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50 free The Rookie trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
40 free The Rookie trivia questions with answers. The Rookie has been on ABC since 2018, long enough to build up a proper body of trivia. These 50 questions cover the premise and the real Los Angeles officer it was based on, the fictional division Nolan is posted to, the production companies behind it, and how the show has performed in the ratings. The cast gets a full run of questions — who plays Lucy Chen and what she won in 2005, which legal drama the watch commander spent six years on, which soap opera Tim Bradford's actor came from — plus the short-lived spin-off with Niecy Nash-Betts and the two-episode backdoor pilot that launched it. There is also a round on the rest of Nathan Fillion's career, from a cancelled space western to eight seasons of a novelist shadowing a homicide detective. Every answer was checked against a primary reference before publication, so the dates, episode counts and credits here are accurate.
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Q 01On which network did The Rookie premiere in October 2018?
ABC
It premiered on 16 October 2018. Alexi Hawley created it.
Q 02In which year did The Rookie premiere?
2018
The first episode went out on 16 October. It has run for eight seasons and 144 episodes so far.
Q 03Who plays John Nolan in The Rookie?
Nathan Fillion
He is also an executive producer on the show. His character is a man in his forties starting over.
Q 04Who created The Rookie?
Alexi Hawley
He also served as showrunner and executive producer. The show is produced by 20th Television and Lionsgate Television.
Q 05Which real officer inspired the premise of The Rookie?
William Norcross
He moved west in 2015 and joined the LAPD in middle age. The show turned that into a drama.
Q 06What makes John Nolan unusual at the LAPD?
He is the oldest recruit there
He graduated from the academy in his forties. Every plot in the first season turns on it.
Q 07Which LAPD division is The Rookie set in?
Mid-Wilshire
It is a fictional station in a real part of Los Angeles. Filming takes place in the city itself.
Q 08Which two companies produce The Rookie?
20th Television and Lionsgate
Alexi Hawley is the showrunner. The series is shot in Los Angeles.
Q 09In which city is The Rookie filmed?
Los Angeles
Very few police dramas shoot in the city they are set in. The production uses real locations across the city.
Q 10How many seasons of The Rookie had aired by the end of its 2025-26 run?
Eight
They add up to 144 episodes. A ninth season was ordered in April 2026.
Q 11How many episodes of The Rookie had aired by the end of season eight in 2026?
144
They span eight seasons on ABC. A ninth season was ordered in April 2026.
Q 12In which month and year was The Rookie renewed for a ninth season?
April 2026
Season seven had ranked tenth in viewership for its year. The show has become one of the network's most reliable performers.
Q 13How many average viewers did the seventh season of The Rookie draw?
10.80 million
That ranked tenth for the 2024-25 season. Delayed viewing accounts for much of it.
Which actress plays Officer Lucy Chen?
Q 21On which soap opera did Eric Winter appear from 2002 to 2005?
Days of Our Lives
He played Rex Brady. Daytime television has supplied a remarkable number of prime-time police officers.
Q 22Where did Eric Winter marry Roselyn Sanchez in 2008?
A historic fort in Puerto Rico
The date was 29 November. The fort is in San Juan.
Q 23Which character does Alyssa Diaz play in The Rookie?
Angela Lopez
The character is a training officer who becomes a detective. Diaz was born in Los Angeles in 1985.
Melissa O'Neil
She was cast in October 2018. She had previously starred in the science fiction series Dark Matter.
Q 15What did the actress who plays Lucy Chen win in 2005?
Canadian Idol
She was crowned the third winner of the series in September that year. Acting came later.
Q 16In which science fiction series did she star before The Rookie?
Dark Matter
She played a character known as Two, Rebecca and Portia Lin. It ran on Syfy from 2015.
Q 17Which character does Richard T. Jones play in The Rookie?
Wade Grey
He has played the role since February 2018. The character runs the station.
Q 18In which legal drama did Richard T. Jones star from 1999 to 2005?
Judging Amy
He played Bruce Calvin van Exel. He later joined Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Q 19Where was Richard T. Jones born?
Kobe, Japan
His parents were African-American and he grew up in Carson, California. He was born in January 1972.
Q 20Which character does Eric Winter play?
Tim Bradford
He joined the cast in October 2018. He had spent three years on a daytime soap before that.
Q 24In which ABC Family series did Alyssa Diaz star in 2011?
The Nine Lives of Chloe King
She played Jasmine. She later joined the CBS drama Zoo.
Q 25In which neighbourhood was Alyssa Diaz born?
Northridge
The date was 7 September 1985, and the district is in the San Fernando Valley. She now plays a police officer on television.
Q 26Who starred in the 2022 FBI spin-off?
Niecy Nash-Betts
It ran from September 2022 to May 2023. Niecy Nash-Betts starred.
Q 27Who starred in The Rookie: Feds?
Niecy Nash-Betts
She played Simone Clark, a former school counsellor. Her character joined the FBI at 48.
Q 28What was Simone Clark's job before joining the FBI?
A school counsellor
She worked in Washington DC. She became the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy at 48.
Q 29How were the spin-off's characters introduced?
A two-episode backdoor pilot
The episodes aired within the parent show. The spin-off then ran for a single season.
Q 30Why was the FBI spin-off cancelled after a single season?
The Hollywood double strike
The 2023 double strike disrupted the schedules of many shows. It had run for 22 episodes.