Three rookie cops in a large Southern California city provided the focus of the series.  The trio, variously fresh out of college, a government social program, and the army, were dedicated to new, more humane methods of law enforcement, which often put them at odds with their hard-nosed mentor, Lieutenant Ryker. The combination of their youthful enthusiasm and Ryker's experienced guidance helped mold them into effective officers. Though constantly at odds with their hard-boiled superior, the three wet-behind-the-ears recruits proved that there's more to being a good cop than toting a gun. Executive producer Leonard Goldberg explains the success of The Rookies, “In a hit series, the audience has to like the continuing characters. Our guys are likable.

They also like each other off-stage, which comes through on the tube. They’re always together when they’re not working. Their wives go shopping together. Michael always is carrying Georg’s two little children around and playing with them. Georg is big brother to Michael. When Michael does something wrong on the show, Georg says, ‘Let me tell him. We don’t want to get the kid upset.’ They both love Gerry O’ Loughlin, their lieutenant in the show but a father-figure in real life too. They sit around with open mouths by the hour, listening to Gerry tell them stories about the old days on the New York stage.”

For four years, while every other ABC show has perished in the night time slot – among them Nanny and the Professor, The Young Lawyers, The Silent Force, The Rookies managed to stay on a high level in the Nielsen rank.

Despite derogatory reviews calling it “Mod Squad in uniform” and “Adam-12 with a pinch of social significance,” the show maintained a respectable share-of-audience against Gunsmoke and Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. but even its stars chafe under the restrictions of some of the simplistic plots. “What we’re doing is not real life,” says Georg Stanford Brown. “In real life, police work is garbage and a cop is mostly a paperwork factory.”

• The Rookies Online  The best online source for The Rookies Fans. Designed and maintained by the Webmaster.

• The Rookies Online Yahoo Group  Share common interests and connect with other Rookies fans.

• The Unofficial Georg Stanford Brown Site  Hasn't been updated in years.

• The Official Sam Melville Website  Lots of information and material on late Sam Melville.