Why did 'The Rookie' Season 3 Episode 5 not air? Here's when the show will return from break

Why has 'The Rookie' Season 3 gone on a break now?
Nathan Fillion and Mekia Cox in 'The Rookie' (ABC)
Nathan Fillion and Mekia Cox in 'The Rookie' (ABC)

'The Rookie' is currently airing Season 3 episodes, in which the main conflict is about Jackson (Titus Makin Jr) singlehandedly fighting systemic racism within the department after seeing how Doug Stanton (Brandon Routh), Jackson's training officer, acts while facing Black citizens, suspects, or even fellow officers. In the previous episode, of course, Jackson had brought this up to the Chief, hoping to find a resolution, but that is definitely not going as smoothly as Jackson, a young idealistic Black cop might have hoped.

So what happens next is what we will see in the upcoming episode titled 'Lockdown'. So while Jackson will shoulder the most important subplot of the episode, Nathan Fillion as Nolan, the rookie officer, is left to his own devices. After what happened with Armstrong, a corrupt officer, Nolan has to get back in with the local officers and it would be interesting to see how he would make this possible.

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'The Rookie' Season 3 Episode 2 Spoilers: Will Nolan's team see a cop go down for wrongfully tackling a Black man?

'The Rookie' Season 3 Episode 3 Spoilers: Will Jackson stand up against Stanton's racist view of civilians?

When will Episode 5 titled 'Lockdown' air?

'The Rookie' Season 3's Episode 5 will return on February 14. The episode will air on ABC at 10 pm ET.

Doug Stanton and Jackson (ABC)

Why is 'The Rookie' Season 3 on a break?

There has been no official confirmation regarding why the show would be on break, however, one must consider the Superbowl which is set to take place very soon. With the Superbowl scheduled to take place on February 7, 2021, in Tampa, Florida, the televised event is expected to attract huge viewership. The 55th installment of the NFL's current version of the championship game is scheduled to be played in Florida for the second consecutive year. The game will be played between Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers making this the first time that the two teams have squared off in the Super Bowl. 

The plot of 'The Rookie' Season 3 Episode 5

Titus Makin Jr as Jackson West in 'The Rookie' (ABC)

The official synopsis of the ABC episode is as follows. "Officer Nolan is taken hostage by a man with nothing to lose while the station goes on lockdown and races to identify the suspect before time runs out. Meanwhile, Officer Jackson and his training officer, Officer Doug Stanton, reach a tipping point in their relationship that could end Jackson’s career on ABC’s 'The Rookie'."

'The Rookie' Season 3 episodes air every Sunday on ABC at 10 pm ET.

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