How ABC's 'Rookie' became a hit with teens

The success of a show about a cop in his 40s provides strong evidence of the importance of Tik Tok and other social media

- By Samantha Masunaga

Los Angeles Times photo illustration; photograph from ABC

A broadcast TV show about a middle-aged guy who becomes an LAPD cop wouldn't seem like your typical teen magnet.

Yet, the "The Rookie" was the most-streamed show among people younger than 18 across all broadcast series in the 2024-25 TV season, according to Nielsen data.

Odd as that may seem, the numbers match showrunner Alexi Hawley's own experience. He says he is often approached by parents telling him how much their kids gravitate to the ABC police procedural.

Recently, he said, actor Dwayne Johnson visited the Los Angeles set with his preteen daughter, who loves the Nathan Fillion-led series, now in its eighth season.

"You're always surprised in this business at success," Hawley said in an interview.

He offers multiple explanations: "A lot of it has to do with the comfort food of the show. Bad things happen on our show a lot, but I think the mix of humor and action and heavy stuff resonates with people."

Part of it too he says, is that the show is very "clippable."

"The Rookie," which is produced by Lionsgate Television and 20th Television and shot in Los Angeles, has 2.8 million followers on TikTok. In the last 12 months, its biggest audience on the platform were people aged 18 to 24, according to TikTok Studio.