“The Rookie” Season 8 Twist: New Training Course Puts Lucy Chen in the Spotlight with High-Stakes Action

The Rookie has been a successful hit for ABC for seven seasons now and the character of officer Lucy Chen, played by Melissa O’Neil, has been one of the show’s most successful. While Season 7 wasn’t the perfect one for Lucy, it did see the character change for the better in several areas of her life. The police procedural drama is headed into its eighth season, which means new and evolving storylines for the individuals who make up the LAPD. Chen had a busy seventh season, earning her promotion to Sergeant and moving on to the night shift. She also seems on the pathway to reunification with her long-term love interest, Tim Bradford (Eric Winter). So, what might we expect from Lucy in Season 8?

Lucy’s career took a massive step forward as she earned some new stripes. Her career advancement suggests some very intense action sequences involving our newly minted sergeant are likely on the way. The Nathan Fillion-led police drama has already begun filming, and in a recent interview with CTV, O’Neil discussed her stunt training, which is part of the show’s bid to make its sequences look as real as possible in the upcoming season.

“This year, actually, when I get home from this trip, I am going on a three-day stunt driving course. So I’m really excited. I want to do some crazy maneuvers on camera… I do get into it. I love it. I love it so much.”

When Season 8 premieres, we will see Lucy riding out solo more given her new role. Now on the night shift, audiences will get to see her separate from Tim, who has been attached to her since her time as his rookie in Season 1. How long she remains on the night shift remains to be seen. However, it does provide an opportunity for the sergeant to continue establishing herself as a valuable member of the Los Angeles Police Force, as she leads her own crew.

Evolving Career Opportunities Could Make ‘The Rookie’ Season 8 an Exciting Watch

Lucy’s future character arc isn’t the only one that audiences are excited about as we head towards Season 8. The drama in the coming season could also center on ADA Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore) and his own career choices. Currently established as assistant district attorney, a new arc introduced in Season 7 saw Wesley enter into the race for who could be the next district attorney. Showrunner Alexi Hawley previously discussed taking that story arc forward:

“It would certainly make sense for Wesley, who was a defense attorney and believes very strongly in righting the wrongs of an injust justice system. He’s an assistant DA, they have not a ton of power, so becoming the DA would give him an ability to shake things up. So, we’re definitely kicking the tires on that idea.”

All episodes of The Rookie are available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.