Titus Makin Jr. (Glee, Pretty Little Liars) is one of the three rookies in The Rookie. Right from the start, his character Jackson West has been the heart of the series, and we marvel at his transformation from an insecure rookie to a confident cop. After the second season, the actor wanted to leave the series – unless The Rookie finally addressed racism within the police force.
‘I was scared of pissing people off’: After Season 2, The Rookie-Star could no longer ignore the issue
Long before The Rookie even took off, Titus Makin Jr. had remorse about taking the role. Police officers were not “friends and helpers” for him as a child and young person, but a serious danger, as he explained in an interview with EW:
It all started when it came to whether I would play the role. It was an internal struggle because of where I’m from and how I saw cops growing up. I wrestled with myself, ‘Oh man, people are going to think I’m team cops.’
In its first two seasons, The Rookie failed to address police violence and racism within the police force.
ABC
Titus Makin Jr. as Jackson West in The Rookie
The fact that this is a serious problem was known, especially in the United States, long before the black US citizen George Floyd was murdered by the police in 2020.
Work on season 3 The Rookie began shortly after the death of George Floyd, when the Black Lives Matter movement was at an all-time high. It also gave Makin Jr. the confidence he needed to advocate for a better portrayal of racism in the cop series at his workplace.
With everything that happened and what we saw in the media, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, everything that was going on. That’s when I finally found the voice that a lot of people have found. […] I’ve never said anything before. I was afraid of upsetting people.
The actor woke up one day, saw the news and knew: “I can not do this anymore”. He could no longer star in a police show that doesn’t address his being a black cop.
Titus Makin Jr. brought his ideas and changed The Rookie
Makin Jr. was already resigned to leaving The Rookie if need be. If showrunner Alexi Hawley hadn’t acted on his suggestions, he would have left The Rookie after Season 2:
I was like, ‘If you want to write me out, I’ll happily accept that. I would rather be written out than continue to ignore the reality on the show and not be able to tell the story.
Hawley took Makin Jr.’s suggestions, making Season 3 feel a lot more realistic and down-to-earth. Makin Jr.’s character, Jackson West, faces a racist boss. Everyday racism, police violence and racially motivated arrests are shown from his perspective.
He never officially explained why Makin Jr. left the cop series after season 3. His character’s death is an all-time low point in The Rookie.
You can stream The Rookie seasons 1 to 4 on Amazon Prime Video* and Disney+* in addition to Netflix. Since July 5, 2023, WOW * has had season 5 and the spin-off The Rookie: Feds, which you have to watch in a very specific order.
The Rookie & Co.: The 20 best series starts in July on Netflix, Amazon and more in the podcast
Need more fresh streaming tips? You can find the most exciting July series that you can stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more here in the monthly preview:
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