The Rookie’s original premise followed John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), the LAPD’s oldest rookie. Six seasons in, Nolan has advanced in his career, and he’s no longer a rookie. To keep the series’ title relevant, the show introduced Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez), a new rookie under Nolan’s wing. Celina will soon graduate, and the show will miss its rookie. In a conversation with TV Line, showrunner Alexi Hawley revealed that they want to add a new rookie in Season 7 to keep things moving properly in that direction. Hawley talked about the end of Celina’s tenure as a rookie and what the show holds in that department, saying,
“We’re looking at the end of Celina’s 13 months, so to speak, at some point in the [coming] season, so I think it’s fair to say that there might be a new rookie or two showing up at some point.”
This update doesn’t reveal much about what fans can expect, but in the coming months, news will come out about whom the new rookie(s) are. Hawley has revealed that the show is set to begin production this month, and enough episodes will be ready for when it returns in 2025. The Rookie Season 7 will deal with major villains who escaped in the season 6 finale, something Hawley is quite aware of and knows that they “have some big shoes to fill after season six.”
‘The Rookie’ Will Bring Back ‘The Rookie: Feds’ Characters
The Season 6 finale revealed the fate of the characters from The Rookie: Feds after strike-related issues led to the show’s cancelation. It was revealed that Garza and his team are still going strong, fighting crime where needed. Hawley said that he loves the characters and would like to utilize them in future episodes. He previewed the problem with bringing in guest stars, saying, “. . . there’s a lot of my job that’s about making phone calls, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about using them in [Episodes] 5 and 6, are they have available?’ and then that could change or then dates shift.”
He said he wanted to use them when their characters would make the biggest impact to not waste the actors’ time. “I definitely want to use them where it’s most impactful story-wise. I don’t want to waste their time and have them show up for one scene. But yeah, I’d love to use them for the rest of our life as Rookie,” he said when asked if they would appear in future installments.
‘The Rookie’ Will Bring Back More Old Characters Too
The season finale saw several characters from past seasons get weaved into the storyline for Season 7. The season will see Mathew Glave return to play Oscar Hutchinson, Nolan’s longtime nemesis with a particular obsession with Nolan. Glave first appeared on the show in Season 1, Episode 15, and has made sporadic appearances. Bridget Regan will also return to play the ever-calculating Monica Stevens. Regan first appeared on the show in Season 5 as Elijah Stone’s attorney. Oscar did not escape prison alone and looped in Bailey’s ex-husband, Jason Wyler. Steve Kazee is set to reprise the character he first played in Season 4, Episode 9. These characters will form a solid foundation for the Season 7 antagonists and keep Mid-Wilshire and Nolan busy.
Catch up with all episodes of The Rookie on Hulu.
