ABC’s police drama “The Rookie” tells the story of a man that joins the police force and the challenges that come with it. One of the supporting characters in the series was Titus Makin Jr.’s Jackson West, whose sudden departure at the end of The Rookie season three left many in the audience baffled because he had a good story arc.
In The Rookie, Makin Jr’s character was a police officer in the Mid-Wilshire Police Department Division, but in the culminating events of season three, he and Lopez were kidnapped by henchmen at the orders of Sandra de la Cruz, and eventually, he was written off the series. So what happened to him, and why did he leave the series? Let’s try to find out why.
Jackson West In The Rookie
By the end of season three, West and Lopez were kidnapped by Sandra De la Cruz’s flunkies; they were held hostage, and during a struggle, a fight ensued, and Jackson got fatally shot. That episode concluded with Angela Lopez naming her kid after Jackson.
And while the story arc was dramatic and the ending was conclusive, still, we’re wondering why to kill one of the main characters of the show.
Why Did Jackson Leave The Rookie?
As it turns out, you may be one of the main characters of the show, you may be a very well-liked character by the audience, and the scriptwriters give you lots of scenes and a strong character arc development. But if you’re an actor and you’re not comfortable at your workplace, no matter how good they treat you, you simply aren’t going to be happy.
That was the case for Titus Makin Jr. He didn’t want to go back to ABC’s “The Rookie” to play Jackson West. He talked about it with his agent, then went to the showrunners, who were surprised about his decision, agreed to it, shook hands, and decided to give Jackson West’s character an emotional goodbye well fit within a police drama story.
Titus Makin Jr. Wanted Something Else
Titus Makin Jr., the actor who plays Jackson West, liked his role, but he’s also aware of the social perception of playing an African American police officer at a time and context where the Black community in the United States had strong reservations about the ways, shapes, and forms on which the real police deal with African Americans.
Moreover, for Makin Jr., the way in which the scriptwriters made his character unfold had no connection to what being a black police officer is in real life. It is a tough challenge for a black police officer to perform his work all over the United States, and that wasn’t being put on screen.
Some segments of the African American community have strong feelings about being policed by one of their own, and others go as far as treating that as treachery; that’s a strong plotline, but it was never explored in The Rookie.
What Happened To Titus Makin Jr. After The Rookie?
After his departure from ABC’s The Rookie, actor Titus Makin Jr. kept working as an actor, he landed an appearance as Lieutenant Adam Parish on NCIS Hawaii, but that was just one episode. Maybe in the near future, he’ll get called again to do another few episodes now that NCIS Hawaii is returning to the screens, but we can’t find any information on that matter by the time of print.
Also, Makin Jr. appeared in a movie titled “On The Come Up” in a supporting role as well as a couple of appearances in short films like “Aliens on Halloween” and “Pool Service, Inc.”
Furthermore, acting isn’t only Titus’s forté; the man is also a singer, songwriter, and musician and publishes his work under the pseudonym “Butterfly Ali” and has a couple of albums released so far focused on the Soul and Funk genre. So, with that, there’s plenty ahead for Titus Makin Jr.
Also Read: How Many Seasons Are There In The Rookie? Is It Worth Watching?
