19 feel-good shows to start 2019 off right

The Rookie

The what: Nathan Fillion is as charming as ever, and those dimples do not disappoint on ABC’s The Rookie either. Fillion plays John Nolan a middle-aged contractor who joins the LAPD after his life derails. Although we have to suspend our disbelief just a smidge to believe that Fillion is still only 40, he plays Nolan with the same boyish, “aww-shucks” sincerity that he brings to almost every role. He’s a try-hard rookie cop on the mean streets of LA, and even though they want us to believe he’s the underdog, he wins practically every situation he’s in.

The feels: You have to give it to this show. It can’t be easy to serve up a show about police in 2018, but the cast is winning, and the characters are played with an earnest dedication to making their city a better place. If you squint, you can almost see what law enforcement officers could be, and it’s definitely a showing of what we wish they were.

I didn’t want to like this show, and I definitely didn’t want to watch a bunch of cop-protagonists beg for affection, but I’ll admit. It won me over. It plays half like a workplace drama, and half like a procedural, with case-of-the-week storylines eating up most of the hour. However, there is enough chin-chucking from the training officers to their respective rookies, and enough chagrined newcomers to make me like it, despite myself.

The deets: Currently, The Rookie is about a third of the way through its first season, but you can catch up on Hulu and ABC.com. Fillion is, by far, the biggest star of the show, but there are a few faces you’re bound to recognize. Eric Winter plays one of the superior officers, although we can’t decide if he’s a bad guy yet or not. And the Sergeant, whose skeptical of Nolan’s midlife career change, is played by Richard T. Jones.