Even though the premiere of The Rookie season 7 is still months away, ABC released footage of the upcoming episodes as the cast has begun filming, and I believe that the first look, albeit brief, is a good sign of what’s to come. The ABC series, created by Alexi Hawley, is going into its seventh season after six successful outings. While The Rookie’s six seasons have had great ratings and sustained a loyal audience, no one can deny that the show has had its fair share of ups and downs, with the latest batch of episodes being one of its disappointments.
The Rookie season 6 undoubtedly suffered from a shortened season (due to production delays related to the 2023 actors and writers strikes). Over the course of only 10 episodes, the show’s smallest episode count, the serialized story was overstuffed with villains, contained many convoluted plots, and culminated in a dissatisfying finale. However, despite the poor taste left in my mouth following the season 6 finale of The Rookie, the cast and crew’s season 7 teases, including the first look, give me hope that future episodes will make up for the series’ previous disappointments.
The Rookie Season 7’s New Footage Previews A First Look At 2 New Rookies
As reported by Variety, The Rookie season 7 is adding two new characters to the LAPD team — Deric Augustine as Miles and Patrick Kelehe as Seth, two rookie police officers. Augustine and Kelehe are being described as recurring guest stars. While Miles is the newest rookie at Mid-Wilshire, Seth is a transfer from Texas who has already served two years. At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, ABC released a sneak peek at The Rookie season 7, which featured a first look at Miles and Seth.
Most of the video’s footage is clips from previous seasons, reminiscing how far The Rookie has come since season 1. However, toward the end of the teaser, Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan introduces himself to the two new rookies in the locker room, which presumably occurs during the season 7 premiere.
Nolan asks Eric Winter’s Tim Bradford (who was talking to Miles and Seth before Nolan arrived), “Are these the academy’s finest?” Bradford responds, “Negative. These two were scraped from the bottom of the barrel,” which is harsh, but it’s coming from Bradford, after all. Knowing what it’s like to be a rookie, Nolan tells the two young men, “Welcome to the crucible, gentlemen. I look forward to learning your names if you survive the week.” Hopefully, Nolan will get the chance to remember Miles and Seth in The Rookie season 7.
The New Characters Are Bringing The Rookie Back To Its Roots
Although the sneak peek is relatively short, it tells us a lot about what’s to come when The Rookie season 7’s release date arrives. Firstly, the addition of new rookies proves that the writers are trying to take the police procedural series back to its roots. At its core, The Rookie is about rookie police officers (if one can’t tell by its name). Of course, the show’s main appeal when it premiered in 2018, other than Nathan Fillion, was that Fillion’s character was a middle-aged man who moved to Los Angeles to become a cop after working as a contractor all his life.
Based on the Rookie season 7 sneak peek, it appears that [Tim] Bradford will also be working with Miles and Seth, and his stern teaching style reminds me of the good old days.
While Miles and Seth aren’t middle-aged, the two new Rookie characters should bring the series back to the days of inexperienced, bright-eyed cops facing the harsh reality of working as LAPD officers. Season 5 kind of did this when Nolan started training Celina Juarez. However, Nolan and Celina’s dynamic was quite different from those between training officers and rookies in season 1. Based on the Rookie season 7 sneak peek, it appears that Bradford will also be working with Miles and Seth, and his stern teaching style reminds me of the good old days.
The Rookie Season 7’s Episodic Format Is Also Promising
Aside from the two new rookies, the writers are already doing one other thing right — The Rookie season 7’s big story promise. Instead of utilizing a serialized format as they did in season 6, the writers are returning to an episodic formula while planning season 7’s 18 episodes. So, instead of focusing on a convoluted overarching storyline, The Rookie season 7 will feature case-of-the-week episodes, which were one of the best parts of the ABC police procedural show’s early seasons.
