The Rookie Season 7 is set to return sometime in 2025, and here is everything fans should know about the show's much-anticipated comeback.
ABC's police drama has had its hands full juggling key storylines throughout its first six seasons.
Season 6 raised the stakes and elevated the drama by featuring the likes of Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen's breakup, John and Bailey's decision to start a family, and Monica Steven's turn to the dark side.
When Will The Rookie Season 7 Release?
In April 2024, ABC, via Variety, confirmed that The Rookie was renewed for Season 7.
The renewal came on the heels of The Rookie Season 6's viewership success on the network, with ABC noting that the premiere had 11.9 million viewers across all platforms in the Live+35 ratings (the show's best viewership since 2018).
Early comments from Disney Television indicate that The Rookie will not return in its usual fall lineup - Seasons 4 and 5 both premiered in late September. Instead, Season 7 is slated to debut in the network's midseason lineup in January 2025.
Speaking with TVLine in May 2024, Craig Erwich, President of Disney Television Group, shared that when The Rookie and Will Trent return in the midseason slate, they will have non-stop runs:
"They’re going to go straight through, and that kind of momentum of original episodes week-in and week-out is just a very powerful engine for both of these."
Erwich also explained that a January 2025 release timeline is ideal for The Rookie to have an uninterrupted run:
“It felt like the best way to platform those shows for success was to launch them in January, when we have this huge promotional platform in 'New Years Rockin’ Eve' as well as college sports and Christmas programming, and also to give these shows an uninterrupted run."
While some fans are not happy with the delay, The Rookie star Eric Winter spoke with Hello Magazine to shed some light on the subject, noting that the 2024 presidential election (November 5) was the main reason behind such a decision:
"I was very nervous at first I'll be honest, I was bummed. But then, I talked to a lot of people at the upfronts and it made perfect sense. I know how much of a priority 'The Rookie' is to ABC and with this being an election year and a lot of time being devoted to those sorts of things, they're trying to protect the show. There would be too many gaps, and the fans don't love that. So they're really trying to put us in a lineup where we can give eight episodes in a row with no interruption and so I appreciate it for that reason."
TV Line noted that The Rookie Season 7 will have 18 episodes (Season 6 had 10).
The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley also told TVLine in May 2024 that production for Season 7 will reportedly begin in early June 2024.
Season 6 premiered on February 20 and ended its run on May 21.
Who's Cast in The Rookie Season 7?
All the The Rookie mainstays are expected to return in Season 7. Leading the cast are Nathan Fillon's John Nolan and Melissa O'Neil's Lucy Chen.
Fan-favorite characters like Eric Winter's Tim Bradford and Alyssa Diaz's Angela Lopez are also expected to come back.
Lisseth Chavez's Celina Suarez, Richard T. Jones' Sergeant Wade Grey, Tru Valentino's Aaron Thorsen, and Mekia Cox's Nyla Harper round out the show's massive ensemble.
Given that Bridget Regan's Monica Stevens was not captured in the Season 6 finale, she is also set to return to seek revenge against John Nolan and the team.
Other characters returning are recently escaped convicts Jason Wyler (Steve Kazee) and Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave), who are out for blood against the LAPD's finest.
In an interview with TVLine after the wild Season 6 finale, The Rookie Showrunner Alexi Hawley confirmed that Jenna Dewan (who plays Bailey Nune in the series) will be absent for the first few episodes due to her pregnancy.
Hawley pointed out, however, that Bailey will return at some point in the season alongside the other villains who escaped from prison:
"They will definitely resurface at different times. As you know, Jenna [Dewan]’s about to have a baby in real life, so we probably won’t see [Bailey] for the first few episodes because of that. As a result, we aren’t sure when we’ll see Jason. But yes, I think we’re looking at how we can spread stuff out so we’re not just all diving into all of it at the beginning."
The Season 6 finale also featured notable guest stars from the canceled spin-off The Rookie: Feds, which could indicate that some of them will appear in the upcoming episodes.
Here is an overview of the expected cast members returning in The Rookie Season 7:
- Nathan Fillion - John Nolan
- Eric Winter - Tim Bradford
- Melissa O'Neil - Lucy Chen
- Richard T. Jones - Wade Grey
- Alyssa Diaz - Angela Lopez
- Mekia Cox - Nyla Harper
- Tru Valentino - Aaron Thorsen
- Lisseth Chavez - Celina Juarez
- Jenna Dewan - Bailey Nune
- Bridget Regan - Monica Stevens
- Steve Kazee - Jason Wyler
- Matthew Glave - Oscar Hutchinson
What Will Happen in The Rookie Season 7?
The Rookie Season 6 finale featured many twists and turns that set up Season 7.
John Nolan and Nia Harper's mission in Argentina alongside some of The Rookie: Feds mainstay did not end well since Nolan was shot and Monica escaped.
Monica's escape made her aware that the LAPD was after her, which meant she would double her efforts in hiding during the next season.
Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen's breakup was also a highlight of Season 6.
It remains to be seen if the pair will end up together again (#ChenFord fans may need to wait and see), but the finale hinted that they are on good terms, especially after Lucy swooped in and had a badass moment to save Tim from certain death.
At the end of Season 6, Nolan and Bailey also decided to start a family via adoption. Still, this plan may need to wait after learning about Jason Wyler's (Bailey's ex-husband) escape from prison.
The Rookie Season 7's longer episode count (18) allows the show to explore and resolve more storylines.
Showrunner Alexi Hawley told The Wrap in May 2024 about the expectations surrounding Season 7, noting that they are leaning toward "more standalone storytelling:"
"We’re looking forward to going back to a bit more standalone storytelling. We’ve always had serialized stories from episode to episode, but we don’t necessarily need to touch them every week. So I do like the idea that we can go back to a more “What are we doing this week?” vibe, which I think audiences like, because we definitely have different ways of telling stories."
Hawley also teased that a "big guest star" could arrive, pointing out the goal to showcase something that fans are not going to expect:
"We do big stunt-y episodes like the finale, but we also do things that are more comedic or more rom-com, or maybe a big guest star. I just like the idea that every week, you watch the show, you don’t necessarily know what you’re gonna get, which is hard to find on TV."
In a separate interview with TV Insider in May 2024, Hawley admitted that they have "some big shoes to fill after Season 6," acknowledging that they need to keep taking big swings to surprise fans in the upcoming season:
"Just that we know we have some big shoes to fill after season six. We took some big swings and I love that we keep challenging ourselves and, look, we do even better, but yet at the same time, how do we just lean more into how much everybody loves these characters? I feel super lucky that we get to have fun every week, even if we do some stuff that’s high stakes or tragic or whatever, that tonally, because we do everything, it allows us to really give you an episode every week that just really keeps you on the edge of your seat."
All episodes of The Rookie Season 6 are streaming on Hulu.
Read more about The Rookie on The Direct:
The Rookie: Is Jenna Dewan's Bailey Pregnant In Season 6?
The Rookie Season 6 Episode 10 Cast, Characters & Actors (Photos)
Is The Rookie Season 6 Episode 11 Real? When Will the Next Episode Release?
