EVERYTHING FANS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT 'THE ROOKIE' SEASON 7
The Rookie season 6 may have ended in May, but we're still thinking about the epic way the show wrapped up a drama-filled installment.
Season 6 of the ABC drama gave fans everything they wanted and more. They watched John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) get married and start plans for expanding their family. They witnessed Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil) and Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) be blissfully in love... until Tim shocked viewers by unceremoniously dumping his girlfriend. The officers at LAPD Mid-Wilshire solved a number of crimes, while also tackling a case involving none other than lawyer Monica Stevens. It turned out she was out for blood with the police, bringing along some major players that left every single first responder at risk.
With The Rookie ending season 6 on a high-stakes cliffhanger, fans desperately want to know if a season 7 is in the works at ABC. Well, we solved the case for you, though it comes with some interesting twists.
Will there be a season 7 of The Rookie?
Sound the alarms, because The Rookie will be back for another epic season!
The news of The Rookie getting renewed for season 7 came back in April, when ABC shared the announcement on Instagram. At the time, fans were thrilled that there would be more adventures happening with the cops at LAPD Mid-Wilshire. What's more, Nathan Fillion spoke out after the big reveal, sharing his own screenshot of the Deadline announcement on his Instagram account.
"It’s a good feeling to have work," he captioned the post on April 16. "It’s even better to be able to take pride in that work. If you are among those who are enjoying The Rookie, we owe you our thanks. Thank you, for having excellent taste in entertainment. Season 7, here we come. (And let’s not forget ABC! Thanks for being so supportive!)."
If that wasn't enough, Eric Winter also had some words to say about The Rookie scoring another season. He not only was thrilled for his character's story to continue, he expressed his gratitude over working on the show over the last six seasons.
"Oh yeah … @therookieabc fans who’s ready?!?!" he wrote on Instagram on April 15. "So thankful to be apart of this incredible show! Love this team! #vamos #season7 #letsdothis #therookie #bradford 👮🏼♂️."
Jenna Dewan was also ecstatic about returning to The Rookie for season 7, and she gifted fans a look at what filming the drama is like behind the scenes.
"SEASON 7! Another season with the most incredible people!" she wrote on April 16 on Instagram. "So. So. Grateful. @therookieabc."
Has The Rookie season 7 started filming?
As of June 2024, The Rookie cast is officially back on set and filming season 7!
Folks got a first look of the actors at work when Eric posted a behind-the-scenes TikTok of him pulling up to his trailer. As the camera quickly switched to him dressed as his character Tim Bradford, he voiced his excitement to be working on an all-new season.
"Vacation is over but [you're] called back to the job you love," he cheekily wrote over the clip on June 22.
Eric wasn't the only one thrilled to be working on The Rookie season 7. Mekia Cox (who portrays Nyla Harper) shared a series of selfies and photos on Instagram, showcasing her elation to be with the rest of the cast and crew.
"Day 1 of The Rookie Season 7! 😜🎬," she wrote on June 20.
Is there a release date for The Rookie season 7?
We do know one major thing about the status of The Rookie season 7, and fans won't be too thrilled about it.
According to TVLine, new episodes of The Rookie season 7 won't air until the midseason in January 2025. While this is disappointing, the outlet explained that when the show does return, it will run consecutively for roughly 18 episodes.
Who will be in the cast of The Rookie season 7?
Based on the events from the season 6 finale, here are the cast members who will likely return for The Rookie season 7:
- Nathan Fillion as John Nolan
- Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez
- Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey
- Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper
- Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen
- Eric Winter as Tim Bradford
- Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune
- Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers
- Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez
- Tru Valentino as Aaron Thorsen
- Bridget Regan as Monica Stevens
- Matthew Glave as Oscar Hutchinson
- Steve Kazee as Jason Wyler
While fans know Jenna Dewan has been portraying Bailey Nune ever since she debuted on The Rookie in season 4, it will be some time before the firefighter returns to the screen in a full-time capacity.
As showrunner Alexi Hawley told TVLine in May, Jenna will be taking time off as she goes on maternity leave after the June 14 birth of daughter Rhiannon Lee Kathryn with her fiancé Steve Kazee (she also shares son Callum with Steve and daughter Everly with ex-husband Channing Tatum).
"As you know, Jenna [Dewan]'s about to have a baby in real life, so we probably won’t see [Bailey] for the first few episodes because of that," Alexi told the outlet at the time. "As a result, we aren’t sure when we’ll see Jason. But yes, I think we’re looking at how we can spread stuff out so we’re not just all diving into all of it at the beginning."
Do we know any plot details of The Rookie season 7?
One major plot point fans want to know about going into The Rookie season 7? Whether Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford will rekindle their romantic relationship.
Folks saw the twosome finally get together in the middle of season 5, only for them to break up in season 6 as Tim found himself entangled in a case that he didn't want Lucy to get involved in. As both parties remained heartbroken over the demise of the romance, the two had to work together to take down Monica and Oscar as the former broke the latter out of prison. What's more, Lucy later saved Tim's life during the season 6 finale, leading to the potential for a reconciliation fans would be thrilled to see onscreen.
"To me, the joy of the show is that even when there are stakes, even when there are bad things that happen, the show is always a ride and always entertaining," Alexi told TV Insider in May. "I think we have to walk that line on, what does it look like if they’re finding their way back to whatever a relationship looks like with them in the short term and then also the long term, which are not necessarily the same thing?"
"Look, audiences want the will they, won’t they, we know that from the history of television," he added. "It’s the wanting that’s the most dramatic. How do we get back to a place where we can have that?"
One other surprise teaser about what's to come in The Rookie season 7? The fact that Bailey's abusive ex-husband Jason Wyler is returning to the show. As fans witnessed in the final minutes of The Rookie season 6, Oscar managed to help Jason escape prison, and the latter is on a warpath to find his ex-wife. Well, it looks like there's more in store for the antagonist, as Alexi explained to the outlet his presence will be felt pretty quickly.
"Without spoiling too much, because I don’t know everything at this point, I think Jason’s probably the most immediate problem," he added. "I can’t necessarily comment on Oscar and Monica yet, but I think obviously Jason is the one with the most specific, the most harmful intent towards anybody on our show at the moment."
How can I watch and stream The Rookie season 7?
When the time comes for new episodes of The Rookie season 7 to air, viewers can watch the show Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. Fans can also watch the drama on the ABC site or stream on the ABC app. Just make sure you have your TV provider information on hand, because you may need it in order to start watching.
For those who have streaming sites like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV or Sling, you're in luck. You can watch The Rookie season 7 as it airs in real-time, but just make sure you create accounts for the sites ahead of time.
If you're the type of person who'd prefer to watch The Rookie season 7 at a later time, new episodes will debut on Hulu the next day. If you don't have an account yet, you can sign up for plans that start at $7.99 per month. Once you have a profile made, you can view the show on Hulu's website or on the Hulu app.
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