Officer Quigley Smitty (Brent Huff) has emerged as a mainstay character of the hit ABC sequence, The Rookie. Although he solely made one look in the course of the first season, Smitty regularly grew to become a recurring visitor character and ultimately a semi-regular half of the forged. At first look, Smitty comes off as a buffoonish veteran officer of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mid-Wilshire Division. Essentially, Smitty serves because the present’s comedian reduction, however newer episodes show that he is extra than simply the butt of the joke. During Season 6, Smitty was invaluable in uncovering the corruption of Dr. Blair London (Danielle Campbell) and the protection legal professional Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan). Smitty is perhaps a goofball, however he comes by way of for the Mid-Wilshire division when it counts. It’s time to take a more in-depth have a look at one of The Rookie’s most unforgettable characters, Smitty.

‘The Rookie’ Establishes Smitty’s Character Early

It took some time earlier than Smitty grew to become totally established as a mainstay character. Smitty makes his first and solely look in The Rookie’s first season in the course of the episode “Plain Clothes Day.” He joins a hunt for a gunrunner suspect, Marcus Quincannon, whereas rookie officer John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) participates in a plain garments day on the job. Therefore, Nolan’s coaching officer, Talia Bishop (Afton Williamson), acts solely in an observational capability, and Nolan should make all the selections whereas on patrol. Smitty assists Nolan in making an attempt to breach a lodge room the place Nolan believes Quincannon is staying. Smitty will not be thrilled about taking orders from Nolan and appears down upon the rookie cop.

By Season 2, Smitty is upgraded to a recurring character in The Rookie. It’s revealed in “The Night General” that Smitty lives in a makeshift trailer park within the Mid-Wilshire station’s car parking zone, which Smitty nicknamed “Shangri-La West.” When Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr.) will get evicted from his condominium, Smitty unsuccessfully makes an attempt to make West his new roommate. Later within the season, Smitty celebrates his remaining day as “Mr. Irrelevant,” a ceremonial title given to officers who rating lowest on the sergeant’s examination and don’t have any likelihood of getting promoted. Smitty’s Season 2 appearances depict him as an underachiever in his LAPD profession. Although Smitty is competent sufficient as a veteran officer with years on the job, he has no profession ambition or want for upward mobility in legislation enforcement. Smitty is there to do the job with minimal effort and is allergic to exhausting work.

Smitty Generally Serves as Comic Relief in ‘The Rookie’

Smitty’s function all through the final a number of years of The Rookie is to act because the present’s designated comedian reduction. The Rookie works finest as a dramedy that depicts critical conditions however by no means takes itself too significantly. The sequence was by no means supposed to be a gritty cop drama within the vein of NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues, or Southland. When Smitty seems, it is often to fulfill the extra comedic quotient in a given episode or plot. For instance, within the Season 4 episode “Real Crime,” Smitty claims he by chance based the QAnon motion. According to Smitty, he all of the sudden gained many followers when writing This Is Us fan fiction whereas mixing fat burners and cough syrup. Smitty believes that QAnon stands for the primary preliminary in his first identify, “Quigley,” and claims he did not begin the group on objective. As he tells the true-crime documentary filmmakers within the episode, “Things just got out of hand.” Yes, Smitty is a complete goofball, however he is half of the present’s quirky aura and heightened actuality.

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Interestingly, Smitty reveals that he is smarter than he lets on within the Season 5 episode, “Daddy Cop.” During the episode, Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) works to tug off a “five-player trade” to assist her boyfriend, Tim Bradford (Eric Winter), transfer to a place within the LAPD Metro division. Smitty simply deduces Lucy’s plan earlier than she requests a favor from Smitty to assist make the commerce work. That represents not less than one occasion the place Smitty reveals his buffoonish demeanor might all be an act, although it seems that Smitty prefers to exhibit minimal effort on the job. Of course, in trade for Smitty’s assist, Lucy should clear out his filthy trailer, full with a hazmat go well with, in a single of the present’s funniest moments.

Smitty’s Assistance Proves Invaluable in Helping Tim Bradford in Season 6

During the Season 6 episode, The Squeeze,” Officers Nolan and Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez) enlist Smitty’s assistance for their investigation into the activities of police psychiatrist Dr. Blair London. Tim suspects Dr. London is using information from her patient sessions to blackmail police officers into sabotaging law enforcement operations. Additionally, Dr. London and her partner-in-crime, the attorney Monica Stevens, attempt to pin the suicide of the Metro officer Mad Dog (Nick Gomez) on Tim since Mad Dog revealed Dr. London’s secret to Tim before he killed himself. Smitty’s assistance in revealing the patients of Dr. London in the LAPD becomes crucial in proving Tim’s innocence in Mad Dog’s death. Nolan and Celina convince Smitty to assist them because it would help Tim. Of course, Celina then humorously embellishes, “He [Tim] instructed us, ‘Smitty is the person, and he is the one one we are able to belief with this.’” Smitty could not prefer to work, however when it issues, he is a loyal pal and an incorruptible officer. He additionally clearly respects Tim and holds his longtime colleague in excessive regard.

Later within the Season 6 finale, “Escape Plan,” Detective Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) recruits Smitty for the duty pressure investigating Dr. London, which quickly widens to Monica Stevens. Eventually, Smitty joins Lucy’s plain garments help workforce for the operation. Smitty won’t be essentially the most dependable officer in some conditions, however the truth that Lopez faucets Smitty for the investigation proves that he’s reliable for delicate police operations.

‘The Rookie’ Returns for Season 7 in 2025

The excellent news is that The Rookie returns for its seventh season later subsequent yr. Hopefully, meaning Smitty will likely be again for extra excessive jinks within the Mid-Wilshire division. It could be hilariously ironic if, in some way, Smitty lucks right into a promotion he by no means needed, or maybe some huge fortune, which might be an applicable occasion for the character earlier than the present wraps. Smitty usually performs the idiot, and everybody likes to suppose of him that approach. That stated, Smitty is smarter than he seems and doesn’t get entangled in corruption, however he suffers from persistent laziness and an absence of ambition. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see if any new proverbial wrinkles in Smitty’s character come to gentle in Season 7, which can debut later subsequent yr on ABC.

All six seasons of The Rookie are streaming now on Hulu within the U.S.

Starting over is not straightforward, particularly for John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of becoming a member of the LAPD. As their oldest rookie, he is met with skepticism from those that see him as only a strolling midlife disaster.

Release Date

October 16, 2018

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

6

WATCH ON HULU