12 Shows Like The Rookie (2018) to Watch When You're Done
Updated August 2026
View The Rookie details →This procedural follows John Nolan, who becomes the oldest rookie in the LAPD after a midlife reinvention, navigating the job's dangers and his own fresh start. Warm, brisk and crowd-pleasing, it blends case-of-the-week action with genuine heart. If its feel-good cop drama hooked you, seek out character-driven procedurals about second chances and finding your calling later than expected.
If you loved The Rookie (2018) by Nathan Fillion, here are 12 TV series that share its content DNA. iRankMovies measures real similarity using cosine similarity across eight weighted dimensions — genre (50%), tone (12%), pace (10%), structure (8%), era (7%), theme (6%), audience (4%) and narrative perspective (3%) — not just the rating. The closest matches according to our analysis are Lethal Weapon, Orange Is the New Black, Vincenzo. Every title is ranked by how closely it matches and backed by the iRank Score, a composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb across 12,000+ analysed titles.
The Best Shows Similar to The Rookie
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the shows that share the most with The Rookie in terms of theme, narrative tone, and cinematic style. Every recommendation goes beyond genre — we evaluate the type of conflict, pacing, dramatic context, and the experience they create for viewers.
Lethal Weapon
2016
A slightly unhinged former Navy SEAL lands a job as a police officer in Los Angeles where he's partnered with a veteran detective trying to keep maintain a low stress level in his life.
In common: Comedy · Crime
Orange Is the New Black
2013 · Mark A. Burley
A crime she committed in her youthful past sends Piper Chapman to a women's prison, where she trades her comfortable New York life for one of unexpected camaraderie and conflict in an eccentric group
In common: Comedy · Crime · Drama
Vincenzo
2021 · Kim Young-kyu
During a visit to his motherland, a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer gives an unrivaled conglomerate a taste of its own medicinewith a side of justice.
In common: Comedy · Crime
The Gentlemen
2024 · Guy Ritchie
When aristocratic Eddie inherits the family estate, he discovers that it's home to an enormous weed empire — and its proprietors aren't going anywhere.
In common: Comedy · Crime · Drama
Dead to Me
2019 · Will Ferrell
A hotheaded widow searching for the hit-and-run driver who mowed down her husband befriends an eccentric optimist who isn't quite what she seems.
In common: Comedy · Crime · Drama
Barry
2018 · Aida Rodgers
A hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.
In common: Comedy · Crime · Drama
Psych
2006 · Mel Damski
Thanks to his police officer father's efforts, Shawn Spencer spent his childhood developing a keen eye for detail (and a lasting dislike of his dad). Years later, Shawn's frequent tips to the police l
In common: Comedy · Crime · Drama
Slow Horses
2022 · Julian Stevens
Follow a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents—and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb—as they navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.
In common: Comedy · Crime · Drama
The End of the F***ing World
2017 · Charlie Covell
James is 17 and is pretty sure he is a psychopath. Alyssa, also 17, is the cool and moody new girl at school. The pair make a connection and she persuades him to embark on a darkly comedic road trip i
In common: Comedy · Crime · Drama
The A-Team
1983
A fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel work as soldiers of fortune while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit."
In common: Comedy · Crime
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
2016
A comedic thriller that follows the bizarre adventures of eccentric “holistic” detective Dirk Gently and his reluctant assistant Todd. An adaptation of Douglas Adams’ wildly successful comic novels.
In common: Comedy · Crime
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2013 · David Phillips
A single-camera ensemble comedy following the lives of an eclectic group of detectives in a New York precinct, including one slacker who is forced to shape up when he gets a new boss.
In common: Comedy · Crime
Popular Comedy movies
Singin' in the Rain
1952 · Stanley Donen
In 1927 Hollywood, a silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his paranoid screen partner struggle to make the difficult transition to talking pictures.
Modern Times
1936 · Charlie Chaplin
A bumbling tramp desires to build a home with a young woman, yet is thwarted time and time again by his lack of experience and habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time..
City Lights
1931 · Charlie Chaplin
A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.
Pulp Fiction
1994 · Quentin Tarantino
A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that i
