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Rookie Blue

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Rookie Blue
GenrePolice procedural
Created by
Starring
ComposerRon Sures
Country of origin
Canada
Original language
English
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes74 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locations
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
CinematographyDavid Perrault
EditorPaul Day
Camera setupSingle-camera setup
Running time44 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseJune 24, 2010 (2010-06-24) 
July 29, 2015 (2015-07-29)

Rookie Blue is a Canadian police procedural television series starring Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith. It was created by Morwyn Brebner, Tassie Cameron, and Ellen Vanstone.[1] The series premiered on June 24, 2010,[2] and aired on Global in Canada and ABC in the United States.[3]

On July 17, 2013, Global and ABC jointly announced that Rookie Blue was renewed for a fifth season.[4] Originally intended to be a single season consisting of 22 episodes (up from the usual 13),[5] the season was split in two. Season 5 premiered on May 19, 2014, on Global,[6] on June 19 on ABC,[7] and on July 20 on Universal Channel in the UK.[8] The second 11 episodes aired in 2015 and were later re-branded as season 6.[9][10][11] The final episode of Season 6 aired that July.

On October 16, 2015, it was announced that Rookie Blue had completed its run after six seasons and would not be returning.[12]

Premise

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There's something really primal about the idea of being a rookie—it hits that horrible, eternal sense of feeling like a fraud, like a kid dressed in grown-up clothes, trying to pretend you know what you're doing. And I thought, what if you were feeling just like that—but with a gun?

—Tassie Cameron, Executive Producer[13]

Set in Toronto, the series follows the lives of five rookie police officers from fictional 15 Division who have just graduated from the academy. The officers must learn to deal with not only their duties as police officers, but also the problems and expectations of family, friends, and romantic attachments at the office. They are first responders who are about to learn that no amount of training prepares you for life.[citation needed]

"To serve, protect, and..." is usually used in the parade room before shift starts by the officer leading the parade. It always has a significant meaning in the context of the episode plot. More often than not, however, they use "to serve, protect, and don't screw up".[citation needed]

Rookie Blue has been described as the Grey's Anatomy of the world of rookie cops.[14]

Setting

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The series is set in Toronto, often referencing local street names and areas. The streets are often recognizable, as is the case with Jameson Avenue in Parkdale, the location of a call-out in the pilot episode.[15]

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
113June 24, 2010 (2010-06-24)September 9, 2010 (2010-09-09)
213June 23, 2011 (2011-06-23)September 8, 2011 (2011-09-08)
313May 24, 2012 (2012-05-24)September 6, 2012 (2012-09-06)
413May 23, 2013 (2013-05-23)September 12, 2013 (2013-09-12)
511May 19, 2014 (2014-05-19)August 6, 2014 (2014-08-06)
611May 21, 2015 (2015-05-21)July 29, 2015 (2015-07-29)

Cast

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Main

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Actor Character Position Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6[10]
Missy PeregrymAndrea "Andy" McNallyTraining OfficerMain
Travis MilneChristian "Chris" DiazMain
Charlotte SullivanGail PeckMain
Priscilla FaiaChloe PriceDoes not appearMain
Peter MooneyNick CollinsOfficerDoes not appearMain
Enuka OkumaTraci NashDetective SergeantMain
Gregory SmithDov EpsteinDetectiveMain
Ben BassSam SwarekMain
Adam MacDonaldStephen "Steve" PeckRecurringDoes not appearRecurringMainRecurring
Rachael AncherilMarlo CruzDoes not appearMainRecurring
Eric JohnsonLucas "Luke" CallaghanMainRecurringDoes not appear
Noam JenkinsJerry BarberMainDoes not appear
Melanie Nicholls-KingNoelle WilliamsRecurringMainRecurringDoes not appearRecurring
Lyriq BentFrank BestStaff SergeantMainGuestDoes not appear
Matt GordonOliver ShawMain

Officers

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  • Missy Peregrym portrays Andrea "Andy" Grace McNally.[16] She is driven by the desire to do the right thing even if it means not following procedure. Andy is the most positive person on the job—because she knows first-hand where the job can take you, and she does not want to go there.
  • Charlotte Sullivan portrays Gail Peck. Underneath her caustic exterior, Gail is vulnerable and feels lonely. Because she is the daughter of high-ranking officials in the police force she is often seen by others as getting preferential treatment.
  • Travis Milne portrays Chris Diaz. He is often seen as taking the "by the book" approach. He believes in the chain of command, following orders, doing the right thing and above all, he believes in defending the weak. Despite this seemingly good trait, it makes him unable to take initiative.
  • Peter Mooney portrays Nick Collins. He appears for first time in season 3. He is a former soldier who served for four years, including a tour in Afghanistan, before becoming a cop.
  • Priscilla Faia portrays Chloe Price. She appears for the first time in season 4, when she is first introduced as a one-night stand of Dov's and later revealed to be Frank's goddaughter and the newest rookie to be transferred to 15 Division. She is talkative and bubbly, which sometimes annoys the other rookies. However, she shows herself to be a competent officer.

Detectives

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  • Gregory Smith portrays Dov Epstein. He is often shown to be overeager to get involved in everything even when it is not necessary for him to do so. This characteristic has gotten him into trouble many times, so much so he has been told to "slow it down".
  • Ben Bass portrays Samuel "Sam" Jay Swarek. He is known for following his instincts rather than following the book and is thus labeled as a rogue cop by his frustrated superiors.
  • Adam MacDonald portrays Steve Peck. Steve is Gail's older brother and a corrupt detective in the Guns and Gangs division.
  • Noam Jenkins portrays Jerry Barber. A divorced detective at 15 Division, he actively participated in operations and stings, coordinating officers and other resources at his disposal.
  • Eric Johnson portrays Luke Callaghan. A homicide detective at 15 Division, he is tireless and exceedingly charming.
  • Melanie Nicholls-King portrays Noelle Williams. Was originally a training officer and is veteran of the police force. Noelle is not only great at her job, but she is also an invaluable mentor for the rookies in her division.
  • Rachael Ancheril portrays Marlo Cruz. During the six months in which Andy and Nick are away, Sam moves on and enters into a relationship with her. She is well liked by everyone, but she and Andy end up in situations together as partners.

Sergeants

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  • Enuka Okuma portrays Traci Nash. She is a single mother trying to find the balance between her work and her family.
  • Matt Gordon portrays Oliver Shaw, one of the rookies' training officers and a veteran of the police force. He is the kind of cop who doesn't go looking for trouble but doesn't shy away from it when it finds him. He is one of the few older police officers with a functional marriage and family, having a wife and three daughters.
  • Lyriq Bent portrays Frank Best. Frank was a training officer until he was promoted to Staff Sergeant after Boyko was promoted.

Supporting

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  • Peter MacNeill portrays Tommy McNally. He is Andy's father. Formerly a homicide detective, he has a drinking problem.
  • Barbara Williams portrays Claire McNally. She is Andy's mother. She works in social services.
  • Aaron Abrams portrays Donovan Boyd. He is a guns and gangs detective who seems to be always over the edge.
  • Camille Sullivan portrays Jo Rosati. She is a homicide detective.
  • Mayko Nguyen portrays Sue Tran. She is a bomb technician for ETF.
  • Aliyah O'Brien portrays Holly Stewart. Appears for the first time in Season 4 Episode 7. She is a forensic pathologist who soon becomes one of Gail's closest friends.
  • Jim Codrington portrays ETF Sgt Bailey. He is seen throughout seasons 3–5 with his team helping the officers of 15 Division.
  • Emily Hampshire portrays Celery. Celery is dating Oliver.

Production and development

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The series is produced by E1 Entertainment, Canwest, and Thump, Inc. The pilot script was written by Ilana Frank.[14] In February 2009, Canwest ordered the show straight-to-series with a 13 episode order under the working title Copper.[14][17][18] ABC purchased the American broadcast rights to the series in April 2009.[19]

The first role cast was Andy McNally, portrayed by Missy Peregrym, followed by Gregory Smith cast as Dov Epstein.[20][21] Additional casting was announced in early July.[22] Production began in Toronto, Ontario, on July 14, 2009, and was expected to continue through November 2009.[23] Thirteen episodes were produced.[3]

On June 21, 2010 The Accessible Channel announced that Rookie Blue would be the first series to premiere with a simultaneous Described Video broadcast for people with vision impairments.[24]

Filming of the second season took place between September 1, 2010, and January 25, 2011.[25] Tassie Cameron served as head writer and series showrunner, with Georgia Toews serving as writing assistant.[26] Filming of the third season took place between August 25, 2011, and January 23, 2012. Filming of the fourth season took place between August 20, 2012, and January 25, 2013.[27] Filming of the combined fifth and sixth seasons took place between January 20, 2014, and October 1, 2014.[28]

On September 3, 2015, during an interview with Missy Peregrym in The Hollywood Reporter, it was reported that the season six finale would likely be the Rookie Blue series finale, since the series regulars have not been called back for another season.[29]

Release

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Broadcast

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Rookie Blue is distributed by E1 Entertainment. NBC Universal Global Networks (also known as Universal Networks International) purchased broadcast rights in all markets except Canada (country of origin), France, Germany, and the United States.[30] Ion Television acquired the off network rights to the series in the United States.[31][32] Ion ran the show starting in December 2014 on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. with five episodes in a row, however by mid-February 2015 the show had been pulled from Ion's schedule due to low ratings, and replaced first by Blue Bloods, then Cold Case.

Home media

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Entertainment One releases the show on DVD and a few season on Blu-ray in Region 1. The Canadian releases contain an additional French audio track and the Canadian Blu-ray release is three discs instead of four. In Australia (Region 4), only the first two seasons were released. However, Via Vision Entertainment has acquired the rights to the series and will released the complete series boxset on November 18, 2020.

DVD nameRegion 1Region 2Region 4Ep #Discs
Rookie Blue: The Complete First Season May 31, 2011 October 10, 2011 April 4, 2012 13 4
Rookie Blue: The Complete Second Season May 29, 2012 October 8, 2012 July 18, 2012 13 4
Rookie Blue: The Complete Third Season May 7, 2013 August 12, 2013 May 7, 2013 13 4
Rookie Blue: The Complete Fourth Season May 6, 2014 September 1, 2014 N/a 13 4
Rookie Blue: Season 5 August 18, 2015 N/a N/a 11 3
Rookie Blue: Season 6 March 8, 2016 N/a N/a 11 3
The Complete Series March 8, 2016 (Canada)[33]
September 20, 2016 (US)[34]
N/a November 18, 2020[35] 74 22

Reception

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Critical response

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Metacritic summarizes the response as "mixed or average reviews".[36] One of the more favorable reviews came from Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times, saying "it's not a groundbreaking police drama, nor is it divertingly cheesy. It's well made and well meaning."[37] Robert Lloyd from the Los Angeles Times was also favorable with the show, and agreed with Stanley describing it as nothing new to television, but he rather enjoyed it and saying "Rookie Blue doesn't oversell itself. It is modest and plain in a way that makes even its less likely moments feel credible enough."[38] Rob Salem of the Toronto Star favorably compared the series to Grey's Anatomy. "Call it Blues Anatomy (or Gray's Academy, take your pick)." Salem found the show "slickly produced and engagingly acted" and had a particular fondness for Missy Peregrym's character, which he described as "the Meredith surrogate".[39] The Globe and Mail's television critic, John Doyle, described Rookie Blue as "a good cop show with a terrible title." Doyle went on to say "it's a very slick, glossy melodrama, all handsome actors and admirably sharp storylines. Yet it's true to its Toronto roots."[40]

Among the more negative reviewers was Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Owen calls the show "Grey's Anatomy in a police station." He did however hope to see some interaction between religion and police through one of the characters but stated "Given the generally bland nature of Rookie Blue, that's probably too much to ask."[41] Paige Wiser from the Chicago Sun-Times describes the show as overly generic and claims that the rookies look more like puppies than police officers. She said "if you're looking for a new cop drama to serve and protect your entertainment interests, leave the rookies alone to ripen, and go for a ride-along with Jason Lee's Dwight."[42] Randee Dawn from The Hollywood Reporter was much harsher, calling the writing lazy and describing the motivation of the rookies as selfish, saying that they are there to make themselves feel good and not to protect the city. Dawn said "at its core, Rookie is a terrible show."[43] Alex Strachan of Montreal's The Gazette was unimpressed, stating that "The acting is uneven, the writing and directing aren't particularly stylish or inspired, and you've seen it countless times before." Strachan went on to say that Rookie Blue is "a harmless enough diversion on an otherwise lazy summer TV night."[44]

Ratings

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The Canadian premiere drew an audience of 1.9 million viewers[45] with 712,000 in the 18–49 category,[46] placing first for the night and second for the week.[45] It is the highest rated premiere for a Canwest-commissioned drama series within the previous five years.[46]

In the United States, the premiere drew 7.253 million viewers and an audience share in the 18–49 category of 2.0 out of 6.[47] Furthermore, it improved upon the programming a year beforehand (20/20 special) by having +1.6 million viewers and +18% in the 18–49 age group. The premiere became the most successful scripted summer debut in over a year and in nearly six years for ABC.[48]

Season Canadian Timeslot (ET/PT) Original airing Average viewers (millions)
Season premiere Season finale Television
season
Canada U.S.
1 Monday 9:00 p.m. June 24, 2010 September 9, 2010 2010 1.597 6.125
2 Tuesday 10:00 p.m. June 23, 2011 September 8, 2011 2011 1.351 4.995
3 Wednesday 10:00 p.m. May 24, 2012 September 6, 2012 2012 1.202 4.945
4 Thursday 10:00 p.m. May 23, 2013 September 12, 2013 2013 1.203 5.075
5 Monday 10:00 p.m. (Episodes 1–6)
Wednesday 10:00 p.m. (Episodes 7–9)
Wednesday 9:00 p.m. (Episodes 10–11)[10]
May 19, 2014 August 6, 2014 2014
6 Thursday 9:00 p.m. (Episodes 1–5)
Wednesday 9:00 p.m. (Episodes 6–9)
Wednesday 10:00 p.m. (Episodes 10–11)
May 21, 2015 July 29, 2015 2015

Awards and nominations

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Awards and nominations for Rookie Blue
YearPresenterAwardWorkResultNotes
2011 Gemini Awards Best Writing in a Dramatic Series Big Nickel Nominated [49]
Best Supporting Actor, Dramatic Series Matt Gordon Nominated [49]
Noam Jenkins Nominated [49]
Best Supporting Actress, Dramatic Series Melanie Nicholls-King Nominated [49]
Enuka Okuma Nominated [49]
Best Actress in a Guest Role, Dramatic Series Michelle Nolden Nominated [49]
2011 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actor Ten and Under Drew Davis[50] Nominated
Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor Ten and Under Jacob Ewaniuk[50] Nominated
2012 PRISM Awards Performance in a Drama Episode Missy Peregrym[51] Nominated
Drama Series Episode Bad Moon Rising[52] Nominated
2013 Canadian Screen Awards Best Supporting Actress – Drama Enuka Okuma Nominated
2014 Canadian Screen Awards Best Actor – Drama Ben Bass Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Drama Matt Gordon Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Drama Priscilla Faia Nominated
2015 Canadian Screen Awards Golden Screen Award: TV Drama/Comedy Rookie Blue Won
2016 Canadian Screen Awards Best Actor – Drama Ben Bass Nominated
Best Actress – Drama Missy Peregrym Nominated

References

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  1. "Canwest and ABC join forces with E1 Entertainment on original series, Copper". The Futon Critic. April 22, 2009. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  2. "ABC Announces 2010 Summer Schedule" (Press release). ABC Television Network. April 7, 2010. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "ABC sets "Rookie Blue" premiere". The HollywoodReporter.com. April 7, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  4. "ABC Announces Early Renewal of Popular Summer Drama Series "Rookie Blue"". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  5. "Ben Bass on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  6. "'Rookie Blue' comes to Canada ahead of States". TheLoop.ca. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  7. Bibel, Sara. "'Sing Your Face Off' to Premiere Saturday May 31 on ABC; 'Rookie Blue' Premiere Moves to June, 'The Quest' Premiere to July". TVbythe Numbers.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  8. "'Universal Channel Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Rookie Blue' Season 5'". TVWise. June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  9. "Rookie Blue Cops Supersized Season 5 – but when Will It Air on ABC? Plus: Casting News!". March 24, 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 "What's next after Rookie Blue finale bombs?". TheTVJunkies.com. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  11. "'Rookie Blue' To End After Season 6? Showrunner Tassie Cameron Weighs In". Huffingtonpost.ca. August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  12. "Global Celebrates Rookie Blue as the Hit Series Comes to an End After Six Seasons". Corus Entertainment. October 16, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  13. "Rookie Blue. About the show". ABC. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  14. 1 2 3 Vlessing, Etan (April 22, 2009). "ABC picks up Canadian drama 'Copper'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  15. Doyle, John (June 6, 2010). "Some home truths about Canadian TV". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  16. "Messy Houses". Rookie Blue. Season 3. Episode 5. July 5, 2012. ABC.
  17. Vlessing, Etan (April 7, 2010). "ABC to premiere Canadian cop show in June". Reuters. Toronto ON. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  18. "Canadian TV trend". New York Post. New York NY. April 9, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  19. Schneider, Michael (April 22, 2009). "ABC picks up 'Copper'". Variety. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  20. "Development Update: Monday, June 29". The Futon Critic. June 29, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  21. "Development Update: Friday, July 10". The Futon Critic. July 10, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  22. Vlessing, Etan (July 20, 2009). "More cast for ABC's 'Copper'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  23. Stevens, Michael (July 20, 2009). "ABC takes a shine to 'Copper'". Torontofilm.net. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  24. "a world first: tactv to air television program in simulcast, providing blind and low-vision audiences with real-time viewing" (Press release). The Accessible Channel. June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  25. "OMDC MEDIA LIST – August 13, 2010 Productions currently shooting in Ontario". Ontario Media Development Corporation. August 13, 2010. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  26. Ah-Sen, J. M., "What do you do when your mother is Miriam Toews?", Maclean's, May 30, 2022.
  27. "OMDC MEDIA LIST – August 27, 2012 Productions currently shooting in Ontario". Ontario Media Development Corporation. August 27, 2012. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  28. Roots, Kimberly (July 17, 2013). "Rookie Blue Renewed for Season 5". tvline.com. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  29. "'Rookie Blue' Star Previews Potential Series Finale: "It Felt Like We Were Saying Goodbye"". hollywoodreporter.com. September 3, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  30. "E1 Entertainment's Rookie Blue Scores Ratings Success in U.S. and Canada" (Press release). E1 Entertainment. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  31. Andreeva, Nellie (April 22, 2014). "ION Acquires Off-Network Rights To 'Rookie Blue'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  32. "ION Television – Episodes – Rookie Blue". iontelevision.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  33. "Rookie Blue - The Complete Series (CAN) DVD Information - TVShowsOnDVD.com". www.tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  34. "Rookie Blue DVD news: Release Date for The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com". www.tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  35. "Rookie Blue – The Complete Collection – DVD". Madman Entertainment. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  36. "Rookie Blue reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. CNET Networks. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  37. Stanley, Alessandra (June 23, 2010). "Newbie, Nubile Cops Learning a Sober Beat". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  38. Lloyd, Robert (June 24, 2010). "Television review: 'Rookie Blue'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  39. Salem, Rob (June 9, 2010). "Salem: I Know What You'll Watch This Summer". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  40. Doyle, John (June 7, 2010). "Some home truths about Canadian TV". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  41. Owen, Rob (June 24, 2010). "'Rookie Blue' proves too vanilla". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  42. Wiser, Paige (June 24, 2010). "TV reviews: ABC's 'Rookie Blue,' TNT's 'Memphis Beat'". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  43. Dawn, Randee (June 21, 2010). "Rookie Blue – TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  44. Strachan, Alex (June 23, 2010). "Rookie Blue a harmless police diversion". The Gazette. Retrieved July 3, 2010.. Note, corrected original author's typo; original quote said "another wise".
  45. 1 2 "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) June 21–27, 2010" (PDF). BBM Canada. July 2, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2010.[dead link]
  46. 1 2 "ROOKIE BLUE'S ARRESTING PREMIERE WINS THE NIGHT WITH 1.8 MILLION VIEWERS" (Press release). CanWestTVMedia.com. June 25, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  47. Gorman, Bill (June 25, 2010). "TV Ratings Thursday: Rookie Blue Premieres OK, Boston Med Not OK". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 27, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  48. Gorman, Bill (June 25, 2010). "ABC's "Rookie Blue" Stands as TV's Top-Rated Scripted Summer Debut in Over 1 Year". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 29, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  49. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "26TH Annual Gemini Awards". tribute.ca. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  50. 1 2 "2011 Young Artist Award". www.youngartistawards.org. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  51. Burbank. "EIC Announces Nominations for 16th Annual PRISM Awards Including Performances by Claire Danes, Tommy Lee Jones, Nick Nolte, Helen Mirren, and Russell Brand". PRISM Awards. Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  52. "Awards & Nominees 2012". PRISM Awards. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
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