This article from Collider praises the ABC police procedural The Rookie for its handling of police racial discrimination and corruption, an issue it argues television often struggles to portray well. The piece highlights the show's Season 7 storyline for Detective Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox), who takes on these themes more directly than before, and argues it is one of the series' strongest subplots and one worth continuing.

Harper's arc is tied to her relationship with James (Arjay Smith), a community organiser frequently at odds with the police whom she later marries despite their differing views; she must balance defending herself and fellow officers with acknowledging where the department could improve. The article contrasts this with a Season 3 storyline involving rookie Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr.) and his racially profiling training officer, Doug Stanton (Brandon Routh), who witnesses Jackson being beaten during the "Lockdown" episode yet does nothing to help, a moment later exposed by his body camera.