- "I would say the whole benefit of experience is to learn from each incident, both victories and mistakes, so if the situation happens again, it'll be a win."
- ―John Nolan[src]
Officer Jonathan "John" Nolan is the main character of The Rookie, portrayed by Nathan FIllion. He is a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, assigned to the Mid-Wilshire Division. He was a Police Officer I from Seasons 1-3 and a Police Officer II in Season 4. In Season 5, he was promoted to Police Officer III via a "golden ticket" (allowing an officer to choose any position or department within the LAPD). He is the ex-husband of Sarah Nolan and current husband of Bailey Nune.
His training officer in Season 1 was LAPD Officer Talia Bishop. After her move to the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Nolan's training officer until the first episode of Season 4 was Detective Nyla Harper.
In Season 5, Nolan becomes a training officer, helping to finish Aaron Thorsen's training before his promotion to Police Officer II after Harper goes on maternity leave. In "Dye Hard", he began training rookie Celina Juarez until she was also promoted to Police Officer II in "The Mickey". In “The Return”, Nolan is the training officer of officer Ridley until he was injured in the same episode.
Nolan's badge number is 25253, which he states in the episodes "Green Light", "Consequences", "Fire Fight", and "Under Siege". His call sign is 7-Adam-15.
Biography[]
Season 1[]
In "Pilot", Nolan is shown storing his divorce papers and wedding ring in a safe deposit box in his hometown of Foxburg, Pennsylvania. He tells the bank manager that the divorce had been "coming for two years" and that he and his ex-wife, Sarah, had agreed to stay married until their son, Henry went to college. During the following incident with bank robbers, he says that he went to college, dropped out when his girlfriend got pregnant, and started a construction business. In later episodes, we hear that he went to Penn State and studied pre-law. His full first name is revealed to be Jonathan in "Caught Stealing".
Following the incident with bank robbers seen in "Pilot", Nolan is inspired to become a police officer. As the Los Angeles Police Department is one of the few law enforcement agencies that will train officers over the age of 37, Nolan packs up his belongings and drives cross country to Los Angeles. After six month's training at the police academy, Nolan reports to Mid-Wilshire as a rookie officer.
Nolan originally stays in the guest house of his old college roommate, Ben McRee, who is apparently not only rich but largely absent. After his first appearance in "The Roundup", Ben seems to have resumed his residence in Los Angeles.
In "The Ride Along" Nolan chats with his son, Henry, online, and Henry comes to visit John in "Flesh and Blood". In "Time of Death" Nolan speaks to his ex-wife Sarah on the phone, and they sound like the divorce was amicable.
In "Plain Clothes Day", Nolan confides to Bishop that he hopes to make detective within 5 years.
Prior to the series, Nolan and Lucy Chen have been in a relationship for about two months. They tried to keep their relationship secret, but Nolan's training officer, Talia Bishop, figured it out and told Chen to break things off in order to avoid breaking rules of fraternization and getting a reputation she might not want. Nolan is reluctant but realizes it was for the greater good, so they break up with each other in "The Switch". By the time of "Green Light", Nolan is apparently seeing Jessica Russo.
In "Time of Death", one of two suspects in an attempted robbery runs away, taking refuge in a nearby house, intending to fight off the police by holding a family hostage. While the family manages to escape, thanks to Nolan, Nolan shoots the fugitive in self defense, killing him.
Nolan has a difficult time trying to make peace with this death, however justified the shooting was at the time. Nolan's life is once again in jeopardy in "Standoff" when the surviving robber, who has escaped, breaks into Nolan's house to try to kill him, only to be fought off and disarmed by Nolan.
Nolan is eventually cleared for duty in "Flesh and Blood", after helping take down a serious drug dealer and his crew. His actions are commended by Commander Percy West of Internal Affairs.
In "Green Light", while making an arrest, Nolan inadvertently insults a woman who is a member of the Southern Front, the sixth largest gang in California. The gang's leader, Cole Midas, orders a "green light" (order to kill) on Nolan. In retaliation, Captain Zoe Andersen offers to ride with Nolan to try and take down Midas' operation.
The LAPD arrest 46 crew members for drug trafficking, posing a threat to Midas and hoping to force him to lift the Green Light on Nolan. Unfortunately, Nolan and Andersen are ambushed while on call by Midas and his henchmen. While Nolan tries to negotiate an apology to the woman he insulted, Andersen breaks free of her chains and sneaks behind Cole and his men and opens fire. Cole returns fire, fatally hitting Andersen in the neck. As Cole and his surviving henchmen flee, Nolan breaks free of his chains in an attempt to save his captain by performing CPR, only to realize she is beyond resuscitation.
Midas' father, from prison, finally agrees to give up his son, who is then arrested by the Mid-Wilshire team. Grey mentions to Nolan that Captain Andersen asked for Nolan to be assigned to Mid-Wilshire as she thought his experience would make him a valuable addition to her house.
In "The Shake Up" and "Free Fall", Nolan and Jessica Russo are obviously in a relationship, but as the season ends, Nolan finds himself questioning Russo's motives and methods when it comes to her work for the DHS.
Season 2[]
Season 2 opens with the conclusion of the bioterrorism plot from "Free Fall"; Nolan and Russo come to an understanding as to their differences in approaching their work, which seems to strengthen their relationship.
Nolan has moved out of Ben's guesthouse and bought a house of his own, which was apparently not in good condition and which he is enjoying demolishing and remodeling.
Bishop has moved on to a job with ATF, so Nolan is without a T.O. at the beginning of the season. He's seen riding with Sergeant Grey in "Impact", Detective Nick Armstrong in "The Night General", and Angela Lopez in "The Bet".
Nolan runs into a former lover in "The Night General", Grace Sawyer, and later tells Armstrong about their brief, intense relationship back in college. Later, Grace confronts Nolan about the way he left her a note and vanished - when he discovered Sarah was pregnant - and tells him she's still angry about it. A few episodes later, they seem to developed a friendship once more.
In "Warriors and Guardians", Nolan is assigned to former undercover detective Nyla Harper as his new T.O. He struggles to adjust to Harper's tough methods and Sergeant Grey tells him, "I only assigned her to you because she would eat a 25 year old recruit alive. With your experience, at least you stand a chance."
In "Tough Love", Nolan's son Henry brings his girlfriend Abigail to meet Nolan and announces that they're engaged. From some well-meaning friends, Nolan learns that Abigail has a secret that might affect his own feelings about her.
In "Safety", Nolan and Russo have a pregnancy scare and decide to break up as she wants to have kids, but Nolan is not ready to have another kid himself.
In "Clean Cut", Nolan deals with guarding the scene of a homicide on his birthday and meets Ellroy Basso, a bioremediation tech who works for the LAPD and has come to clean up. Nolan and Ellroy become friendly before they run into trouble when the criminals return to finish the job. With some help from Ellroy, Nolan is able to subdue them and call for backup. Nolan also helps Ellroy meet Nell, the police dispatcher that Ellroy has a crush on.
In "Breaking Point", Nolan tells Harper that his father walked out on his family when Nolan was ten years old, abandoning his mother. He also goes on a date with Grace at the conclusion of the episode.
In "Follow-Up Day", Nolan's father, whom he had not seen in 35 years, passes away, and he leaves his car as inheritance to Nolan, which confuses him. Nolan also discovers that he has a younger half-brother named Pete. In addition, Nolan and Grace officially begin dating each other again.
During "Casualties", Nolan and Harper investigate a murder which may have national security implications. That night, Nolan is visited by a covert operative who warns him to pass on a message to his squad of backing off. This does not deter the squad, who confront the operatives at the docks and refuse to back down until they apprehend the murderer.
In "Hand-Off", Nolan's identity is stolen by Jordan Neil; as a result, he loses most of his money and isn't able to afford Henry's tuition. Neil is a serial burglar that has stolen a fortune of goods including other people's identities. Neil also owes money to a loan shark who cuts off Neil's hand and attempts to drag him to his death. Nolan and Harper are able to save Neil, who in return gives Nolan his money back.
In "Under the Gun", Grace puts her and Nolan's relationship on hold, as she wants to attempt to fix her marriage to her husband Simon in order to give her son a good life.
At the end of Season 2, in "The Hunt", Nolan is trying to determine whether Detective Nick Armstrong is a dirty cop; he enlists the help of his T.O. but is betrayed by Armstrong, who is in league with the Derian crime family and who plants false evidence in Nolan's house in order to turn the conspiracy charges against him.
Season 3[]
The premiere picks up at the moment where Season 2 left off: Nolan stands in his house with a team of police outside, ready to detain him on Armstrong's say-so. After facing Commander Percy West's interrogation, accompanied by his attorney Wesley Evers, Nolan offers to be the bait in a sting to catch the Derians and refute Armstrong's statement that Nolan is the dirty cop in the department.
At the end of the episode, Grey reports that a letter of reprimand will be placed in Nolan's file, and that Nolan will have to remain in the FTO program an additional month and pass a review board before he can complete his rookie training. According to Sergeant Grey, the letter of reprimand means Nolan has no chance of becoming a detective or joining one of the LAPD's many specialized units.
As punishment, Nolan and Harper are charged with serving in a community centre in a rougher part of town where they meet James Murray, who claims that, as a white male cop, Nolan represents "the problem in this community". Nolan still does his best to gain the community's trust by reopening and remodelling a playground that was locked up to prevent drug dealers from entering. He and Murray later come to terms when Murray brings his sons over to the office for some math tutoring.
In "La Fiera" Nolan's mother, Evelyn, shows up unannounced and proves to be strong-willed but self-centered; Nolan seems uneasy about her behavior, especially in "Sabotage", when she cashes in her airplane ticket home to buy several cases of CBD oil, apparently planning to start a business out of Nolan's house. She almost immediately sells the stock to Luna Grey at an inappropriate profit and tells Nolan she won't give Luna her money back, saying, "It's not her money, it's mine." Eventually, John packs his mother's bags and buys her another plane ticket, refusing to allow her to stay with him ever again. Evelyn turns on John, calling him names and comparing him unfavorably to his father, but John sticks to his guns and bids her goodbye.
In "Man of Honor", Nolan and Harper respond to a bank robbery in progress, and Nolan tries to talk the suspect Cooper down until Cooper is shot and killed by a scared security guard. They search the suspect's house but find his house ransacked and no sign of his family. A day later, he and Harper find that the motives of the thief run much deeper than just needing money. Nolan comes up with a scenario that Harper finds plausible, and after following a lead they notice Cooper's wife being coerced into robbery. With the help of Cooper's wife and the Mid-Wilshire team, they distract the robbers and rescue her captive daughter, arresting the burglars.
In "Brave Heart", Henry is faced with a decision regarding his heart condition, which could involve life-threatening surgery; Nolan and Sarah join with Henry's fiancée, in supporting him as he makes his decision.
During "Triple Duty", Nolan and Bradford approach gang member Cesar Madrigal's lover Reyna, hoping that she'll protect Cesar and their child by giving them information about Madrigal's drug cartel. After La Fiera sends five shooters to kill Cesar's child, Bradford and Nolan fight off the attackers, saving Reyna and the baby.
In the final episode of season 3, Nolan meets Bailey Nune, who is dog-sitting for a neighbor and who gets locked out of the neighbor's house wearing only a towel. Nolan asks Bailey to Lopez and Evers' wedding as their first date.
Season 4[]
The season starts off as Jackson West is murdered by La Fiera's men, and Detective Angela Lopez is kidnapped on her wedding day, for Lopez' unborn baby to act as a surrogate for La Fiera's deceased son Diego. After facing rejection from the DEA, a small group of LAPD officers plans to run an off the books rescue mission in "Life and Death". Nolan is promoted to Police Officer II by Sergeant Grey. He uses his experience as a contractor to pose as a potential builder and steal the plans for the fortress he, Bradford, and Harper intend to infiltrate. Upon the escape of the Guatemala crew, Wesley Evers is taken by La Fiera's minions to be executed. Unwilling to leave Evers alone, Nolan risks his own life to save Evers'. Lopez and Evers are saved and returned safely to L.A.
In "Five Minutes", Nolan begins riding with Chen after Harper begins training a new rookie, Aaron Thorsen. In the same episode, he begins dating Bailey Nune, a firefighter whom he had met in "Threshold". They spend the night together, though Bailey quickly ends things because of her personal problems. After some convincing from Nolan, they establish a relationship.
In "In the Line of Fire", he and Bailey confer with Lopez over a possible serial killer/arsonist case.
In "Red Hot", after Chen begins riding with Bradford again as his sergeant's aide, Nolan rides solo for the first time. Later, after failing to convince Harper to run against Smitty for union rep, he decides to do so himself after being encouraged by Angela. In "Hit and Run", he is endorsed by Bradford — a first for him — at the station for the union rep election.
In "Poetic Justice", he investigates Bailey's fire chief, Fred Mitchell, on suspected arson, but Mitchell ends up being killed in an explosion at his house.
In the following episode "Fire Fight", Nolan, Lopez, and Bailey survive the explosion. Nolan tends to an injured Bailey at his home and investigates the case, with Fred's name being cleared after another victim turns up. The victim reveals he was abducted by the true serial killer/arsonist but managed to survive and tells John and Harper of a scar on his assailant's back. Nolan and Fred's neighbor, Marcus, talk about how his help has allowed the police to make progress in the investigation. John notices a burn mark on his lower back, realizing Marcus was the culprit. Before Nolan can act, Marcus subdues him and takes him to an abandoned warehouse, where he tortures and chases Nolan until Nolan manages to knock him down with a front loader and call for help.
In "Breakdown", Nolan is thinking of proposing to Bailey, but is shocked to find out that she is married when meeting her previously convicted husband.
As of "Heart Beat", Nolan is still coming to grips with Bailey being married before dealing with a case involving a murderous millionaire who paid off someone to alert his appearance and give the illusion that he was incarcerated, while he fled the country but returned for money. It was Nolan who deduced his last resort and the squad enter a shootout with the millionaire until apprehending him. At the end, Bailey explains that her husband Jason abused her verbally and emotionally and that she sued for divorce but kept getting stonewalled by him.
In "End Game", after her Jason planted drugs in her car, they rush to figure out a way to bring justice to her situation. After some investigation, they find enough evidence that forces Jason to turn himself in. Though Jason tried to cut a deal, his prison time is brought up to at least 8 years after Jason tried to run, and they manage to expedite his and Bailey's divorce proceedings.
In "The Knock", Nolan officially becomes the LAPD Union Rep and starts making plans for his change proposals by speaking to the Union President, who immediately shoots him down, and the District Councilwoman who listens to him and immediately takes action on his mental health program suggestion, to Lt. Briggs' chagrin and open admission that he likes being Union President to use his power to help only the police (and people he "likes").
In "Day In The Hole", Nolan is transferred to another station on the border for a brief assignment as punishment for crossing the Union president. Nolan is joined by Bailey, Ellroy, Nell, his half-brother, Pete, and Pete's girlfriend, Chastity. John meets Officer Gabrielle Navar and is instrumental in helping her arrest a wanted federal criminal. He and his colleagues make a stand at the police station after the criminal's gang appears and lay siege to the station. They put up a good resistance and successfully overcome the thugs. Soon they share banter before CHP arrive and an officer notes it looks like a warzone, John and Bailey smile when Ellroy remarks she should see the other guys and she questions their location before its revealed the perps are all cuffed locked in the holding cell.
Season 5[]
At the beginning of Season 5, due to Nolan's successful experience in "Day In The Hole", he is given a "golden ticket" by the chief of police, allowing him to choose any assignment in the LAPD; he chooses the path to becoming a Training Officer. He takes over training Officer Aaron Thorsen when Thorsen's T.O., Detective Harper, goes on maternity leave.
In "Dye Hard", Nolan is given the task of training his first rookie, Celina Juarez. Juarez is described as a "skittish young horse", full of energy and superstitions. Both of them come to trust each other after Juarez confides in him about her instincts, giving him a better understanding of her thought process.
Following the escape of Rosalind Dyer, Nolan is forced to obey her bizarre orders to go off the grid in order to save Bailey's life; Bailey has been caught in a deadly trap set by Dyer and a partner. In "The Fugitive" after Bailey returns from medical leave, she proposes to Nolan, whose response is, "Try and stop me."
Season 6[]
In "Strike Back", Nolan's wedding is approaching and he decides to work patrol on his last shift, prompting Harper and Lopez tell him of "the curse of the last shift". Between issues with a neighbor' demolition project and various dangers to Nolan during his last shift, Nolan and Bailey are at their wits' end to make the ceremony work. However, Aaron Thorsen offers to help by offering his family's "spiritual oasis", as repayment for Bailey's part in saving him.
In "The Hammer", Nolan and Bailey celebrate their wedding, but during the reception, Celina gets kidnapped while investigating a lead and the Mid-Wilshire cops team up to rescue her and arrest the suspect.
Following their wedding, in "Trouble in Paradise", Nolan and Bailey honeymoon at a rundown resort on the beach, which quickly turns into a crime scene when a body is swept up by the waves. After everything, they have a "honeymoon-for-real" at home.
When Nolan and Bailey return from their marital leave in "Training Day", Nolan and Celina find a body with the symbol of the Pentagram Killer. After Celina notifies Grey over the radio, they get a tip on who the killer is, and are congratulated for their finding. However, the killer has been dead for 7 years, and someone tried to cover up their kill by making it look like the Pentagram Killer.
In "The Vow", Nolan and Bailey find a baby girl in a crime scene, and decide to keep her at their house until a relative is found. Eventually, they decide to foster her, right before a relative is found and takes her away.
Right after, in "Secrets and Lies" Bailey is reconsidering their agreement not to have kids, and wants one herself. Nolan thinks about it, being a P3 now and no longer a rookie, agrees and they try for a kid.
Throughout "Crushed" and "The Squeeze", they keep on trying and are "on a tight schedule" as Nolan said. Bailey is worried that there are complications, so they go to a fetility doctor. Before they can meet, a gunwoman walks out of an elevator and before they can get their shot, Nolan grabs the gun, which fires at the ceiling right next to Nolan. He ends up having some acoustic trama, and there is no telling if he will get his hearing back. They eventually go to the fertility doctor who confirms that Bailey has some damage to her fallopean tubes, but can be fixed with IVF. Bailey says that she can't take another round of trying, hoping, and eventually failing, but Nolan stands right by her and supports her. Nolan is also present with Mad Dog during his investigation as his union rep. Nolan also tries to make a deal with Dr. Blair London.
Finally, in "Escape Plan" Nolan detects that Bailey has been sad for days, and suggests that they adopt. After following Monica across the country who's to give Blair to a trafficker, Nolan and Harper ambush them. He is shot in the side, and lets Monica get away. That night, Bailey thought about it, and compiles a questionaire of hoops that they are going to jump through to make sure they are on the same page with adopting. Nolan suddenly gets a call from Sergeant Grey and finds out that Jason and Oscar have escaped from prison, and are coming for them and the LAPD.
Season 7[]
During "The Shot", he and the team welcome two new rookies, Miles Penn and Seth Ridley. Unlike some of the others, he kindly welcomes them and wishes them well. Shortly after, they discover that the car is radioactive, and the entire team tracks down the bombers in their cars. After ditching the vehicles, the team spots them from a nearby bridge. They try to tackle them, but fail, and Nolan shoots the bomber.
In "The Watcher", he and Juarez chase a perp into a building but he eludes them after a chase. Once they locate a room, they find him tied up and spot a figure waving, with Nolan telling Juarez to put it down as a vigilante helping.
During "Out of Pocket", after getting some answers, he asks his team about a hitman called Malvado. Lopez tells him that he's myth in the criminal underworld until Harper confirms his existence and reveals how dangerous he is, stating the reason nobody believes in him is because he's been elusive and even tell Nolan to let him get Jason because anyone Malvado is a dead man. Once getting a lead into Jason from his cellmate, he arrives at a parking garage, where he finds the man attacked by Malvado who he orders to stop, but Malvado shoots at him. Malvado flees, but not before shooting his captive in the back to impede Nolan's pursuit. Nolan briefly tends to the wounded Duncan and learns from him that there is no exit from the facility, so he briefly leaves him behind, knowing that Malvado might circle back. Nolan pursues Malvado, who continues shooting at him before ducking for cover. While hiding, Malvado reveals that he knows about John and his history with Jason, requesting he simply allow him to hunt Jason so that his grudge could be settled but John refuses the offer. Malvado surrenders and is cuffed, with John bringing him back to the injured Duncan, who is in critical condition. Malvado taunts John, saying that he is in a lose/lose situation because he needs both of them for answers. As John tends to the wounded Duncan, Malvado is secretly trying to escape, distracting Nolan in a talk. When Nolan suggests that Malvado help, Malvado breaks free of the cuffs and kicks John in the head before fleeing the scene. Nolan is eventually found by his colleagues, but the car Malvado used is abandoned and no sign of him is found. Officer Juarez notes that someone as resourceful as Malvado likely has a fake alias and contacts to help him lay low.
In "Darkness Falling", he and Bailey are happy to reunite but are in disagreement of safety with Jason and Malvado.
In "Til Death", when John sees a picture of a woman, he recognizes her from when she came to his home. He realizes she is Jason's accomplice and latest girlfriend Drew Davis and was testing his security system. After Bailey is snatched, John pursues Jason and arrives after Drew is shot and Jason tells Nolan its Malvado. John ordered Jason to surrender but is horrified when Malvado shot Jason after he stepped out of his cover. John has his team search for Malvado but they are unable to locate him. He later visits his wife in the hospital, happy the trouble is over but when she leaves, he finds her jacket and discovers a burner phone and discovers his wife was in contact with Malvado.
"The Gala",
"The Mickey",
In "Wildfire" Nolan accidentally witnesses Harper's husband James being kissed by another woman and quickly walks off, unaware of James quickly ending the kiss. He relays this to Wesley but the latter has him keep quiet though admonishes Nolan for having to give him this should his wife find out.
During "The Kiss",
In "Chaos Agent",
In"Speed",
In "April Fools", he is assigned a new rookie Connor Craig who was trained by a legendary cop. However, the young cop proves less than competent and makes continuous errors on the job, leading John to think Grey was pranking him but the latter denies this. With that, John confronts Craig's T.O. McAdams who covered his rookie but admitted to letting him take the easy low risk calls to have his career end with a rookie passing. Nolan later decided to keep Craig on to see if he really capable, during the riots caused by a resentful ex-employee. The two answered a shooting and found the dead body of an abusive husband who they met earlier and suspected the wife. Craig was tasked with securing the scene and gathering evidence, being successful in doing so and was complimented by Nolan before they were confronted by an angry mob of criminals who were rallying for a chaotic false purge alarm. After dispatching a few thugs, the two were forced to run, but not before Craig successfully procured the evidence that implicated the wife.
During "Three Billboards", he and Bailey were interviewed by a social worker, though Nolan was dismayed by his face being plastered on billboards and his integrity as cop was questioned. Both he and Bailey did their best to hide this from the worker, while wondering how it happened. Later, he witnessed a man being killed by a biker with a grenade. To his dismay, the social worker spotted the sign and questions the couple on their history.
In "Mad About Murder", they investigate a series of murders connected to a murder site and bring in FBI Laura Stensen for help. During the latest murder, he and Bradford follow the perp but he collapses dead after being stabbed by an unknown assailant. While reviewing street cameras, Nolan identified the hitman to his colleagues as Malvado, as they were shocked to see he returned to Los Angeles while realizing he was hired to clean up for the site. Nolan later interviewed scam couple who were approached by the site on who Malvado could be targetting next. When he got back home, he informed Bailey on his situation and she feared that if he was caught that he would try to use her contact with him, as a form of leverage. Malvado turned his sights on assassinating Mitch Yancy, an arrogant wealthy client, who frequently visited the site for various reasons. However, the LAPD and FBI anticipated this, arresting his target first and finding him on a roof of a country club. He promptly fled and was chased by Nolan and Tim Bradford, ambushing both officers and overpowering them until he was confronted by Angela Lopez who demanded he surrenders. He tried to shoot her with a hidden gun but was promptly shot dead by her.
Personality[]
Even though his LAPD colleagues regard him as a pushover, and despite his laidback attitude, Nolan has shown on many occasions that his patience has its limits, and he won't hesitate to stand up for himself or even call out his fellow LAPD colleagues, including his superiors, on something, This has also extended to his mother, Evelyn; after growing tired of her repeatedly taking advantage of him, Nolan severed all ties with her and told her not only to stop contacting him but also banned her from staying with him ever again. Over time, Nolan has been shown to handle himself well under pressure and in dangerous situations.
In the season 2 episode, "Warriors and Guardians", when Nyla Harper became his new training officer - along with the revelation she had been working undercover alone for the last four years - Nolan informed her that if she was committed to making their new partnership antagonistic, then she should not expect him to "roll over and take it ", which visibly surprised Harper.
Nolan also has a tendency to notice minor or small details that his more experienced LAPD colleagues usually miss, such as the wires of bombs, human interactions and structures of buildings/cells.
Regarding his personal life and family, he is shown to be close to his son Henry Nolan, often doing what he could to make sure Henry stayed on the right path. Due to his own upbringing, John wanted to ensure to be the best father that he could to his son. In "The Con", Nolan makes it clear that his relationship with his mother is strained, but that he will defend her if she is insulted. He is distraught by her death but dismayed at the depth of the deceptions she crafted. John also had a tough status with his father Charles, as when he was in his life, he hardly showed interest in him. John was quite surprised to hear of his death and that he actually left him something. Although he and his half-brother Pete Nolan get off to a rough start, he has come to accept his half-brother as family.
Notes and Trivia[]
- At the beginning of the series, Nolan is actually 45, according to his monologue to Bishop in "Plain Clothes Day"; Grey's initial reference to him as "the 40-year-old rookie" in the pilot episode is probably a play on the title of the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
- Nolan is the only rookie in the series who has been trained by all of the training officers in the series except for Doug Stanton and Scott Wrigley.
- Talia Bishop (Season 1)
- Nyla Harper (Seasons 2-3)
- Captain Zoe Andersen (in "Green Light")
- Tim Bradford (in "The Shake Up", "Now and Then", and "Triple Duty")
- Angela Lopez (in "The Switch" and "The Bet")
- Quigley Smitty (in "Threshold")
- Sergeant Wade Grey (in "Flesh and Blood" and "Impact")
- He was nearly unsuccessful in becoming a TO due to being sent to the desert because of his actions.
- John's original goal in the LAPD was to become a detective and be out in the field. Once he made it through the field training program, he would have had a chance to take the detective exam. Unfortunately, the reprimand he received at the start of season 3 effectively bars him from becoming a detective in the LAPD; in 3x05 he decides to go back to school in order to qualify to become a training officer. However, Nolan receives a golden ticket in season 5, which allows him to choose any assignment in the LAPD, including becoming a detective. He ultimately chooses to continue his plan to become a training officer.
- Jackson West and Talia Bishop are the only members of the LAPD who have ever admitted to knowing about his relationship with Lucy Chen.
- Nolan attended Pennsylvania State University before dropping out after his ex-wife became pregnant.
- In "The Overnight" we hear that Nolan's blood type is AB negative, the least common of the eight main blood types, and that his son had a heart defect at birth (tetralogy of Fallot) that required five surgeries before his first birthday.
- In "The Overnight" we hear that Nolan had to donate at least 16 gallons of blood for his son, Henry.
- During "Lockdown", Nolan reveals he was in the Boy Scouts. This later led to his nickname by Rosalind Dyer and Beth Veston.
- He has his mother in his phone contacts listed under "Momster".
- He reveals his father abandoned him when he was ten, but learns the latter left him a car after his death - and that he has a half-brother.
- He has a cousin named Carol, meaning one of his parents have siblings.
- He reveals that he was taught about knife fights in the academy, with his first occurring against Aaron Galeno in "Triple Duty", in which he emerged the victor with only a small cut to the cheek.
- He mentions in "Threshold" that he has dislocated his fingers on multiple occasions from working construction and is able to put them back in place on his own.
- As seen in "Hit and Run", he is the go-to guy for construction when his friends need help in inspecting buildings or renovations. Once he was bombarded with requests, Lopez teased him about how he must be regretting telling everyone he was a contractor, to which he admitted.
- During Long Shot, Lopez tasked him with repairing things Wesley destroyed in his renovations.
- According to what the AI software app Zuzu states in "Chaos Agent", Nolan was named the best contractor in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 2010 and 2013.
- During "Casualties", John was initially described by a covert operative as a weak link in his squad, because he lacks an impressive history of accomplishments in contrast to everyone else; however, this has changed over the course of the series.
- Time of Death: He killed suspect Alex Montgomery in the line of duty, in order to protect a family; this led to the criminal's brother finding him in his home.
- Standoff: Nolan survived being attacked by Kyle Montgomery, after the latter broke into Nolan's house to seek revenge for his brother's death. Nolan was able to fight him off by making him lose his balance, Montgomery's bullet narrowly missing Nolan before he threw Montgomery through the window and called for backup.
- Green Light: Nolan and his Captain, Zoe Andersen (whom he greatly admired), were abducted, and Nolan witnessed her being shot. He then broke free of his cuffs to try to save his dying captain. Nolan is the one sent to arrest her killer once he is cornered by the LAPD.
- The Hunt: Nolan took down a crime family and a number of corrupt cops, including Nick Armstrong, despite the latter being extremely cautious and cunning. As a result of his carelessness, he is left with a letter of reprimand in his file and is made to serve more time in the FTO program.
- Triple Duty: He and Bradford fought off five shooters working for La Fiera, and Nolan's knowledge of tools saved a mother and child (he told her to hide in an iron tub). Nolan also defeated Aaron Galeno, one of La Fiera's top men, in a knife fight.
- Life and Death: Nolan joined in the rescue of Angela from La Fiera, singlehandedly saving Wesley from two of La Fiera's right-hand men without discharging his weapon.
- Fire Fight: He was abducted by Marcus Lindsey, a serial killer/arsonist who had a decade of evading cops and complimented Nolan for his investigation skill. Much later, he was hunted by Marcus but managed to overpower and arrest the latter single-handedly, despite his wounds from getting struck by a car and being drowsy from being repeatedly drugged.
- The Choice: He was abducted by notorious serial killer Rosalind Dyer in exchange for his [then] girlfriend Bailey Nune and survived. Though his hatred for Dyer was beyond reproach, he didn't let his emotions cloud his judgement & chose to take her in custody instead of killing her on the spot.
- Day In The Hole: Nolan survived being fired upon by 11 ATF most wanted federal criminals whom he took down with help from Ellroy Basso, Officer Gabrielle Navar, and Bailey Nune. As a result, Nolan receives a golden ticket.
- The Con: He defended his childhood home from a militia (which his mother conned) with help from local cops and protected his [then] fiancée Bailey and his ex-girlfriend Stacy.
- Death Notice: He foiled the attempted murder of Oscar Hutchinson by capturing the mastermind Troy Hoffman and enabling his team to rescue his captive's family from the latter's goons.
- Escape Plan: He joined in a reconnaissance mission to find Monica Stevens, where he was able to save suspected LAPD mole Blair London from the corrupt lawyer. Nolan rushed on the scene to prevent Blair from being traded to international criminals and suffered a gunshot wound to the side but was saved by Harper and the FBI. While he was successfully able to capture the therapist, Stevens was able to escape but her reputation was now tarnished with her criminal activities confirmed.
- Out of Pocket: John conducted an off-books investigation into Jason Wyler and found out about Malvado, an elusive hitman with a legendary status in the criminal underworld. John single-handedly defeated him and would have arrested him had he not been impeded by the latter shooting a civilian and outsmarting him in escaping. Notably, he became the first person to ever see the hitman face-to-face
- Mad About Murder: John's confrontation with Malvado allowed him to positively identify him to his team and the FBI to connect him to a series of murders. He and Lopez recognized how Malvado would've use a vantage point and with Bradford confronted him, though they were overpowered, they distracted him long enough for Malvado to be shot dead by Lopez.
- He has experienced several losses while on the job.
- In "Green Light", he witnessed his mentor/Captain Zoe Andersen being shot and killed.
- In "The Q Word", his friend Chris Rios and fellow rookie officer Erin Cole were both killed.
- In "Life and Death", he witnessed the death of his fellow rookie officer/longtime friend, Jackson West.
- In "The Choice", his [then] girlfriend Bailey Nune was abducted and drowned by Rosalind Dyer's traps, being briefly pronounced dead but then resuscitated.
- He has the highest hostage/abduction count:
- "Pilot", where he was involved in a bank robbery, sparking his interest in being a cop.
- "Green Light", where he was ambushed by the leader's son of sixth largest gang in South California Cole Midas.
- "The Overnight", where he was abducted by Nyla's neighbor as a result of seeing something he shouldn't see.
- "Casualties", where he, Lucy, Tim & Nyla were held hostage in return for not turning a blind eye at the counterfeit money.
- "The Hunt", where he was invited to dirty cop Nick Armstrong's house so he could shoot and incriminate him.
- "Consequences", where he was taken by the Derian crime family when they suspected him of being a rat.
- "Lockdown", where he was abducted and held hostage by desperate criminal Graham Porter.
- "Fire Fight", where he was abducted by serial killer & arsonist Marcus Lindsey.
- "Day In The Hole", where he was threatened by an arms trafficking organization to release Blair Darvil, the main boss.
- "The Choice", where he acted as ransom for serial killer Rosalind Dyer in exchange for a trapped Bailey Nune.
- "The Con", where he was ambushed by 3 members of the militia of his mother's "business partners" in return for con man Josh.
- "Trouble in Paradise", both he and his wife Bailey was abducted by a murderer, who thought Nolan was closing in on him during their honeymoon.
- "Speed", he, Juarez, and his wife were held captive on a bus after a pair of bomber siblings commandeered it.
- “The Good, The Bad, And The Oscar”, he was abducted by fugitive Oscar Hutchinson.
- Nolan receives a golden ticket at the beginning of Season 5, making him and Nyla Harper the only known officers on the show who have received one.
- He is often described as bad luck by the squad (particularly Harper and Smitty) and by others, to his dismay.
- In Day In The Hole", he's become aware of this epithet and brought it up to Officer Gabrielle Navar after she called him "good luck".
- This nickname was referenced again in "The Con" after Bailey and his ex-girlfriend Stacy commented on it, but he shrugged it off.
- In "Lockdown," the S.W.A.T. team member(s) described Nolan as a "danger magnet" due to the amount of times he dragged himself into bad situations.
- In "Trouble in Paradise", Harper and Lopez jokingly commented on how both he and Bailey were bad luck.
- Nolan is shown to be quite prepared when it comes to his tests and evaluations, as in both his FTO exam and his exam after receiving his letter of reprimand, he scored extremely high (98%) and even had the highest score in his mid point exam of his training (97%).
- In "Sabotage" John reminds his mother that he's allergic to nuts. In "The Hammer", Bailey reveals that John is allergic to coconut cream.
- Until the seventh season, Nolan is one of three main characters to appear in every episode, the others being Lucy and Tim.
- He used to use a iPhone XS in the first season, then swapped to a iPhone 12 Pro Max in the second to fourth seasons. He seems to use a iPhone 15 in the sixth season.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[]
Enemies[]
Confirmed Kills[]
Appearances[]
References[]Internal links[]
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