Everything We Know About The Rookie Season 8

The Rookie has been a highly successful drama series for an impressive seven seasons. This past season saw Tim struggling to accept the consequences of his own actions and learn to trust people after getting burned. We also saw a dramatic arc for Nolan and Bailey, played by Jenna Dewan, with Bailey struggling with her abusive past relationship.

It was announced recently that The Rookie has been renewed by ABC. The show’s seventh season was a big hit with viewers and earned high ratings on streaming services. This caused the network to confirm that John Nolan, Lucy Chen, and other cast members would be returning for another season.

The Rookie Has Been Renewed For Another Season After A Very Successful Season Seven

At the moment, there is no release date set for the eighth season. However, it should be noted that season seven was shot last autumn, being released the following January. It might be plausible to assume the timeline of season eight’s production might go the same way.

As for who will return to the show, it is already confirmed that Nathan Fillion will be back. The actor, who plays John Nolan, confirmed the news himself in a social media post. Nathan posted a video where he was joined by cast members, Alyssa Diaz, Lisseth Chavez, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Richard T. Jones, Jenna Dewan, and Shawn Ashmore. This could be confirmation they will all be returning as well.

“I’ve been around long enough to know how truly challenging and rare it is to have a long-running show,” Nathan wrote in the caption. “Thank you all for sticking around for these 7 seasons- it’s because of you that we are announcing season 8!! Congratulations to @alexihawley and the wonderful team that put this show together. I am so very proud to work alongside all of you. Let’s do this! #therookie.”

It is also clear that Richard T. Jones wants to stay on board. “I hope we go on for a very, very long time,” he recently said in an interview. “You know, I can have … a cane, walking around chasing people, like, ‘Stop! Stop!’ You know, I don’t care.”

The season finale will air in the coming weeks, which should give fans some ideas about where the plot will go in season eight. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it seems that Monica Stevens, who is played by Bridget Reagan, will continue to be trouble. This could make things even more complicated for the team.

“That’s the thing about [showrunner] Alexi [Hawley], man, he always leaves it on a little cliffhanger,” Richard T. Jones, who plays Lieutenant Grey, told TV Line. “You’re gonna feel a little annoyed because, like I said, some Monica [Stevens] mayhem is coming.” He added, “It’s a very big episode once again, so we’ve got the FBI. Felix [Solis] is in it again [as Agent Garza]… I think people are going to be very happy, but it’s one of those cliffhangers where you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, when is it coming back?'”

Eric Winter Teased Fans About What To Expect Prior To The Season Seven Premiere

Prior to the seventh season, Tim Bradford, played by Eric Winter, was learning a lot of lessons. Among those was the fact that his actions have consequences, and he must take responsibility for his choices.

In season six, Tim encounters a former military teammate, Ray, played by David Dastmalchian. This was definitely a catalyst for Tim to start facing his own personal demons. Ray arrives in Los Angeles, threatening to ruin Tim’s career. This led to Tim hatching a plan to catch Ray doing something illegal.

This resulted in Tim losing his job on Metro and his relationship with Lucy Chen, played by Melissa O’Neil, came to an end as a result. This caused Tim to seek out help in the form of therapy. However, his therapist Blair London, played by Danielle Campbell, was sharing information from her sessions with LAPD members with criminals. All of this caused Tim’s life to go way downhill. The good news is that Tim didn’t lose his badge, and he was back at Metro as a training officer at the start of season seven.

“I think in his heart he feels like he did what he had to do, and it was for the greater good,” Eric told Parade. “But you also need to follow the rules and that’s something that Tim’s a stickler with. So, I think he truly, in a way, regrets maybe the way he handled it. But I think, in the moment, he did what he thought was the best move. He struggles with it still.”

Among Tim’s struggles is that he also still loved Lucy, but he made it difficult for her to trust him. He wants to get back together, and gets a glimmer of hope when she is temporarily promoted to be a training officer for one of the two new rookies. This causes Tim to make her a bet on which one of their rookies will mess up first. He’s attempting to keep things light and playful between them.

“Tim clearly cares about her,” Eric explained. “He broke up with her because he cares about her. It was a true statement of, ‘It’s not you, it’s me, I’m not good enough for you and I don’t think you deserve the drama I could cause in your life with my past and all that.’ So, he, again, did what he thought was the best move, but probably regrets aspects of the way it went down and wishes he could have had the confidence or the smarts to be able to at least talk to her about it first, where he’s at, how he feels. But that’s just not Tim’s way. He had to learn the hard way, I guess, with his decision.”

Tim also made a return to therapy in season seven, despite being betrayed by his previous therapist. While Blair London might not have been operating the right way, she did a good job during the sessions. Tim was learning a lot about himself and felt he was improving. So it only makes sense that he would want to keep improving and better himself.

“We actually get to see Tim in a support group trying to work through these difficulties,” Eric said. “Granted, the situation he’s in at the time we see that scene is very funny, or it makes it kind of funny. I won’t spoil it. But, yeah, he took it seriously after those sessions with a therapist and knows that he needs help, and he can work on himself, and he can be better.”

Jenna Dewan Opened Up About Bailey And Nolan’s Relationship In Season 7

Ever since the start of Season 7, the characters of Nolan and Bailey have had some major relationship issues. Nolan found out that Bailey, played by Jenna Dewan, gave a tip to an assassin about her abusive ex-husband Jason, played by Steve Kazee. This led to Jason’s death. Bailey then met Diana, played by Virginia Kull. Diana was a woman running a shelter and helped Bailey open up about the situation.

“I think meeting Diana was a true catalyst for that recognition in herself,” Jenna told TV Insider. “I think Diana is a mirror for her, and I believe that Bailey has spent her entire life fighting against wanting to look like a victim, and you see that it’s evident in her work, it’s evident in how she protected herself and relationships and never wanting to be vulnerable. And it’s because she is a true victim. And I think that the recognition through Diana, that you are a victim and accepting that you are a victim, ultimately is a catalyst for her to go deeper and to become more vulnerable and heal finally.”

Bailey told Diana about her struggle to label what Jason did to her as abuse. Bailey eventually returned home after spending many nights away. Upon returning home, she talked to Nolan about being in denial about everything. Diana helped Bailey realize that Nolan was her best ally to help her through the healing process. She said that turning to the assassin was a desperate attempt to find safety.

Nolan said that he regretted making her feel like he was judging her for what she had done. Instead, he explained that he was just afraid of the possible danger she could’ve put herself in. Nolan then apologized for making her feel alone and insisted she wasn’t. “You’ve loved,” Nolan told Bailey.

“I think that that coming together and reconnecting scene was really important because I think you have to be vulnerable and it’s so hard when everything feels like it’s on the line and admitting something that you’ve been burying deep down inside your entire life is so hard to do,” Jenna told the outlet.

“And when you finally get that moment and you’re like, oh, I hope I’m safe enough to be seen in this way, and then you realize you are and you’re caught and you’re held in love, it’s the most healing thing in the world. So I really love that scene because I thought, wow, I’m so happy for both of them that they feel that safety within each other and can sort of go hand in hand and sort of see what life is going to show them next. But it’s like everything, it causes them to go a little bit deeper and with more trust together.”

Jenna told the outlet about what the future has in store for Bailey and Nolan. “Time heals like everyone else,” she said. “And I think learning to be more honest with each other, learning to accept help from each other, and knowing that they really are there for each other. And I think the personal taking accountability on both sides of this, that was interesting for me because initially you read this stuff and you have your own opinion of who you think is in the right, but at the end you realize, oh, we all have a part in it always.”

She continued, “We always all have a part in it. And the great thing about both of them is that they continue throughout the episodes coming up to keep taking accountability for their side of things, and that creates more healing. It creates them to understand, wow, we’ve really been through the fire and back and we still love each other, and there’s a lot of trust in that.

“At the same time, there’s always new things for us to tackle and it’s never boring from Nolan and Bailey ever. And so there’s something about that excitement and that unpredictability that really works for both of them and as a couple,” she added.