According to IMDb, it was the worst-rated episode that The Rookie has ever had. As a series, The Rookie scores an 8.0, but "Double Trouble" scored an abysmal 4.1. Unfortunately, that was appropriate for the course. The Rookie has made a tradition of "true crime" episodes, and none of them have done well. Season 3, Episode 7, "True Crime," scored a 4.3, and Season 4, Episode 16, "Real Crime," scored a 4.7. So, if one or two failures weren't enough, maybe a third will be enough to solidify the pattern. For whatever reason, the "true crime" episodes don't resonate with The Rookie's audience. In fact, they were the only three episodes to score below 5.0. So, assuming the series is renewed for Season 6, it needs to abandon the "true crime" tradition.
The Rookie airs Tuesdays at 8:00 pm on ABC.
