“The Rookie” Season 6: Perfect Stop or Opens New Questions?

ABC’s The Rookie quickly approaches the premiere of Season 7, set to air on January 7, 2025. However, there is some growing doubt about the crime drama’s direction after a Season 6 finale that left some viewers and critics underwhelmed. From a lackluster cliffhanger to strange pacing, many fans finished the season finale feeling like they had just watched a traditional mid-season episode. While many viewers are eagerly awaiting Season 7’s release, others are growing uninterested, considering the Season 6 finale of The Rookie didn’t set up many stakes for the characters involved in the police procedural series.

However, it might be appropriate to cut The Rookie’s Season 6 finale a little slack, considering its filming faced major challenges in the past few years. One of the main reasons is that ABC’s production was greatly impacted by both the Writer’s (WGA) and Actor’s (SAG-AFTRA) strikes in 2023. This likely contributed to the season’s short episode list, which contained only 10 episodes, an entire four episodes fewer than the second-shortest season (Season 3). Ultimately, the shorter season may have led to a compressed narrative that some believe didn’t stick the landing.

The Big Search Behind “Escape Plan” in ‘The Rookie’

The episode largely centers around an action-packed hunt for the corrupted lawyer Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan). However, “Escape Plan” also finds itself juggling multiple subplots woven within the main storyline. These include Chen and Bradford’s complex relationship, Nolan and Nune’s pondering of family life, and, most notably, the escape plan that is forming to free returning antagonists Hutchinson and Wyler from prison.

The hunt for Stevens culminates in an intense shoot-out after she attempts to hand off Dr. Blair London (Danielle Campbell) to a Swiss trafficker. During the meeting, Stevens is ambushed by Officer John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), Detective Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox), and the FBI. After realizing her increasingly dire circumstances, Stevens leaves Dr. London to be arrested by Nolan and Harper and flees deeper into Argentina. Nolan is shot in the side while trying to chase her down, ultimately failing to do so. The episode ends with a BOLO on Stevens, marking her as a fugitive from the law heading into Season 7.

Wrapping Up the Finale’s Other Relationships in ‘The Rookie’

In the meantime, Officer Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) and Sergeant Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) remain romantically separated following their breakup in Season 6, Episode 6, “Secrets and Lies.” However, Bradford rethinks his choices and apologizes after Chen saves his life by jumping between moving vehicles during a criminal takedown. Bradford’s reflection seems to leave the door open for the couple to get back together in Season 7.

Officer Nolan and Lieutenant Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) rest together in bed, thinking about the events of the day and the future of their family. It appears as though the couple would like to move forward with the process of adoption, adding a child to their newly formed family of two. However, this sense of peace is quickly disturbed after Nolan receives a concerning phone call from Sergeant Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones). During the conversation, he is informed that Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave) and Jason Wyler (Steve Kazee) have escaped from prison and are out roaming the streets, ready to wreak havoc on them and the LAPD. This news is especially worrying for Nolan and Nune, considering Wyler is both a sociopath and Nune’s ex-husband.

Where ‘The Rookie’ Episode Fell Flat

Despite the praise given to the episode’s impressive stunt sequences and the handling of Chen and Bradford’s relationship, fans were still disappointed by the prison escape “cliffhanger” and the reappearance of Hutchinson and Wyler. First, the series did not properly establish that Wyler and Hutchinson were being held in the same prison, which came off as a bit too coincidental for viewers to believe. Second, the prison escape was not surprising, considering Oscar’s plans were revealed only one episode prior in “The Squeeze.” Of course, audiences weren’t sure if he would succeed in his escape attempt or take Wyler with him, but they certainly were not blindsided by the finale’s events.

Third, and arguably most importantly, there was another antagonist team-up that would have made a lot more sense for The Rookie to pursue heading into Season 7 — a team-up between Hutchinson and Elijah Stone (Brandon Jay McLaren). Not only was Stone’s “final” appearance only one season prior, compared to two seasons for Wyler, but he had met Hutchinson before in the prison where he was being kept.

Despite this seemingly more natural storytelling direction, the series decides to bring Wyler back out of the blue. Due to this choice, it is evident that The Rookie is playing the long game, likely using Wyler and his past relationship with Nune to foster future conflict-filled storylines that will play out in Season 7. The Rookie is heading back to ABC on Tuesday, January 7, at 10/9c.