Nathan Fillion’s The Rookie has been renewed for an eighth season, giving us more adventures from John Nolan and the cops at LAPD Mid-Wilshire. However, ABC’s new update is upsetting for fans who were hoping to see the series back soon. The network won’t air the new season until mid-season 2026.
Fans expressed their disappointment with this decision on social media. The new season is expected to follow a schedule similar to that of the current season, which aired from January 2025 to May 2025. The finale of Season 7 aired on May 13, with a bit of a disappointing reaction from fans.
The Rookie Season 8 update does not make fans happy
Nathan Fillion’s The Rookie saw his character, John Nolan, join the LAPD as the oldest rookie. The premise of the show was interesting as it dealt with Nolan’s struggles to get through his training period as a rookie. As the show progressed, he went on to become a respectable police officer in the department.
The Rookie aired its Season 7 finale on May 13th, titled The Good, The Bad, and the Oscar. The episode saw the return of recurring villain character Oscar Hutchinson, played by Matthew Glave.
Nathan Fillion’s reduced presence is also irritating fans
Over seven seasons and 115 episodes of The Rookie, fans have seen Nathan Fillion at his best as the rookie-turned-training officer John Nolan. Fillion showcased both his dramatics and his comedy skills in the role, which felt tailor-made for the actor. It is his second time playing a lead in a police procedural after Castle.
However, one fan on Reddit aired one grievance about Fillion’s character in the recent episodes of Season 7 of the show. The fan shared that the recent episodes sparingly used the titular character and focused more on the other characters. The fan shared that Nolan was brought in to portray his family life with Bailey or to help some other character.
It could be due to the fact that Fillion was busy with his new role in the DCU. It is also possible that his reduced role on the screen was owed to his behind-the-scenes role. He is also an executive producer of the series alongside showrunner Alexi Hawley. He also served the role of exec producer in the spin-off show The Rookie: Feds, which was cancelled after a single season.
The Rookie is now available for streaming on Hulu in the United States.
