ABC’s popular police drama series The Rookie has become one of the network’s weekly institutions across its six seasons thus far, and now Nathan Fillion vehicle returns for season 7. Debuting in 2018, The Rookie follows John Nolan, an average man from a small town who pursues his dream of becoming an LAPD officer by becoming the oldest rookie in the force’s history. The series cleverly uses its character-driven premise to spin the usual procedural format, and Fillion’s performance as Nolan is one of the show’s brightest aspects.
Garnering generally positive reviews since its debut, The Rookie is one of the network’s premiere programs and often uses its elevated production to deliver a product of a much higher quality than most other primetime cop shows. In 2022, a spinoff was commissioned entitled The Rookie: Feds, but it was unceremoniously canceled after one season due to the Hollywood strikes of 2023. Even The Rookie season 6 was delayed by the strikes, but the brief pause in production didn’t affect the series’ overall popularity. With that in mind, season 7 of The Rookie is on the way.
The Rookie Season 7 Latest News
The hole left behind by Valentino will presumably be filled by newcomers Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher.
With production underway on the upcoming season, the latest news confirms that The Rookie season 7 will lose a major cast member. Even as new faces join the ensemble of the ABC hit, Tru Valentino is set to depart the show after playing the role of Aaron Thorsen since season 4. No reason has been given for Valentino’s departure, and it’s unclear if his character will be given a proper sendoff. The hole left behind by Valentino will presumably be filled by newcomers Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher.
The Rookie Season 7 Is Confirmed
The Rookie season 6 premiered on February 20th, 2024, and it didn’t take long for ABC to make a decision regarding season 7. Bestowing upon the series a mid-season renewal, ABC signaled a clear vote of confidence in the cop drama, one that suggests more seasons beyond the seventh. However, audiences can expect at least one more full season of the Nathan Fillion-led hit.
The Rookie Season 7 Production Status
Hit shows like The Rookie are often the crown jewels of any network’s fall lineup, however, the seventh season of the series will not take its usual spot on the calendar. Due to major world events like the looming 2024 U.S. presidential election, The Rookie will rejoin ABC’s schedule in the early months of 2025. With so much coverage of the election drawing attention from viewers in the fall, ABC hopes to protect their popular show by preventing too many breaks from week to week.
The Rookie Season 7 Cast
Characters come and go quite frequently in shows like The Rookie, but season 6 didn’t introduce to many shakeups to change season 7’s ensemble. With that in mind, it’s safe to assume that most of the main cast will reprise their roles in the upcoming season including Nathan Fillion’s return to lead the cast as rookie-turned-veteran cop John Nolan. It has been confirmed that Jenna Dewan will miss a few episodes in season 7 due to her real-life pregnancy, but Bailey Nune won’t miss the entire season.
One confirmed departure is that of Tru Valentino who has played Aaron Thorsen since season 4, and no reason has been given for his leaving the series so abruptly. The upcoming season has added a few new cast members already, both of whom will play incoming rookies in the LAPD. Deric Augustine has been tapped to play Texan, Miles, while Patrick Keleher will play the quick-thinking Seth, who is adept at diffusing tough situations. Both Keleher and Augustine will be playing recurring roles in season 7 and beyond.
The Rookie Season 7 Story
Though The Rookie is still very much a classic procedural series in many ways, the ending of season 6 did leave a few major threads that will need to be addressed in the upcoming episodes. The most pressing is the escape of Oscar from prison, and he will surely cause havoc for the team going forward. The absence of Bailey Nune from some of the season’s episodes due to Jenna Dewan’s real-life pregnancy could throw a wrench in the story. However, the writers of The Rookie season 7 will likely cook up some new threat for Nolan and his team to face.
