TV Show review
Review basis: 1 season, 22 episodes · through May 2, 2023
September 27, 2022 · 42 min · TV-14 · Canceled
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Rookie: Feds is a police procedural spin-off about Simone Clark, a 48-year-old Black woman and former school counselor who becomes the oldest rookie at the FBI. She joins a special unit in Los Angeles and works cases with her team while navigating tension with her father. The show centers a Black bisexual female lead whose romance features the actress's real-life wife and includes family talks about policing and the Black community.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Rookie: Feds.
Woke representation / casting
The lead is a Black bisexual woman portrayed as a highly competent FBI agent despite real-world demographics that the show and marketing highlight. Her father is a Black Lives Matter activist who initially opposes her career. The romance subplot casts the lead actress's real-life wife as her girlfriend. Supporting cast adds visible diversity in prominent roles.
Woke political dialogue
Recurring conversations between Simone and her father address tensions between law enforcement and the Black community. The premise highlights underrepresentation of Black women in the FBI. Dialogue stays mostly procedural but includes some social comments.
Identity-driven story themes
The story centers the experiences of an older Black queer woman entering a male-dominated field. Personal storylines include family reconciliation over BLM views and bisexual dating. Cases are standard but the lead's identity shapes marketing and some character focus.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The show includes commentary on policing and over-policing in Black communities through the father's perspective. Creator comments reference addressing systemic change from within institutions. This remains background to case-of-the-week plots rather than dominant messaging.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some viewers on X and Reddit described the show as "woke", "DEI shit", "virtue signaling", and complained about excessive focus on the lead's Black identity. Complaints were scattered and often tied to overall dislike of the writing rather than a major organized backlash.
Creator track record context
Alexi Hawley has a documented pattern of prioritizing diverse writers rooms and casts and incorporating institutional challenges. Co-star and producer Niecy Nash-Betts has a prominent public profile as a Black queer woman advocating for LGBTQ+ representation and social issues. Other key creatives have lower profiles.
