University of Kwazulu-Natal

Why Did They Kill Officer Jackson West Why Did Titus Makin Jr Leave

Bonisiwe Shabane
-
why did they kill officer jackson west why did titus makin jr leave

Titus Makin Jr.'s The Rookie character, Jackson West, abruptly departed the series towards the end of season 3, but there are behind-the-scenes reasons for why Jackson left. Assigned to the Mid-Wilshire Division, Jackson West was among the main police officers in The Rookie throughout the first three seasons. However, in the closing moments of The Rookie season 3, he and Lopez got kidnapped by Sandra de la Cruz's men during Angela and Wesley's wedding. While this alone did not confirm that Jackson left The Rookie, audiences started speculating about his departure after Makin didn't appear in season 4's promotional material. Speculations rang true when The Rookie season 4's episode 1 revealed that Jackson West tragically died. To confirm this news, season 4 featured CCTV footage that showed how Jackson was shot by Sandra de la Cruz's men when he tried to escape them.

The episode ended with a poignant scene where Angela Lopez paid her tribute to Jackson by naming her newborn son after him. While the show gives Jackson's characterization satisfying and emotional closure, his death in Rookie season 3 is upsetting given how he was among the primary protagonists since the show's first episode. Nathan Fillion's The Rookie has graduated into a long-running hit for ABC across six seasons, and now the popular cop drama has concluded season 7. According to reports (via TVLine), The Rookie's creators ended Jackson West's storyline in season 4 because actor Titus Makin Jr. did not want to return. Recalling the actor's decision to leave the series, The Rookie's showrunner Alexi Hawley said that after hearing the news of the actor's exit, they needed to do their best to honor him since he...

Although Hawley did not disclose the reasons behind Titus Makin Jr.'s decision to leave, Makin had considered leaving The Rookie in 2020 after learning about the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In an interview (via EW), Makin recalled that while watching the news one day, he realized that he could not go back to "play a cop on a show and not talk about the... My character hadn't addressed any of that." As the news came to light that Titus Makin Jr. exited the ABC crime drama ‘The Rookie,’ fans could not hide their disappointment. Titus essays the role of much-adored Officer Jackson West, who has been a pivotal character in the show right from its debut season.

However, the premiere episode of season 4 confirms the shocking death of the character. This abrupt end to Officer West’s journey upset the fans all the more as it closes the door on the possibility of seeing him again unless the character resurfaces in flashback sequences. Naturally, you must be curious to know what happened. So, let’s get into the details and find out why Titus Makin Jr. left the series! Season 4 of ‘The Rookie’ brings with it quite a few shocking twists, the most unexpected being Officer Jackson West’s death.

In the final episode of season 3, La Fiera kidnaps Angela Lopez, and as Jackson West tries to save her, he puts his life on the line. Season 4 opens with surveillance footage of kidnappers shooting a man resembling Jackson West in the back. That is when fans knew they were to bid farewell to their favorite character. Although Titus Makin Jr.’s departure is all but confirmed, he hasn’t announced his exit publicly as of yet. But as fans anxiously waited for a statement from the actor, Alexi Hawley stepped up and addressed the matter. Speaking in a September 2021 interview, the creator and showrunner revealed that it was Titus’ decision to move on from the series.

However, Alexi did not elaborate on why the star decided to step away. Alexi continued that with Titus unwilling to come back to film, the show tried its best to give the popular character an honorable send-off. So, although the turn of events was quite heartbreaking, the writers had no choice but to kill off Officer West. Titus Makin Jr. has seemingly been off social media since mid-2021. And by the looks of it, he may not be interested in doing any exit interviews either, thus dashing the hopes of getting to know the real reason behind his departure.

However, in January 2021, the actor had expressed some concerns regarding Officer West’s story arc as it did not address the fact that the character is a black policeman. Titus felt it was important to include that perspective, especially in light of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Fortunately, his concerns did not go unheard, as is evident in the third episode of season 3. The episode titled ‘La Fiera’ highlights the reality as we see Officer West lock horns with Doug Stanton, whose racist outlook comes to light. Titus Makin Jr's Jackson West disappeared from The Rookie after Season 3, never to be seen again in the ABC series. The cast of The Rookie during Season 7 looks rather different from what it did when the series began in 2019, with Titus Makin Jr.'s Jackson West being a notable absentee as one of...

Several years after his departure, fans still miss Titus Makin Jr.'s Jackson West. Speaking in an interview with Entertainment Weekly during the airing of Season 3, Makin revealed he almost did not return for the (at the time) current run, citing the killings of George Floyd and... Floyd and Taylor were just two examples of innocent Black individuals killed by U.S. police officers in early 2020, both of which helped light the fuse of the "Black Lives Matter" movement that swept the globe. The Rookie Season 4 premiere featured a shocking development. The character of Jackson West was abruptly killed off, leading to the immediate exit of original cast member Titus Makin Jr.

Despite the cliffhanger in the Season 3 finale, which saw some police officers kidnapped by La Fiera (Camille Guaty), it wasn’t expected that a character would be killed. In the Season 4 premiere, the remaining cops watch security footage in which Jackson died from a single gunshot to the head. As a tribute, Angela (Alyssa Diaz) named her newborn baby after him. Makin did not return to film the scene, with a double used in his stead. The reason for Jackson’s death is quite complicated, but originated from Makin Jr., who wanted to leave the series. Titus Makin Jr.

had been a part of The Rookie family since the show began in 2018. He played the role of Officer Jackson West, a rookie police officer alongside John Nolan (played by Nathan Fillion). The Season 4 premiere aired on Sunday, September 26 and sadly, it looks like Makin Jr. will not be returning to The Rookie after Jackson's life came to a tragic end. Newsweek has everything you need to know about Makin Jr.'s departure from the series. The Season 4 premiere of The Rookie began with a twist fans did not see coming.

The premiere picked up from the events of the Season 3 finale, which saw Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) and Jackson West being kidnapped by Sandra "La Fiera" De La Cruz (Camille Guaty). In the opening scene, Sergeant Grey (Richard T. Jones) was reviewing the security camera footage of Lopez and West being bundled into getaway cars. The end of The Rookie season three saw the unexpected departure of Officer Jackson West (played by Titus Makin Jr) in the ABC procedural drama. Despite becoming a fan favorite the actor took viewers by surprise when he decided to step down from the role in 2021 after a major cliffhanger. Many were left on the edge of their seats when Jackon and Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) were kidnapped by Sandra de la Cruz' (Camille Guaty) men during Angela and Wesley's (Shawn Ashmore) wedding.

Although the ending didn’t tease their death or survival, fans began to speculate the officer’s death after he didn’t appear in any of the season four teasers or trailers. However, the suspicion proved to be true when the premiere confirmed Jackson was killed. Despite the off-screen death, the writers could not develop Jackson's storyline after the actor's departure. Over the years, we've enjoyed following the professional and personal aspects of the LAPD's Mid-Wilshire Division, with John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) as the central character. But what makes The Rookie great is its diverse ensemble cast, and many fans still can't believe how the writers handled Jackson West (Titus Makin) at the beginning of Season 4. The character seemed to be hastily written out of the script.

The reason was the actor's decision to leave The Rookie, but why did he decide to do so? Let's get to the bottom of it. Jackson's father, Percy West (Michael Beach), was the commanding officer of the Internal Affairs Division, which created an interesting dynamic. Additionally, the rookie cop was the first openly LGBTQ+ character on the show, which had many of us rooting for him. Officer West had huge potential in terms of story development, as originally a by-the-book cop, he quickly found himself disillusioned by the harsh reality of both the underworld and the conditions in which people... One of the central motifs in Season 3 involved West confronting his interim T.O., Doug Stanton (Brandon Routh), who was an outspoken racist.

Claim A viral picture authentically shows the night sky on Mars as a dazzling, hyper-detailed Milky Way above a rover...

People Also Search

Titus Makin Jr.'s The Rookie Character, Jackson West, Abruptly Departed

Titus Makin Jr.'s The Rookie character, Jackson West, abruptly departed the series towards the end of season 3, but there are behind-the-scenes reasons for why Jackson left. Assigned to the Mid-Wilshire Division, Jackson West was among the main police officers in The Rookie throughout the first three seasons. However, in the closing moments of The Rookie season 3, he and Lopez got kidnapped by San...

The Episode Ended With A Poignant Scene Where Angela Lopez

The episode ended with a poignant scene where Angela Lopez paid her tribute to Jackson by naming her newborn son after him. While the show gives Jackson's characterization satisfying and emotional closure, his death in Rookie season 3 is upsetting given how he was among the primary protagonists since the show's first episode. Nathan Fillion's The Rookie has graduated into a long-running hit for AB...

Although Hawley Did Not Disclose The Reasons Behind Titus Makin

Although Hawley did not disclose the reasons behind Titus Makin Jr.'s decision to leave, Makin had considered leaving The Rookie in 2020 after learning about the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In an interview (via EW), Makin recalled that while watching the news one day, he realized that he could not go back to "play a cop on a show and not talk about the... My character hadn't address...

However, The Premiere Episode Of Season 4 Confirms The Shocking

However, the premiere episode of season 4 confirms the shocking death of the character. This abrupt end to Officer West’s journey upset the fans all the more as it closes the door on the possibility of seeing him again unless the character resurfaces in flashback sequences. Naturally, you must be curious to know what happened. So, let’s get into the details and find out why Titus Makin Jr. left th...

In The Final Episode Of Season 3, La Fiera Kidnaps

In the final episode of season 3, La Fiera kidnaps Angela Lopez, and as Jackson West tries to save her, he puts his life on the line. Season 4 opens with surveillance footage of kidnappers shooting a man resembling Jackson West in the back. That is when fans knew they were to bid farewell to their favorite character. Although Titus Makin Jr.’s departure is all but confirmed, he hasn’t announced hi...