The Rookies

Hey anyone interested seasons 3 and 4 are now on YouTube under Executive Decision.

In the 70's, a hip action television series had equally hip and exciting theme music. The Rookies theme is no exception. The music prepared us for the hard edged drama that was to come. The music had a definite urban edge. The audience was prepared for the hard street scenes and the gritty action that these police dramas promised.

When viewing vintage series', the music sets the mood and reflects the era that the series is part of. In my opinion, 70's television theme music that perfectly reflected the times and expressed the programs that they were representing.

"The Streets of San Francisco" , Chico and The Man, The Rookies, The Courtship of Eddie's Father and Maude are exceptional theme songs.

I remember this series with great fondness. I was seriously contemplating a career in law enforcement when I grew up, and this show had great appeal. Three brand-new, fresh-out-of-the-academy police officers were going to clean up the mean streets of Santa Clara, California! They were all "pretty people": Michael Ontkean, Georg Stanford Brown, Sam Melville and, not to be forgotten, Kate Jackson. The plots were frequently paper thin and the acting was always terribly earnest, but there was still a certain something that made it very watchable. Not the least of these intangibles was Gerald S. O'Loughlin as the supervising (and long-suffering) lieutenant. It does not stand the test of time - I mean, really, who believed that two rookies would be assigned to ride together and a third would be assigned to lone patrol with no senior officer in sight? And while replacing Michael Ontkean with Bruce Fairbairn didn't work for me, it still has the charm of nostalgia.

I'm so glad to say that this summer on August 7, 2012 Shout Factory is releasing The Rookies Season 2 on DVD. It's been a good number of years since Season 1 but the waiting is finally going to be over! Season 2 has some great episodes that I still remember. Such episodes are "Cauldron" which puts both officers Terry and Willie in the hands of a madman who leaves them both stranded in the desert without any hope of being rescued. There's also "Time Lock" about a bank robber who holds Terry Webster and 3 female bankers hostage inside the bank. There are other episodes that I can't think of right now but I know are some great ones. So, let's enjoy the second season and hope that the remaining seasons 3 and 4 can also be released!

nelson cruz

*TRIGGER WARNING*

I've been watching this on my Roku which is airing this for free-I have always loved the nostalgia factor of old 1970's cop shows-and I have to admit, I was a bit shocked at several of the reviewers' contention here that this series "doesn't hold up" in modern times. Then I noticed that all the reviews that make this assertion were written in the early 2000's.

That is, before 2020.

Before the BLM protests/riots.

Before buildings were again being vandalized or out-and-out destroyed in the name of free speech.

Before crowds were again overturning police cars, and calling police officers "pigs," and threatening them with death, simply for doing their jobs.

Before thinly veiled threats against political candidates were again a commonplace sight in public arenas.

Before suspicion and distrust of the establishment again became the order of the day.

Quite simply, the reason these reviewers thought that this series didn't hold up was simple:

They didn't know what was coming (or "coming again," if you prefer).

The powers that be may delete this review if they wish, but the fact remains-

Each of the above scenarios has been shown both on the evening news in the last five years...

...and was dealt with repeatedly as themes on episodes of this show.

Suddenly, for some reason, I think "The Rookies" is very relevant again, and thus "holds up" extremely well. Everything old is new again.