Is Nyla Being Sidelined in The Rookie Season 5?
On ABC, The Rookie continues to follow police officer Jonathan Nolan as his life gets more dangerous and complicated.
Many have been wondering for some time now why Mekia Cox's character seems to increasingly be taking a back seat in the show. Nyla's storyline seems to be receding into the background even as other characters are getting more screen time.
In all probability, the main reason for this recent development has been Mekia's maternity leave. Her pregnancy was announced in January 2022 and was written into her role on The Rookie.
After giving birth to her second daughter, the actress started spending a lot of time with her, so the showrunners figured they might as well focus on other characters. A bunch of new characters have been introduced, and now all of them need development and attention.
Chances are, Nyla is soon going to feature more on the show. Seeing how she has to lead the Elijah case for Lopez, she'll have to be brought back into the spotlight.
But then again, Nyla may have been sidelined simply because of the show's format. The Rookie has always been spread thin over numerous cases and characters, with many getting perfunctory treatment. This sort of evolution is quite natural for a long-running show with an ever-expanding cast. Consider the high medical staff turnover on The Resident as another example of this phenomenon.
Furthermore, the creators may simply have decided to flesh out some of the other characters, so Nyla got put on a back burner. And it makes perfect sense, seeing how she's already one of the most well-developed and likeable characters on the show, so picking up where they left off with her won't be an issue.
If the show were to keep following Nyla closely, it could get in the way of other characters, and sophisticated fans would complain about the show getting crowded with extras.
So, on the one hand, Mekia Cox had to take some time off, and on the other, new characters were introduced that needed attention; thus, what's happening to Nyla is perfectly justified.
It should also be noted that some fans are concerned about John Nolan also getting sidelined, as Nathan Fillion has to share his time between playing Nolan on the Rookie and The Rookie: Feds. Many fans are looking forward to seeing new interesting stories for Nolan.