There are many reasons why ABC's The Rookie is a beloved, popular, and highly successful show. One of the biggest factors in the show's success has been that the series features many great characters, including two compelling criminal masterminds. In fact, many fans love some characters from The Rookie so much that they are still upset about the fate of one character who never should have died.
While The Rookie features several fantastic characters, that doesn't mean that fans have embraced everyone featured on the show. Instead, there is one The Rookie character whose portrayal has inspired consistent complaints from some loud viewers. With that in mind, it is imperative that the team at ABC finally figures out how to portray Bailey Nune when the show returns in 2026.
In 2021, The Rookie fans were introduced to Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune during an episode of the show's third season. Brought back for the following season, Bailey has been part of The Rookie's main cast ever since. Unfortunately for Dewan, the team behind The Rookie, and fans alike, Bailey has been the subject of constant complaints from some very vocal viewers ever since then.
Now that Bailey has been the source of some people's anger for years, it could be easy for observers to assume that there is no way to make viewers embrace the character. In fairness, that probably is true for some of the show's fans who've hated the character for too long to change their minds. That said, I believe that if two key changes were made to Bailey as a character, many of the show's fans who've hated her in the past would come around.
The first change that needs to be made to Bailey's character is that the show's writers need to find a more organic reason to bring her into the main storylines. After several seasons of it feeling like Bailey must be the only paramedic in L.A., since she shows up at so many of the main character's crime scenes, that needs to change. Instead, Bailey needs to develop a consistent reason to be working with the police, similar to Wesley Evers' involvement in the show's prosecutions.
Secondly, while Bailey's relationship with John Nolan clearly is a pivotal part of the character, she needs to branch out more by regularly having stories that have nothing to do with him. Bailey's past interactions with Celina Juarez have been some of the most entertaining moments the character has had, especially as their relationship frustrated Nolan at times. Giving Bailey more key relationships outside of her being Nolan's wife could create a lot more of those entertaining moments.
There are reasons why Bailey was brought back to The Rookie and added to the show's main cast after she made her first appearance. For example, Jenna Dewan is a bankable star who people will tune in to watch on the show. Now, all the show's writers need to do is make some changes to make the character work for her past detractors, and she could become even more of a key factor in The Rookie's success.