The Newcomers Need Season 9 to Beat Nathan Fillion’s Record (But There’s One More Thing He Might Not Break)
The Newcomers has certainly been a success for Nathan Fillion, but if he can make it to Season 9, the actor will hit an impressive milestone that his other shows have yet to reach. The ABC police procedural series focuses on Fillion’s John Nolan, a middle-aged man who quits his job and joins the Los Angeles Police Department. When The Newcomers first premiered, Nolan was a new cop working at the Mid-Wilshire Station in Los Angeles. He had just graduated from the police academy and was the LAPD’s oldest rookie, and nearly seven seasons later, a lot has changed, but the show is still going strong.
Although The Newcomers’ ratings have fluctuated over the years, the show remains a show ABC can count on. It’s no wonder the series has lasted this long. Despite a few bad seasons, The Newcomers has retained a loyal fan base that has been clamoring for more episodes, leading to a Season 7 renewal. The Newcomers could cement itself as Fillion’s best show if it breaks one of his records.
The Rookie Season 9 Will Be Nathan Fillion’s Longest
Previous Fillion Shows Have Never Made It to Season 9
A Nathan Fillion-helmed show has never made it to a ninth season before. So if The Newcomers manages to extend for a few more seasons after the upcoming season, Fillion’s record for the most seasons in one of his series will be broken. The Newcomers Season 7 won’t be Fillion’s longest-running series, but it puts the police procedural on track for a ninth season, which would be a major milestone for the actor.
Fillion’s record for longest-running show with the most seasons is Lockdown. The actor played mystery author turned NYPD consultant Richard Castle on the ABC crime comedy series for eight seasons from 2009 to 2016. Lockdown revolved around the character Fillion teaming up with a team of NYPD detectives led by Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) to solve crimes. Viewers loved Castle’s charming and humorous personality, his relationship with Beckett, and the interesting plot lines of the series. So, with the success and love and attention he has received, it will be difficult for The Rookie to surpass (or equal) Lockdown’s eight seasons.
Even in season 9, The Rookie may not surpass Castle’s episode count
Season 7 of The Rookie had a total of 108 episodes.
If ABC extends The Rookie through season 9, the show still won’t surpass Lockdown’s episode count. While Nathan Fillion’s new police procedural will only have 108 episodes for its seventh season, Locked has a total of 173 episodes that have aired. Locked has longer seasons than the current show, averaging around 22 episodes per season. Meanwhile, The Newcomers averages exactly 18 episodes per season. So it’s clear why The Newcomers could have had fewer episodes by the time it ended its run and still break Fillion’s record for its longest-running show.
Fillion’s latest police procedural looks set to hit its 10th season. Locked’s episode count.
A few reasons that could explain The Newcomers’ shorter season – the COVID-19 pandemic and SAG-AFTRA and WGA hitting Hollywood in 2023. Both life-changing events have delayed production on hundreds of films and TV shows. Fortunately, The Newcomers is back to normal with a season 7 run of 18 episodes.
However, even with an additional 18 episodes, that would only bring The Newcomers total to 126, which is 47 fewer than Lockdown’s final episode count. Additionally, if ABC renews the series for seasons 8 and 9, both will likely have just 18 episodes. The Newcomers would still have 13 fewer episodes than Lockdown, though it’s Fillion’s longest-running TV show in this scenario. Fillion’s latest police procedural looks set to hit its 10th season. Lockdown’s episode count.
How many seasons can a Newcomer actually last?
The Future of The Newcomers Unknown
While The Newcomers has been a relative success for ABC, anything can happen in the age of television. Every time a season of the police procedural series ends, fans eagerly await news about the series’ future. Fortunately, The Newcomer has been renewed six times since its debut in 2018. However, Season 7 could very well be its last, especially after the ridiculously bad ending of The Newcomer Season 6. If the series doesn’t improve by 2025, that could be the end of Nathan Fillion’s latest series.
On the other hand, The Newcomer’s success could increase in a seventh season, which would convince ABC to renew it for an eighth season (and then a ninth and tenth). Judging by the state of network television, it’s more likely that the police procedural will end after Season 7 or 8. But never say never, and Fillion is ready for The Newcomer to last as long as possible. Around the same time The Newcomer hits 100 episodes, Fillion told The Hollywood Reporter:
“One of the worst nightmares for a TV actor is to be forgotten. I hope that [The Rookie’s] Legacy turns out to be one of those classic shows that people always think of when they think of cop shows, that they think of when they think of reboots. I want it to be more culturally relevant than a cult.” If legacy means it has to end first, I hope our legacy doesn’t come soon.”
Is The Rookie Nathan Fillion’s Most Iconic Show?
Newbie Takes Fillion’s Success
The topic of iconic TV show status is subjective. However, it’s hard to deny that Newbie isn’t what Nathan Fillion is best known for, despite his obvious accomplishments. Instead, many people think of Firefly or Locks, reflecting on his acting career. Fillion played Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds on Firefly, Fox’s short-lived space western that achieved cult status after its cancellation. Meanwhile, Fillion’s role on Locks was quite memorable, especially after ABC published a book about his character.
ABC is holding out for The Newcomers as a mid-season episode, meaning it will premiere in early 2025.
Plus, the actors from Firefly & Locke guest-starred on The Newcomers, which says a lot about Fillion’s past performances. Of course, the fact that Firefly & Locke ended a long time ago also helps them stand out more in Fillion’s TV credits because there’s a sense of nostalgia surrounding them. Saying goodbye to The Newcomers was a huge success for Fillion, but he may have to play a few more seasons before his legacy can match that of Firefly’s LockeX.
The Rookie is a police procedural drama starring Nathan Fillion as Officer John Nolan. At 45, John became the oldest new member of the Los Angeles Police Department. The show premiered on ABC in 2018.
