Since her introduction in Season 4, Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) has been a consistent, if controversial, fixture in the life of John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) on **ABC’s The Rookie. Introduced as Nolan’s new love interest, she quickly became his fiancé, and eventually his wife. Her defining characteristic is not just her relationship with the protagonist, but her dizzying array of high-stakes, highly accomplished careers: she’s a firefighter, a reserve police officer, a martial arts instructor, and a part-time stuntwoman.
While the intent behind the character was clear—to be a strong, independent woman who is a perfect match for the adventurous Nolan—the execution has led to Bailey Nune becoming the most polarizing and narratively messy character in the series. As The Rookie looks ahead to potential Season 9 and beyond into 2026, ABC and the showrunners face a critical challenge: they need to decide what Bailey Nune’s actual function is in the narrative, or risk having her continued, over-the-top presence drag down the show’s otherwise grounded ensemble dynamic.
The central problem isn’t the actor or the concept of the character; it’s the lack of narrative focus that has turned Bailey into a living list of impossible accomplishments, straining the audience’s suspension of disbelief.
👩🚒 The Identity Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Little Focus
Bailey’s primary difficulty stems from her implausible professional versatility. While Nolan’s career progression (from rookie to Training Officer to Sergeant) has been steady and believable, Bailey’s resume reads like a parody of a capable TV spouse.
The “Mary Sue” Syndrome
The term “Mary Sue” is often used to describe a character who is unrealistically perfect, capable, and lacking in significant flaws. Bailey’s constant ability to perform any required skill at an expert level—whether it’s martial arts to fight a robber, stunt driving to catch a criminal, or advanced firefighting techniques—removes dramatic tension.
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The Problem of Competence: If Nolan is in trouble, Bailey can always rescue him. If the team needs a specific, niche skill, Bailey always possesses it. This makes her less a person and more a plot convenience device. The audience needs to believe the protagonist is facing real, independent challenges, and Bailey’s omnipresent competence undermines that necessity.
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Firefighter vs. Reserve Officer: Her core conflict should be between her two main careers. Her role as a firefighter (a profession defined by rescue and immediate action) constantly clashes with her occasional work as a reserve police officer (a profession defined by law and investigation). The show rarely explores this conflict; instead, it allows her to seamlessly switch hats, always being the hero in both scenarios.
Straining Suspension of Disbelief
The accumulation of her extraordinary skills has reached a tipping point, leading to eye-rolling moments for viewers who are otherwise invested in the show’s realism. For the show to thrive, it must feel like Nolan, Chen, and Bradford are facing genuine, relatable risks. When Nolan’s wife is essentially a super-agent who can perform any skill needed, the stakes for Nolan plummet.
💍 The Marital Problem: Nolan’s Lost Edge
Bailey’s presence has fundamentally changed the nature of Nolan’s character arc, arguably making him less interesting as the primary protagonist.
Nolan’s Lack of Flaws
In the early seasons, Nolan’s appeal came from his vulnerability and his mistakes. He was an older man starting over, making blunders, and striving to catch up. The drama came from his struggle.
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The Perfect Match: Bailey’s perfection means she is the “perfect match” for Nolan—she is supportive, never nagging, always ready for adventure, and never requires any emotional maintenance. This removes the natural, grounding friction that a real relationship provides, leaving Nolan’s domestic life entirely stable and therefore, undramatic.
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The Emotional Stakes: The Rookie thrives when Nolan is grappling with personal and professional challenges simultaneously. Since marrying Bailey, Nolan’s personal challenges have disappeared. He is financially stable, professionally successful, and his marriage is conflict-free. This lack of personal adversity diminishes his relatability and reduces the show’s emotional depth.
🔮 The 2026 Mandate: What ABC Needs to Decide
As The Rookie heads into its next phase, the showrunners need to make a definitive choice about Bailey’s role to salvage her character and enhance Nolan’s story.
Option 1: The Definitive Career Choice
The most effective fix is to force Bailey to choose one, single profession and stick to it.
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Make her a Full-Time Firefighter: Commit her to the CFD. This creates a compelling professional conflict with Nolan (cop vs. fire), and allows her to operate in a high-stakes, supportive role without constantly overshadowing the LAPD team. This gives her a fixed identity and a defined role in the community.
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Make her a Full-Time Detective/Officer: This would require a professional storyline dedicated to her rising through the LAPD ranks, which would put her in the same professional pool as Chen and Bradford, but would likely make the cast too saturated with police officers.
Option 2: Embrace the Specialist Role
If they insist on keeping her varied skills, they must restrict her screen time to specific, specialist appearances.
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She only appears when a major fire is the focus, or when a specific undercover stunt requires her unique skill set. This would turn her into an elite, recurring specialist, allowing the audience to appreciate her skills without having to believe she applies them daily.
Option 3: The Write-Out
While drastic, the final option is to write Bailey Nune out of the series, allowing Nolan to re-enter a phase of personal uncertainty and emotional vulnerability.
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A divorce or a transfer to a high-ranking CFD position in another city would force Nolan to once again stand on his own, which often revitalizes a long-running protagonist. This is the riskiest choice for the actress, but potentially the best choice for the show’s narrative integrity.
🔑 Conclusion: Time to Choose a Lane
The character of Bailey Nune embodies a great idea that was poorly executed. Meant to be the strong, capable partner to John Nolan, she has become a narrative drain due to her overabundance of implausible skills, turning her into a plot contrivance rather than a believable person.
As ABC maps out the future of The Rookie in 2026, the mandate is clear: Bailey Nune must be given a single, credible, and defined role. Whether she is confined to the firehouse, limited to specialist appearances, or written out entirely, the show needs to restore the tension and relatability that Nolan’s character loses when his perfect wife is always there to effortlessly save the day. A focused Bailey Nune is the key to ensuring The Rookie maintains its grounding and its high-stakes drama for years to come.
