6 Reasons The Rookie Is Your Dad's New Favorite Show

It's October so your dad has already finished binge-watching Jack Ryan, twice, and is looking for something new to watch. No, it doesn't matter how much your mom begs, he's not going to watch This Is Us, okay? Don't even get him started on a Tom Selleck-less Magnum P.I., even if they blow up so many Ferraris! Enter your saving grace from those ranting phone calls that always come when you're in the middle of some big project at work: The Rookie.

Nathan Fillion returns to broadcast television as John Nolan; a 40-year old man who decides middle-age is a great time to start a brand new career as a police officer. Can he keep up with his 20-something fellow newbies? How many geezer jokes will be made? How will he teach them something from his years of experience while also being humbled by their fresh perspective? These are questions your dad would love to answer by tuning in to this new ABC show. You just need to remind him of the following when he starts to give you pushback about watching.

Discover your new favorite show: Watch This Now!

1. Nathan Fillion: We mentioned this already, but dads love Nathan Fillion. He's a great every-man so dads can see themselves in him. He's also very funny, but can deliver an impactful dramatic scene when the script calls for it. What more could your dad want in a leading man?

2. It's a procedural: Dads love procedurals because if there's a fantasy sports meeting or your mom demands a date night at the same time as his show, he can miss an episode and jump right back in without missing a beat. The Rookie fits that format perfectly, and also makes an easy watch if he misses a few weeks back-to-back and wants a mini-binge over the weekend. Plus, think of the array of criminals Nathan Fillion will have to catch every week!

3. It's from the guy who produced Castle: The Nathan Fillion of it all should be enough, but if it isn't remind your dad that Alexi Hawley, a man who produced almost 100 episodes of Fillion's former broadcast hit Castleis also behind The Rookie. It's a Castle reunion really! While John Nolan is no Richard Castle, you can expect that same blend of humor and action that made the former cop show so beloved.

Everything to Know About Nathan Fillion's The Rookie

4. He's Not Old, He's "Experienced": There have been rookie cop shows before. ABC aired the Canadian drama Rookie Blue for five years from 2010 to 2015, but John Nolan's age puts a different twist on this type of story. His wisdom is going to lead him to make different mistakes than an overconfident whipper snapper joining the force for an adrenaline rush. Watching John sort through his issues and fight for his right to be on the force is going to be a lot more relatable for an older dad than previous versions of the first-year cop storyline.

5. ACTION!: No dad is here to watch a bunch of people sit around and talk about their feelings all the time. Let's blow some stuff up! Get that heart pumping! The Rookie will deliver on that and then some. In fact, there's a huge shoot-out in the first episode that will show what this show is really made of.

6. Richard T. Jones Is the One Ruining John's Life: Richard T. Jones plays Sgt. Wade Grey in The Rookie, and you'll recognize him as the experienced/head cop from other dad shows like Wisdom of the Crowd, Criminal Mindsand Narcos. Dads love a familiar face and you know that Jones is capable of playing a real ball-buster. The show wouldn't be worth it if John didn't have one hell of an uphill battle to climb.

The Rookie premieres Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 10/9c on ABC.