NEW YORK (CNS) -- Two years after his eight-season run as mystery writer Rick Castle on the popular ABC series "Castle" ended, Nathan Fillion returns to that network this fall with "The Rookie."

Grittier than "Castle," the ham-fisted police drama begins Tuesday, Oct. 16, 10--11 p.m. EDT, and will continue to air in that time slot.

Written and executive produced by Alexi Hawley, who played a similar role behind the scenes on "Castle," the new series' pilot opens as Pennsylvania construction contractor John Nolan (Fillion) is in the throes of a midlife crisis. On the day his divorce becomes final, while at his local bank, the 40-year-old finds himself staring down the barrel of an armed robber's semi-assault rifle.

Blathering about his state of mind, Nolan confuses and distracts the robber long enough for the police to arrive and arrest him and his partner. Bank manager Stacy (Julie Ann Emery) conflates Nolan's nervousness with courage. Her testimony to his bravery shifts Nolan's perception about himself and convinces him to remake his life.

On this flimsy pretext alone, the contractor packs his belongings in a U-Haul and moves to Los Angles to join the LAPD.

Along with fellow rookies Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil) and Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr.), Nolan is assigned to Sgt. Wade Grey's (Richard T. Jones) squad. But the unusual rookie is understandably set apart from his fellow newcomers, because, in Grey's words, he "was born before disco died."

Grey's devotion to LAPD "protocol and tradition" is abundantly evident and informs his disdain for Nolan. At the neophyte's first roll call, the veteran officer takes him aside and says, "I hate what you represent: a walking midlife crisis." And, should Nolan somehow prove himself, Grey fears he will be: "flooded with losers looking for some sort of eat-pray-love path for reinvention, and that will get my people killed."

"Forget the academy and listen to your TOs (training officers). They'll teach you the way it should be done," Grey instructs the rookies before their first shift.

At its core, "The Rookie" examines what it's like for a veteran officer to mentor an unproven one. Professional, disciplined and even-keeled Talia Bishop (Afton Williamson) is assigned to train Nolan. Despite the potential hurdles of being both African-American and a woman, Bishop doesn't hide her ambition to become police commissioner one day.

She firmly reproaches her inexperienced partner when he makes critical mistakes. But Bishop also acknowledges when Nolan doesn't shy away from the action.

By contrast, Tim Bradford (Eric Winter), who's happy to be a beat cop, believes humiliation is the best way to break in his new charge, Lucy. Coming across more like a Marine drill instructor than a policeman, viewers will half-expect Bradford to say at some point: "What are you going to do now, maggot?"

Cases involving domestic violence, an abandoned baby and a protracted shootout with a wanted felon test the inexperienced trio on their first days on the job. Nolan, for his part, despite his mistakes, displays instincts for police work which could serve him well in the long run.

Sexuality and drug addiction crop up in "The Rookie." Actors also occasionally employ mild vulgarity. But given the show's context, the script's language is admirably restrained.

As with any police drama, viewers should anticipate a fair amount of violence. But, even by the standards of the genre, the mayhem on display is sometimes lurid and excessive. This strictly limits the program's audience to discerning grown-ups.

Grey's treatment of Nolan ultimately fails to ring true. A man who believes police work is his "calling," would, despite some reasonable skepticism about the prospects for success, encourage anyone under his influence to succeed. Instead, Grey promises to "haze, harass and humiliate" his subordinate at every opportunity.

If it dialed back on the violence and let the characters' actions speak for themselves instead of being reinforced by such needlessly emphatic dialogue, "The Rookie" might yet prove itself worthy of an audience.

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Byrd is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.