We’ve got two very cool updates to pass along regarding the currently filming eighth season of ABC and series creator and showrunner Alexi Hawley’s Nathan Fillion-starring The Rookie. First up, Deric Augustine (Miles Penn) checked in on social media earlier today to let everyone know that today was a media day for the series. Following that, Director Tori Garrett shared a very cool update on how things are going with filming. Garrett is no stranger to the franchise, having previously directed eight episodes of the main series and one episode of “Feds.” In addition, Garrett has directed episodes of Prime Video’s Ballard, FOX’s 9-1-1: Lone Star, ABC’s Big Sky, and other shows. Well, it looks like Garrett is also helming the fourth episode of the upcoming season and that it’s wrapped filming…
“Wrapped Rookie! Just a few of my favourite peeps. Fun shoot. Epic episode. Now into edit I go,” read the caption to Garrett’s post, which included looks behind the scenes with Mekia Cox, Alyssa Diaz, Eric Winter, and others. Here’s a screencap from the director’s Instagram Stories, followed by the actual post:
“I have friends who are good actors in their own right. They’re calling me saying, ‘Hey, man, my daughter just turned 11, and she and her friends are all crazy about ‘The Rookie.’ Can I please have a birthday with you?’ I love that,” Fillion shared about the show’s success with multigenerational viewing audiences during his San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2025 panel earlier this summer.
“I think that ultimately television, specifically television with lots of episodes with characters that you can really invest in, has become comfort food for people,” added Hawley. “There’s 1,000 shows on the air, but it does feel like people sort of grab lots of shows that they look forward to watching. They’re an escape. I take that very seriously. It doesn’t mean that bad things don’t happen on our show, that there aren’t stakes, that we don’t go dark sometimes. People really look to us as an important storm.”
After a sizzle reel was screened, spotlighting the trip to Prague in the Season 8 opener, as well as a number of new and returning cast members. “In the first episode, we go to Prague and [John] becomes James Bond in the episode. We have a lot of exciting stories for [the cast] this season,” Fillion teased.
ABC’s The Rookie Season 7 starred Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, and Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez. Deric Augustine (Godfather of Harlem) and television-debuting Patrick Keleher were set as the newest rookies for the season. Augustine’s Miles is one of the newest rookies at the LAPD. As a Texas transfer, Miles is a ‘rookie’ despite being a two-year veteran of the force. Keleher’s rookie Seth seems like the ideal police officer, but the job requires quick, decisive action — something that doesn’t come naturally to Seth. In addition, Ivan Hernandez (Max’s And Just Like That…) had joined the cast as Detective Graham and appeared in several episodes.
Alexi Hawley is the series creator, writer, and executive producer. Mark Gordon, Nathan Fillion, Michelle Chapman, Jon Steinberg, Bill Norcross, Bill Roe, and Brynn Malone are executive producers of the series. Entertainment One (eOne) is the lead studio on The Rookie, a co-production with ABC Signature.
