Rookie Blue

Come on, people. It's entertainment, it's a story, it's neither a police procedural manual nor a 'reality' show (as if those are 'real'). I know firsthand that the courtroom drama shows are also very unrealistic, but most trials actually get very boring, and who wants to watch that? For those who are carping about the acting, I wonder which shows you usually watch. With a heck of lot of training and performing under my belt, I'm very impatient with poor acting, but I find these characters very engaging, which is a good sign that the acting chops are there. My suggestion: Either don't watch it, or relax and enjoy it for what it is. I, for one, hope it stays on the air.

With all of the reality shows polluting television stations everywhere these days, shows like this are what keep me from turning off my TV permanently.

Rookie blue is exactly what you think it is: a cop show. It's got action, drama, and even has it's comedic moments. It has a variety of characters, the main ones being the five rookies, and chronicles the goings-on in and around the team.

The main characters are Andy, the good cop who rarely lets anyone in, Epstein, the smart dork from a broken family (that he never really talks about), Peck, the mean girl whose mother was a well-known and well-respected cop on the force, Diaz, the good Catholic boy who seems to want to break free of that image, and Nash, the single mother who's been trying to balance work and motherhood without anyone's help. They're all, at times, naive and still have so much to learn but isn't that what being a rookie is all about? You're trained according to what might happen but that almost never completely prepares you for the real world.

I think the problem many viewers have with this show is that it's been done before but, like I said , this is a cop show and that's what it's promised to be. If you know you don't like the genre, that's fine, but it isn't the show's fault. I'm venting a bit, but it's just frustrating when the advice being given is to not give the show a chance because there have been similar shows before. If you're looking for something completely different from anything you've ever seen before, you'll be looking for quite some time so, in the meantime, give this show a chance. It has real characters: ones everyone can relate to in some way or another, and the stories continue to unravel every week. Each episode has stories of their own, but there are also overarching story lines that regular viewers can become attached to.

It recently got renewed for a second season (Congratulations!), so it'll be around for a while. It really is a good show. The kind that I, personally, have been wanting to see but didn't expect in the summer (how often do good summer shows come on?). So, if you can, check it out. The episodes also get posted on Global TV and ABC's sites, so if you can't see it when it airs, it'll also be there. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

For those Americans that commented about where the badges are? Not every country have their badges attached to their uniforms. I googled same, and did not find a picture of a Toronto Police officer who is wearing their badge. Sorry, we don't do everything the same as you do down there in the south. Can't comment on the rest of the uniform for certain, they don't look too off from the Toronto uniforms from what I can see. However, their holsters do look a little low and lose and their uniforms are more form fitting on the show. Of what I can tell.

No offence to those who want this to be more realistic. If it was more realistic there would be no ratings, because, lets face it... Police don't have life threatening cases every day that they're working. I'm not saying that being a police is boring, but I don't think if you followed real police around with their duties ratings will be high. I don't mean any disrespect to police and I don't doubt that their job is hard and challenging. However, TV is not real, it's fantasy and people watch it to be entertained.

Frankly, I agree with some of the reviewers from the US. After all, I'm a superhero and I have yet to see a show or movie that I felt properly demonstrated what the life of a superhero is like, I mean a 3 year old evil genius could invent better gadgets than what the movies or shows give Batman. ;) Seriously though, I've never seen any promotional material stating that this show was supposed to be real...but it is really entertaining. Yes, there are moments when I'm yelling at the screen because one of the "rookies" completely disregarded all common sense, never mind their training. Truthfully though, these characters are all young (well, compared to me) and I'm perfectly willing to admit that I didn't always show the most common sense when I was that age, so these blunders don't bother me. I'm not expecting a perfect recreation of life on the force, I'm just expecting some entertaining stories that are well delivered and that's what I'm getting.

As for my fellow Canadians, the best praise I can give this show, is that I didn't realize it WAS Canadian until some Canadian cities were mentioned in the show. Let's face it, our comedies are generally very good, but our dramas have some times been rather lacking. This one isn't.

New cop dramas come out every year or two and most are hit or miss, but there is something to this show that leaves me hoping it gets picked up again for another season. The show follows a group of fresh rookies trying to find their way on the force through mistakes and errors in judgement. It's filmed and set in Toronto, with its share of Canadian actors so that hit home with me. I read a review of this show that was very harsh and was disappointed that the show wasn't accurate in terms of what actual police work is like for rookies in terms of the amount of freedom they have in this show and the ability to make decisions. TV is meant for entertainment so I'm glad they don't have it accurate to a tee. But the emotions, fears, camaraderie, and pain these characters go through while trying to find their bearings in a new career are very real I think and contributes to the strength of the show.