The Rookie Season 7 brought back a major villain from past seasons, but with an unexpected twist ahead of Season 8. ABC's police procedural drama series has had its fair share of villains through the years, such as Bailey's (played by Jenna Dewan, who had an exit scare in The Rookie Season 7) abusive ex-husband Jason Wiley (Steven Michael Kazee), racist cop Doug Stanton (Brandon Routh), and serial killer Rosalind Wyler (Annie Wersching).
In The Rookie Season 5, fans are introduced to Bridget Reagan's Monica Stevens, a shady defense attorney who has a strong alliance with some dangerous criminals. Monica is the kind of villain who doesn't go guns blazing at enemies. Instead, she manipulates the justice system and uses legal loopholes to carry out her goals.
The Rookie's Season 6 finale saw Monica's downfall after the LAPD almost arrested her. While she ultimately escaped, it was also a win for the department because she was branded as a suspect and was on the run.
Fast-forward to Season 7. Monica returned briefly in Episode 11 after it was revealed that she was pulling the strings again by manipulating an innocent woman to retrieve a government employee's secure data. The finale followed up on this storyline after it revealed that Monica acquired top-secret national intelligence that could have widespread repercussions if it became public.
As a result, the government agreed to meet her demands of complete immunity, meaning that no one (not even the LAPD and the FBI) can arrest her.
With Monica roaming free yet still as dangerous as ever, the finale sets her up to become The Rookie Season 8's big villain.
Speaking with TV Insider, The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley confirmed Monica will "definitely play a part" in Season 8, and her immunity deal with the government will be a focal point of her story:
TV Insider: "What can you say about what this means for next season and how much of Monica we’ll see? It doesn’t necessarily mean that we would see it all the time, right? Because she could be working behind the scenes like she did this season."
Alexi Hawley: "Correct. I think ultimately she will definitely play a part in Season 8. It’s early days. The writers’ room just started [on May 5], but I think there are facets to the immunity deal that we can play with that keep her sort of active in our world that work with our storytelling."
Monica's immunity deal gives her the freedom to do whatever she wants, but this doesn't mean Mid-Wilshire Station officers will stop proving how dangerous she is.
In a separate interview with TV Line, Hawley teased that the repercussions of the deal in Season 8 "will be interesting:"
"Yeah, although now she’s out there and we can’t do anything about it in this version. She’s made this immunity deal, and we have to sort of eat it, which is obviously really difficult for our cops to see her get away with it, basically. The repercussions of that next season will be interesting."
Another villain to look out for in The Rookie Season 8 is recurring con man Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave). He escaped after abducting John Nolan to help him find a hidden stash of stolen diamonds in the desert.
Given that his whereabouts are unknown, Oscar is expected to still play a part in Season 8 and seek revenge against Nolan (clearly, Nolan had no shortage of enemies).
Speaking with Deadline, Hawley also teased what lies ahead for Oscar, confirming that fans will see "some resolution in some shape or form" in his story in Season 8:
"We’ll definitely see him again. We can only get so many bites of the apple of him getting away, so I think we’ll see some resolution in some shape or form next year. But look, we love Matthew, he’s a perfect example, we have many of them. You write a role and you hire an actor, and it was never meant to be more than that."
The Rookie is set to return for Season 8 in the 2025-2026 TV season, with it being slotted in the network's midseason slate (meaning it will be in early 2026).
What Monica’s New Immunity Twist Means for The Rookie’s Characters
Monica Stevens is not a villain to be messed with in The Rookie. Now that she has full immunity, she has all the tools and confidence to carry out whatever she may be planning.
The look of terror in the faces of John Nolan, Angela Lopez, Wesley Evers, and Lieutenant Grey (read more about The Rookie's full cast here) in Season 7's final moments is a hint of what's to come next season as they need to regroup and plan ahead of how to deal with a dangerous foe like Monica, especially now that she is just geting started.
With a long list of criminals at her disposal, Monica could utilize them by sending them to do their dirty work to keep the LAPD distracted while she pulls the strings from behind.
Oscar's looming return could also stir some trouble, while The Rookie Season 7, Episode 15's tease about Liam Glasser's return (the sadistic serial killer whose story is far from over) could also play a part in Season 8.
While John Nolan and his team of officers will have their hands full in The Rookie Season 8, there is strong hope that they can find a way to outsmart Monica and end her evil schemes.
