Rating: Country: USA Release Date: July 17, 2007 Distributor: Sony PIctures Cast: · Georg Stanford Brown · Michael Ontkean · Sam Melville · Kate Jackson · Gerald S. O'Loughlin Related Sites: · IMDb: The Rookies · The Rookies Online Grade: B

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The Rookies was in no way Spelling's Picket Fences. It was a modest hit for Spelling, running four years, spawning one spin-off (S.W.A.T.). But it also does exemplify some aspects of a successful formula for Spelling: a socially relevant framework (in this case, a "new breed" of cops in the 1970s) supported by an attractive cast.

The Rookies is a police drama, focusing on (what else?) three rookie police cops. But they aren't just standard rookies! They are part of the police department's effort to recruit a new type of police officer, one who is hipper and willing to think outside the box. If you're thinking that sounds like The Mod Squad -- well, that was a different production, which also had Spelling involvement. These are still flat-foots, wearing uniforms and driving patrol cars. But they do know how to talk to the young folk!

There's something comfortably low-class about crime in The Rookies. While there are your occasional nut-cases, such as a guy rejected from being a new police officer who goes around town posing as a rookie in order to tarnish their image, most of the crime is grittier than in current dramas. There are gangs (although with far less firepower than in current gangs), warehouse robberies, junkies, burglaries, and plain old bar brawls.

Compared to modern crime dramas, the plots are also comfortably low-class. "Ballistics" come in reports, not from laboratories. Identifications are made by browsing through mug books. In terms of storytelling, there is no suspense about "whodunnit" -- we see the criminal at the time of the act, and often know exactly why and how they committed the crime. Their story parallels the investigation in real-time, so the only question is "how will they catch them" (or "how will the criminals screw up and get caught") when the parallel storylines end up meeting.

The greatest strength for The Rookies, and one that still holds up, is a wonderful chemistry among its cast. The three rookie officers are played by Michael Ontkean (as naive Ohioan Willie Gillis), Georg Stanford Brown (as hip, black Terry Webster), and Sam Melville (as former air-force veteran Michael Danko). While much of modern crime dramas use "repartee," The Rookies pulls off "banter," the type of cheerful joshing that imparts true friendship.

Of course, the most popular relationship was not among the rookie cops, but the one between Mike Danko and his wife, nurse Jill Danko, who was played by Kate Jackson. During the course of the show, Jackson received more fan mail than all the other regular cast members combined, and she went on to even greater fame in her next Spelling production, Charlie's Angels. A review of the fan fiction posted for The Rookies at fanfiction.net shows that the loving relationship between the Dankos was one of the main elements that stuck with fans through the years.

I'll also put in a good word for Gerald S. O'Loughlin and his character, Lieutenant Ryker. While it's easy enough to have the supervisor of the new generation be an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy (as, in fact, he was in the original pilot for The Rookies, not included on this DVD set and sufficiently different from the series that its inclusion would have been inappropriate), that's not how Ryker's character plays out. Ryker is genuinely interested in what these rookies can bring to the police department, and he also has a lot to contribute to them. O'Loughlin plays Ryker with wry good humor and intelligence.

To my great disappointment, there are no bonus features on this DVD set (other than the obligatory previews). I would have loved to have heard some commentary tracks, or at the very least interviews. Sadly, Sam Melville passed away in 1989, but the other regular cast members are still around. Georg Stanford Brown, in particular, I would imagine could give a fascinating insight into the show. He originally was reluctant to accept the role because of his own mixed feelings about police officers, and reportedly would ask for changes in the script if something seemed sexist or otherwise politically objectionable. He also went on to direct, in addition to acting, and might provide interesting insights into story construction overall.

Still, this is a nice DVD set. As I said, it's a different type of story than you see on television today, and it's interesting to view it as a product of its time. The Vietnam war still cast a heavy shadow, the generation divide was a far bigger factor than it is now, and junkies -- well, they were junkies, not addicts or substance abusers.

And it's also interesting how, despite the differences in times (and fashions!), friendship and idealism still translate easily to our time.