The Rookie season 7 finale is coming up soon, and in a recent interview, showrunner Alexi Hawley shared what fans can expect from the upcoming episode.
After a season that brought back Seth Ridley (Patrick Keheler) and featured more than a few memorable cases, the season 7 finale is highly anticipated. The Rookie premiered on ABC in 2018 and follows John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), a rookie LAPD officer who is notable thanks to the fact that he starts his second career at an older age than the others. The series dives into the lives of its compelling and dynamic cast of characters that includes Nolan’s wife Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) and smart and compassionate officers Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil), Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz), and Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox).
What Did Showrunner Alexi Hawley Say About The Rookie Season 7 Finale?
In an interview with Deadline, Alexi Hawley shared what fans can expect from The Rookie season 7 finale and mentioned that John Nolan and Nyla Harper will chase down Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave). Hawley said:
“on the Oscar front, Nolan and Harper going out into the desert, it’ll be a big action movie; there will be pretty big action set pieces at the end.”
Hawley mentioned the dramatic twist at the end of The Rookie season 7, episode 17: Lucy Chen is a sergeant working the night shift. Now, Lucy and Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) won’t be on the same shift anymore. He said, “that will be part of the — I don’t want to use the word fun — of the episode is the obstacles to overcome.” It will be interesting to see how Lucy and Tim figure this out. Fans are curious if the couple will reunite in the finale or if there will be a cliffhanger that teases a big storyline next season. There may be a moment when viewers think they might have gotten over their problems, but then viewers would have to wait until the season 8 premiere to find out what really happened.
In the same interview, Hawley also answered a question about Pete Davidson returning to play Nolan’s half-brother Pete. The showrunner said Davidson didn’t come back recently thanks to his schedule, but suggested it could be possible for season 8. Hawley said:
“Pete Davidson is someone we’re desperate to get back, and he loves doing the show. His reps have reached out to us about him doing the show, it’s just about trying to land when he’s actually available, because he’s super busy. Hopefully in Season 8 we can get Pete back, that would be great.”
Davidson first appeared in The Rookie season 2, episode 13, “Follow-Up Day,” when Nolan finds out about Pete after their dad dies. This is also the episode when Pete and Chastity Sheen (Meg DeLacy) begin dating. Then, Pete comes back in season 4, episode 5, “A.C.H.” and Nolan gives him some helpful life advice about committing to Chastity and not running away from things that seem scary or tough. Chastity comes back in The Rookie season 7, episode 17 when Skip Tracer Randy (Flua Borg) reveals his romantic feelings for her. It’s a particularly fun season 7 episode thanks to Randy’s silly and naive approach to life.
As of now, it’s unclear if The Rookie season 8 will air in January 2026 as part of ABC’s mid-season broadcast schedule or if fans will get to see the next part of Nolan’s engaging and adventure-packed story in September 2025. While fans wait to find out more about when season 8 will air, they can look forward to what is sure to be a great season 7 finale.
