The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley and star Nathan Fillion lay out some major details about the series’ upcoming eighth season.
Speaking to TV Line, Hawley discussed the timeline for The Rookie Season 8 in regards to where it picks up following Season 7’s explosive finale. “I don’t think it’ll be months later,” Hawley said about when Season 8 will begin in the series’ timeline. “I think it’ll be fairly continuous. Not literally the next day, but within a fairly short amount of time… There’s some time-sensitive stuff that we left hanging, that feels like we should [resolve soon] for the audience.”
One of the major developments that took place at the end of The Rookie’s seventh season was longtime villain Monica, portrayed by Bridget Regan, striking an immunity deal before heading off to Europe. At the outset of Season 8, Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan is set to be in Prague chasing Monica down. Fillion himself stated that “having Monica out and free and smug feels like injustice,” before adding that “people will be anxious to see her pay for what she’s done” going into Season 8 of The Rookie.
The Rookie premiered back in 2018 and quickly established itself as the then-latest hit police drama. The series stars Fillion as late-in-life LAPD rookie John Nolan, who joins the force after being caught in the middle of an armed bank robbery. The Rookie features an ensemble cast including Richard T. Jones, Shawn Ashmore, Mekia Cox, Alyssa Diaz, Melissa O’Neil, and Eric Winter, the latter two of whom portray fan-favorite on-again-off-again couple, Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford. Season 7 of The Rookie came to a close in May, leaving the door open for Chen and Bradford to reunite romantically, which has already been confirmed by Hawley himself.
The Rookie Might Not Be a One-Series Franchise for Much Longer
Back in July, it was reported that a new spinoff series titled The Rookie North was being developed at ABC. The series has reportedly “been gaining momentum for a pilot order,” which is expected to be filled by the network once the leading role has been cast. At the time that the news broke, it was noted that several actors had already been approached for the part, although there was no confirmation as to who exactly those actors may have been or whether any had signed on for the project. The series would be the second The Rookie spinoff after the short-lived The Rookie: Feds starring Niecy Nash-Bates as Simone Clark, which ran for a single season in 2022.
