Rookie Blue Series 1 [DVD]

Rookie Blue is one of my favourite new tv shows. I say new but I have almost finished watching season 2 now and this is only just coming onto dvd.

Synopsis:

The series follows the lives of five rookie cops from 15th Division who have just graduated from the Academy. They must learn not only to deal with their duties as police officers, but also deal with the problems and expectation of their families and friends. It has been described as Grey's Anatomy in the world of rookie cops.

The series is set in Toronto and, though similar to Flashpoint in that it does not make overt references, it does use local street names, such as King Street, and Jameson Avenue in Parkdale was the location of a call-out in the pilot episode.

Missy Peregrym portrays Andy McNally, the series protagonist. She is driven by the desire to do the right thing even if it means not following procedure. Her father was formerly a homicide detective before he burned out. As a result McNally carries her father's baggage trying to prove herself.

Gregory Smith portrays Dov Epstein. He is often shown to be overeager to get involved in everything even when it is not necessary for him to do so. This characteristic has gotten him into trouble many times, so much so he has been told to "slow it down

Charlotte Sullivan portrays Gail Peck. She is often seen by others as getting preferential treatment because of her connections to high-ranking officials in the police force. Her mother is a superintendent, her brother a successful narcotics detective and her godfather is the chief of police. Because of this, she feels the need to prove to herself and others that she can do the job without help, which further isolates her.

Enuka Okuma portrays Traci Nash. She is a single mother trying to find the balance between her work and her family. Complications arise both at work and at home as she once dated detective Jerry Barber until she decided to try and get back together with her son's father. She is always trying to focus on her son, and do everything that is best for him. However, this sometimes gets in the way of her being a police officer.

Travis Milne as Chris Diaz. He is often seen as taking the "by the book" approach. Despite this seemingly good trait, it makes him unable to take initiative. He is involved in a relationship with Peck until Diaz is forced to notify the authorities of corruption that Peck's brother's partner was involved in. This temporarily costs him the relationship with Gail Peck.

Ben Bass portrays Sam Swarek. Formerly an undercover officer working on a money laundering operation, his cover was exposed when McNally arrested him, believing him to be a suspect in a murder case. He returns to 15th Division as a training officer for the rookies, awaiting a position to open up in weapons. He follows his instincts, even if it means sometimes breaking rules. Although he is the love interest of McNally, he insists that their relationship is strictly professional

Lyriq Bent portrays Sergeant Frank Best. Formerly a training officer himself, he becomes head of 15th Division after Boyko departs.

Matt Gordon portrays Oliver Shaw, one of the rookies training officers and a veteran of the police force.

Noam Jenkins portrays Jerry Barber. A detective at 15th Division, he actively participates in operations and stings, coordinating officers and other resources at his disposal.

Eric Johnson portrays Luke Callaghan. A homicide detective at 15th Division, he is tireless and exceedingly charming.

Melanie Nicholls-King portrays Noelle Williams. Another training officer and veteran of the police force, she hoped to become head of 15th Division but was beaten by Frank Best.

Aidan Devine portrays Sergeant Boyko, head of 15 Division until his departure.

This show is described as Greys Anatomy and I think that's a fair comparison but I think that this show is actually smarter than that.
Its not always about the relationships but the very serious crime problems that each city faces on a daily basis and it is a very realistic insight into how police officers have to deal with sometimes very life threatening situations.

The characters are great, you instantly warm to them. Yes i guess you can slot them into the greys anatomy counterparts but they are stand alone characters in my mind.

Andy (aka Meredith) is the main character and is seriously likeable, she is a bit green, a bit like Lexie grey, but very pretty and you can see how Sam falls in love with her so quick, but as with all good dramas the 2 people that you want to get together never do and so it's a constant battle of the will they wont they.

Ben Bass (aka Mcdreamy) plays her training officer Sam Swarek and boy is he sexy, you don't think so to begin with because he is a real arrogant s.o.b and blames her for things out of her control but slowly but surely your attitude towards him changes when you see how much he cares about Andy.

Eric Johnson plays Luke who is the nicest guy ever. Not only on screen but in real life too, I have had several conversations with him on twitter not only about the show but about other things as well, a very seriously great guy.

Gregory Smith (aka George) is brilliant, i dont know if you ever watched everwood with treat williams but this guy played ephram and is very underrated, he is a very smart and endearing young man and his acting is top notch, he plays a bumbling, idiot very well.

The supporting characters are solid and bring much needed relief to the plots as tryign to make it all about Sam and Andy every week would get very boring.

Every week there is always a new storyline, a new problem the police have to solve, and I actually find it very interesting to see what these young kids have to go through. Policework is not for everyone, i certainly couldnt do it so it makes interesting watching.

The season is 13 episodes long and so is season 2 but don't let that put you off because it is a great little show and one you wont regret spending your money on.

Highly recommended.

I say the best 'American' Police drama advisedly as the programme is actually set in Toronto, Canada. Although narrower in scope, concentrating on the five 'Rookies' of the title, it has all the ensemble hallmarks that Hill Street made famous. Lots of series have come close since but none as good as this one, with outstanding acting, believable flawed characters, and straightforward but interesting plots.

Of course the biggest change in Rookie Blue from Hill Street is that the major female characters are in the police themselves instead of being the wives, lawyers, girlfriends etc of the former, reflecting the changed world in the decades since.

Having really enjoyed the series on the Universal channel I was delighted to find that I enjoyed it ass much when I saw the DVD. Looking forward to series 2.