The Rookies ABC 1972 until 1976. The Rookies was an American police procedural series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department (SCPD). The series began as an ABC Movie of the Week airing on March 7, 1972, which also served as the pilot for the series. Although various incidents during the late 1960s and early 1970s, particularly in California, had sparke