The Rookie Season 7: All About the Crime Drama’s Next Installment (Will John and Bailey Grow Their Family?)
From the release date to the cast, here’s everything to know about ‘The Rookie’ season 7
Since its debut in 2018, The Rookie has kept viewers on the edge of their seats, awaiting the next twist — and season 7, which premiered on Jan. 7, 2025, is no exception.
Starring Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, the ABC series follows the police officer as he navigates his career as the oldest rookie to join the Los Angeles Police Department.
Over the past six seasons, his storyline has intertwined with his fellow LAPD coworkers, who have become close friends and faced a slew of emergencies alongside him.
Away from work, he’s also connected with others like his now-wife Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan). After marrying at the beginning of season 6, the couple have had to figure out if parenthood is the next step for them but the answer hasn’t been clear cut.
The procedural crime drama also follows other characters’ journeys, including Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) and Tim Bradford (Eric Winter). After leaning into their chemistry, Chenford hit a bump in the road when someone from Bradford’s past returned and derailed his personal and professional life.
Meanwhile, Thorsen went back to work but not before processing his trauma with psychologist Dr. Blair London (Danielle Campbell), who also takes Bradford as a client. But it wasn’t long before Dr. London was revealed to have been feeding secrets from LAPD officers to the ruthless lawyer Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan), and things turned for the worse.
From what to expect in the show’s new episodes to the returning cast, here’s everything to know about The Rookie season 7.
Will there be The Rookie season 7?
Months before The Rookie returned, ABC confirmed that the procedural drama had been renewed. After Deadline announced the news, Fillion expressed his joy the following day on Instagram, alongside a screenshot of the publication’s article.
“It’s a good feeling to have work,” he wrote. “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.”
The actor continued, “Thank you, for having excellent taste in entertainment. Season 7, here we come. (And let’s not forget ABC! Thanks for being so supportive!).”
When did The Rookie season 7 premiere?
The Rookie season 7 premiered on Jan. 7, 2025, with new episodes airing on Tuesdays — just as Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich hinted it would to TVLine in 2024.
“The Rookie and Will Trent are two of the cornerstones of our schedule,” he said of the shows returning midseason. “The Rookie is an amazing story, where at this point in its life cycle [six seasons in] it continues to grow. We see not just the current season but past seasons drive a tremendous amount of viewing on Hulu.”
Erwich continued, “It felt like the best way to platform those shows for success was to launch them in January, when we have this huge promotional platform in New Years Rockin’ Eve as well as college sports and Christmas programming, and also to give these shows an uninterrupted run.”
Although season 6 of the The Rookie took short breaks while on the air, he said that will not be the case for season 7.
“They’re going to go straight through,” Erwich added. “And that kind of momentum of original episodes week-in and week-out is just a very powerful engine for both of these shows.”
How many episodes will The Rookie season 7 have?
TVLine has reported that The Rookie season 7 will have 18 episodes, though that number has not yet been confirmed.
The first two seasons had 20 episodes each, followed by 14 episodes in season 3. Meanwhile, seasons 4 and 5 were increased to 22 episodes each, but season 6 was the shortest yet, with just 10 episodes after a delayed release due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Who is in the cast of The Rookie season 7?
Currently, no cast member exits have been announced at the end of season 6, and if this remains true, The Rookie season 7 cast could feature familiar faces, like Nathan Fillion, who also serves as an executive producer, coming back as John Nolan.
Additional actors include Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, Tru Valentino as Aaron Thorsen and Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez.
