John Nolan is a fictional character from the American television series The Rookie. John is portrayed by actor Nathan Fillion in the series. The character of Nolan is based on a real life LAPD rookie who was over the age of 37. The character has featured in multiple storylines including taking a life within a month on the job, relationships with fellow rookie Lucy Chen, Homeland Security officer Jessica Russo, doctor Grace Sawyer and firefighter/soldier Bailey Nune the latter of which he married during the second episode of the sixth season. Other major storylines have included being set up as corrupt by dirty cop Nick Armstrong, going back to school to get a degree to become a training officer, becoming a union representative and successfully becoming a field training officer. Fillion has appeared in every episode of The Rookie in addition to 3 episodes of The Rookie: Feds and will make an appearance in upcoming spin-off The Rookie: North.
Creation and development
When the series was announced, the details of John was given as "Fillion plays John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the LAPD. At an age where most are at the peak of their career, Nolan cast aside his comfortable, small town life and moved to L.A. to pursue his dream of being a cop. Now, surrounded by rookies twenty years his junior, Nolan must navigate the dangerous, humorous and unpredictable world of a “young” cop, determined to make his second shot at life count."
It was further discussed how Nolan's character was based on real life LAPD officer William Norcross who serves as an executive producer on the series.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Fillion told Marisa Roffman the reasons he signed on to The Rookie without a script as "It was the pitch. You want a character you feel you can serve — you can serve the character, serve the story. Being in the business as long as I have, I’ve broadened my scope. And the core idea of the show, it has to be something strong enough to carry it a number of years. You want the potential for more. You don’t want to hit a roadblock where you’ve run out of stories because our engine isn’t built that way. This one has an engine. [John Nolan] is literally starting his life over, from scratch. He has an incredible history behind him, but he’s starting everything brand new. It’s a very attractive prospect that people can relate to."
When Melissa O'Neil was cast as Lucy Chen, it was announced that she was a love interest for Nolan, it was reported "O’Neil will play Lucy, a rookie cop in the LAPD who struggles with a domineering training officer and might be developing a budding romance with Nolan."
In a TV Line interview, Hawley discussed the plans for Jenna Dewan to be the love interest for Nolan by saying "Absolutely. I think Jen is another coup for us, so yeah, that's my plan. We couldn't really do a ton of love interest stuff during the middle of the pandemic, but at the end of the day it felt like, "Let's find him somebody to potentially take us into next season. And Jen is really special, and I love the character."
Storylines Season One John is first seen at a bank in his hometown Foxburg, Pennsylvania placing his wedding ring and divorce papers in a storage box before the bank gets ambushed by robbers. During the robbery John bravely confronts the robbers in the hope to stop the robbery until the police arrive. After this John decides he wants to become a police officer and goes to the training academy. After nine months of training John is placed at the Mid-Wiltshire station with fellow rookies Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil) and Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr.). During the first roll call he learns that he will be placed under the supervision of Talia Bishop (Afton Williamson) and gets told by Sergeant Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones) that Wade isn’t comfortable with John being a rookie police officer due to his age. John quickly learns how his age can cause issues when keeping up with his fellow younger officers and younger criminals alike but he uses his age and wisdom to navigate situations showing some empathy along the way and proving himself to be a loyal friend and colleague.
One month into becoming a police officer, John and Talia respond to a call where a shopkeeper is being robbed by two brothers Kyle and Alex Montgomery (Sam Duffy & Sam Lenz), Alex leads Nolan on a foot chase which leads into a family's home and when Alex moves his gun in Nolan's direction, Nolan fires a single shot killing Alex instantly. What follows shows Nolan suffering PTSD in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and during his interviews with Internal Affairs led by Commander Percy West (Michael Beach). Grey supports Nolan during this time and eventually Nolan gets cleared in the shooting.
During the episode "Green Light" while in the process of arresting a woman for disorderly behaviour, Nolan accidentally causes her a wardrobe malfunction unbeknownst to him that the woman is the girlfriend of a gangster who places a hit out on Nolan. When Nolan still shows up for work he receives a standing ovation where it is decided by Captain Zoe Anderson (Mercedes Mason) that she will ride along with Nolan and act as his training officer while Grey goes to the gangster's father in prison to get the hit rescinded. Despite Grey being successful, Nolan and Anderson are kidnapped by the gangster, Cole Midas. Nolan tries to reason with Cole but he pushes Anderson into a pool while she is tied to a chair where she does manage to break free of her restraints but after a brief shootout Cole kills Anderson by a shot to the neck. The following day, Grey instructs Nolan to arrest Midas after a stand off and on the journey back to the station, Grey reveals to Nolan how Anderson had requested him to be placed at Mid-Wiltshire.
Nolan starts a relationship with Homeland Security agent Jessica Russo (Sarah Shahi) whom he meets during a hostage negotiation training exercise and where she assists him in apprehending escaped convicts after a prison bus crash. Russo asks Nolan to help her friend assistant district attorney Sean Del Monte (Michael Trucco) by being a protective detail for a former United States Border Patrol officer Brad Hayes (Joel McHale) who is giving evidence as a witness. Bishop doesn’t want to be on the protection detail so Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) decides to take on the training of Nolan for this job. Del Monte not realising that Nolan is a rookie believes Nolan is in charge admits his mistake by mentioning Russo previously dated a Navy SEAL. After an earthquake Hayes attacks Nolan in an attempt to escape but Nolan manages to subdue him and handcuff him. It is then revealed that there is people coming to Hayes where Nolan and Bradford have to escape the safe house with Hayes. After escaping to a beach, they learn that Hayes was in on the attack on the safe house where they then manage to stop the gunmen and fully apprehend Hayes.
Sometime later Nolan learns that Bishop has been keeping a foster brother secret which is against regulations with the LAPD and he interrupts her disciplinary hearing to give words in support of her. After this he learns that there is a bio-weapon made of a weaponised strain of hemorrhagic fever that has been brought into Los Angeles and is concerned when he finds out that Russo knew and didn’t warn him when he mentioned his son was coming to visit. During a chase and subsequent shoot out with one of the terrorists he believes him to be willing to surrender but Russo shoots him dead saying that she saw him reaching for a gun. Nolan then goes to a house where Tim got exposed by the bio-weapon where it appears a cure has worked but Tim collapses in front of him, Chen, Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) and West.
Season Two Following the ambulance carrying Tim, to the hospital, an unknown assailant involved in the bio-weapon incident started shooting at the police where Nolan alongside Lucy, Angela and Jackson returned fire until Tim jumped out of the ambulance and shot the assailant in the arm so she could be apprehended. It is then revealed two weeks later that Talia departed off-screen and Nolan was awaiting to hear whom his new training officer would be. While having no set training officer John goes on patrol with Wade, Angela and new detective Nick Armstrong (Harold Perrineau) whom he forms a close friendship with. It’s revealed in the fourth episode "Guardians and Gladiators" that John will be trained by (formerly undercover) Detective Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) who instantly takes a disliking to him due to the issue he talks too much to strangers and has a guardian mentality but gradually she grows to appreciate him both as a friend and trainee. Nolan also re-encounters former flame Grace Sawyer (Ali Larter) who is now a doctor at the local hospital.
On his first court appearance as a police officer, John testified on a drink driving case where the defendant is represented by Lopez's boyfriend (later fiancée and husband) Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore). During the testimony an alert goes off declaring a missile is coming to Los Angeles and everybody panics. Jessica who’s in the courtroom gallery supporting Nolan uses her credentials to try and calm everyone down. She asks the judge (Jim Ortlieb) in the case if there is a fallout shelter which he denies but while Wesley is talking to Lopez on John's radio they learn that is not the case. They notice the judge, court reporter and some members of the gallery have disappeared so Jessica, John and Wesley bring the other people left behind and the prisoners down to the shelter where the judge points a gun at John refusing to let him in. John overpowers him and removes the gun and arrests him. One of the prisoners Oscar Hutchison (Matthew Glave) orchestrates a takeover with another prisoner Jonathan Ryland (Dayo Ade). Nolan is forced to non-fatally shoot Ryland but Oscar has taken the judge hostage with a scalpel from a first aid kit. As he tries opening the shelter, Lopez and West arrive to declare that the alert was a false alarm and apprehend Oscar. Lopez looks for Wesley and finds that he’s been stabbed by Oscar. Back at the station, Nolan learns the reason that Harper is back in uniform when she and ex-husband Donovan Town (Enver Gjokaj) are fighting over her taking their daughter Lila (Carsyn Rose) against the custody arrangements. He defends Harper to Donovan who backs off. Later at the hospital Nolan along with the others await news on Wesley.
After a pregnancy scare, John and Jessica break up due to the fact she wants to have a baby but John isn’t ready to have another child due to him being at the start of his career as a police officer.