The Rookie goes international, at least to start season 8, with the next premiere taking place in Prague.
Showrunner Alex Hawley and star Nathan Fillionwho plays LAPD officer John Nolan, confirmed the overseas adventure during San Diego Comic-Con in July 2025.
Both Nolan and his wife, firefighter Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), will be part of the Czech-filled episode, according to TVLine.
The rest of the international cast includes, You have a coxDetective Nyla Harper, Bridget Reganbad Monica Stevens and Felix SoliFBI Supervisory Special Agent Matt Garza, who has previously crossed paths The beginner: fedswhich is no longer on the air.
The Rookie finale brought back two villains and Tim Bradford finally making his intentions known with Lucy Chen known, but the episode left us with more questions than answers. During the season 7 finale on Tuesday, May 13, Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave) resurfaced after escaping prison during the season 6 finale with the help of corrupt (…)
Ahead of the season premiere on January 6, 2026, Hawley has explained what’s to come. Scroll down for everything Us Weekly know about season 8 of The Rookie so far:
Where did the plot of ‘The Rookie’ season 7 leave off?
The season 7 finale aired in May 2025 and returned two bad ones: Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Chap) and Monica (Regan). After being kidnapped by Oscar, Nolan managed to get away with his life and the diamonds stolen from Oscar. Oscar, who had escaped from prison before his battle with Nolan in the desert, managed to escape.
Corrupt attorney Monica, meanwhile, shocked the LAPD when she revealed during the finale that she made an immunity deal with the FBI in exchange for the stolen data she illegally acquired earlier in the season.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Rookie’ season 8?
In addition to Fillion, Dewan and Cox, regulars of the series Alyssa Diazlike detective Angela López, Richard T. Jonesas Lt. Wade Grey, Melissa O’Neilas Sergeant Lucy Chen, Eric Winterlike Sergeant Tim Bradford, Shawn Ashmoreas ADA Wesley Evers, i Lisseth ChavezShe is expected to return, as officer Celina Juárez.
Deric Agustíwho began playing rookie officer Miles Penn during Season 7, has been promoted to a series regular, according to TVLine.
What’s next for The Rookie’s Villains?
Hawley explained exclusively we in May, “It’s not the last we’ll see” of Oscar, teasing that he’ll be back sometime in Season 8. “Oscar is always very focused on what’s good for Oscar,” he said, explaining that he’s not as “revenge-oriented” as other villains.
He also confirmed that Monica’s storyline would continue beginning the season. “It’s crazy for our people that they want nothing more than to put her in jail where she deserves to be,” Hawley said of how the LAPD will react to Monica’s immunity.
Officer John Nolan found himself in a “sticky situation” with detective Nyla Harper in the latest episode of The Rookie, but star Nathan Fillion insisted their drama won’t last. Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Rookie Season 7 Episode 9. During the Tuesday, March 11 episode of the ABC series, Nolan (Fillion) must help (…)
Jones agreed with the showrunner, exclusively saying we in March 2025 that the police won’t understand “Monica’s influence” or why she’s “stirring the pot” right away.
Fillion, meanwhile, said TVLine in July 2025 that Monica feels “free and fat feels like an injustice” and therefore “people will be anxious to see her pay for what she has done”.
Where are the fan favorite romances?
During the season 7 finale, Tim asked Lucy to move in with him, but she fell asleep after a long night shift as a newly minted sergeant and didn’t hear the question. their romancehowever, he is in good shape heading into Season 8, according to Hawley.
The showrunner said we in May,”Cementing this conversation at the top of next season and figuring out what the next right step is” for “Chenford” won’t be overlooked. “Whatever the definition of the end game is, I think we’re definitely going to get there,” Hawley added of the pair’s story arc.
When it comes to Nolan and Bailey’s romanceHawley said the “door is closed” for now on a possible pregnancy or baby.
Hawley said we in May 2025 that fans could get more of Celina and musician boyfriend Rodge Bronson (Zander Hawley) romance even though he had a gig overseas during the season 7 finale. “They’re really fun together and I think it’s very real that people come in and out and that they hang out,” the showrunner explained.
The last time fans saw Gray and his wife, Luna (Angela Parker), were happy and Harper and her husband, James Murray (Arjay Smith), also returned to the track. Only time will tell if they stay that way.
Will there be a time jump?
“I don’t think it’s going to happen months later,” Hawley said TVLine in July 2025. “I think it will be pretty continuous, not literally the next day, but over a fairly short period of time.”
He teased, “There are some time-sensitive things that we’ve left hanging, which it seems like we should (resolve soon) for the audience. I don’t think we should get too far ahead of time.”
What did we learn from ‘The Rookie’ season 8 trailer?
ABC published the official trailer for season 8 in December 2025, revealing that the season begins with Bailey (Dewan) and Nolan (Fillion) kangaroo Monica (Regan) as they prepare for a “global operation” to take down terrorist targets with the FBI.
“Believe it or not, I’m here to help law enforcement take a legendary arms dealer off the streets,” Monica tells Bailey and Nolan, who admit they still don’t “trust” her and plan to watch her “like a hawk.”
Fans later see Monica escape from police custody after she picks a fight with even more bad boys overseas. “Where’s Monica?” Nolan asks innocently.
Elsewhere in the trailer, Nolan reveals that Bailey has been offered a job in Washington, DC, and asks what it would mean for him if he were to move.
Tim (Winter), meanwhile, asks Lucy (O’Neil) to move in with him a second time, but admits the wounds from their breakup are “so deep” that they “may never fade.”
As Gray (Jones) leads the joint task force, he also receives news that could disrupt his own marriage after he sees his wife flirting with a doctor.
Nolan, meanwhile, will have more than Monica to deal with this season, as the trailer shows the return of convict Oscar (Glave) who meets him on a transport plane. The bad news: The plane appears to have a malfunction that could cause them to crash.
When does ‘The Rookie’ season 8 premiere?
ABC announced it The Rookie season 8 The premiere will be part of its 2026 midseason lineup, which will air on Tuesday, January 6 at 10:00 PM ET. Viewers will have 18 episodes to sink their teeth into when the show returns.