From Kat Angus of Postmedia News:

• Rookie Blue’s Grey formula
  “You have to hand it to Rookie Blue: it’s better than it looks. Yes, yes, ‘damning with faint praise’ and all that, but for a Canadian-made series with next to no budget, Rookie Blue is surprisingly not terrible.” Read more.

Thursday, July 15 – 9pm ET/PT
*John Pyper-Ferguson (Caprica) Guest Stars*

Andy trades in her uniform for something more risqué when she goes undercover as a prostitute. Tensions run high when Dov puts an informant’s life in jeopardy and it’s up to Andy to infiltrate a risky gun deal in progress to save her.

From a media release:

LOCKED AND LOADED: CANWEST AND ABC ANNOUNCE EARLY RENEWAL OF SUMMER’S HOTTEST NEW HIT, ROOKIE BLUE

• Homegrown Series Sets New Record as Biggest Canadian Drama Premiere on Any Network in Over a Decade

Today, Canwest and ABC jointly announced the renewal of this summer’s biggest new series, Rookie Blue. The sexy hit Canadian drama was greenlit for a second season only three weeks following the ground-breaking premiere on Global Television and ABC.

A bullet-proof winner since its debut, Rookie Blue has hooked a combined weekly average of 8.5 million viewers on both sides of the border, and has garnered a rap sheet full of critics’ accolades. Sparked by this extraordinary response to the new blue, the second season is currently in development and will move into production in Toronto later this summer.

In Canada, the series premiere garnered a record-breaking 2.1 million viewers on Global (Ind 2+, national – up from the preliminary overnight number of 1.8 million) – the highest-rated premiere for a Canadian drama series on any network in over a decade. Bolstered by an extensive marketing campaign across the country, Rookie Blue is the most successful original Canadian drama ever commissioned by Canwest.

Rookie Blue was developed by Thump Inc. and produced in partnership with leading indie studio and distributor, E1 Entertainment. The series is executive produced by award-winning Tassie Cameron (Flashpoint), Ilana Frank (The Eleventh Hour, Would Be Kings), Noreen Halpern (Hung, Haven), John Morayniss (Hung, Haven) and David Wellington (The Eleventh Hour, Would Be Kings).

E1 owns worldwide distribution rights for its TV productions and markets its programs to broadcasters, digital outlets and retailers around the globe. Along with the sales to ABC and Canwest, the exclusive global pay-TV rights (excluding U.S., Canada, France and Germany) for Rookie Blue were previously acquired by Universal Networks International, the global channels division of NBC Universal.

Rookie Blue follows the lives of five inexperienced rookies thrown into the world of big city policing. The series examines the trials and triumphs, competition and camaraderie of this rookie family learning that no amount of training can prepare them for this job – or for life.

Shot entirely on location in Toronto, Rookie Blue features a diverse lineup of Canadian actors including Missy Peregrym (Reaper, Heroes), Gregory Smith (Everwood), Charlotte Sullivan (M.V.P.), Enuka Okuma (24) and Travis Milne (My Green House). Rounding out the cast is Ben Bass (Would Be Kings), Eric Johnson (Smallville), Matt Gordon (Rent-A-Goalie), Noam Jenkins (Flashpoint) and Melanie Nicholls King (The Wire).

Rookie Blue airs Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT on Global and ABC. In this week’s episode, “Signals Crossed” (Thursday, July 15), Andy (Missy Peregrym) trades in her uniform for something more risqué when she goes undercover as a prostitute. Tensions run high when Dov (Gregory Smith) puts an informant’s life in jeopardy and it’s up to Andy to infiltrate a risky gun deal in progress to save her.

Viewers can catch up on the first three episodes of Rookie Blue at www.GlobalTV.com.