The wait forThe Rookieseason 7 ends at the beginning of 2025, and when the new episodes arrive,there are many things that they must accomplish to make up for the disastrous sixth season.ABC’s police procedural series premiered in 2018 and has evidently been a success for the network, and for good reason. DuringThe Rookie’s early days, the show was full of shocking moments, great character development, intriguing villains, and compelling cases. However, as time has gone on, the series has dipped in quality, as evidenced by howunnecessarily badThe Rookieseason 6was.
The Rookieseason 7 premieres on Tuesday, July 28, 2025, at 10 pm ET on ABC (perTVLine). Season 7 is expected to contain 18 episodes, a large step up from season 6’s 10-episode run.
The good news is thatThe Rookieseason 7 has the opportunity to bring the TV show back to its glory days.Since it reportedly has 18 episodes, season 7 has the time and space to introduce thoughtful, entertaining, and surprising stories. Givenwhat happened inThe Rookieseason 6 finale, though, season 7 has to address some previous developments before it can move on to bigger and better things.
8Resolve The Rookie Season 6 Finale Cliffhanger
Oscar & Jason Escaped Prison
As some may remember from the chaotic and jumbled finale,The Rookieseason 6 ended with a jailbreak. Oscar, who had been tormenting Nolan for years, and Jason, Bailey’s ex-husband, broke out of prison with the help of Monica. Whereas Oscar might not be in a vengeful mood in the next episodes, Jason sure will be. After leaving prison, Jason told Oscar to drop him off in Los Angeles, where he is bound to seek out his ex-wife and her new husband. So,The Rookieseason 7 must follow through with Jason’s returnand obvious desire for revenge.
How Bailey Nune Went From Boring Love Interest To The Rookie’s Best Character
When Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) debuted on The Rookie she was a bit of a drag, but her story turned around and now she’s one of the best characters.
Jason doesn’t have to stick around for a long timewhenThe Rookieseason 7 premieres. In fact, it should be the opposite. The first episode should feature Jason’s plans for Nolan and Bailey but end with him back in a jail cell. Unfortunately,Jenna Dewan will reportedly be missing from season 7’s first few episodesdue to her maternity leave, which might mean Jason’s stay in season 7 will be extended. Whatever the case, the cliffhanger cannot be solved with one throwaway comment about how the police caught Oscar and Jason and took them back to prison.
The Rookie Needs Another Iconic Villain
Once season 7 deals with Oscar and Jason,The Rookiecan look ahead to bigger and better villains. The police procedural had a couple of amazing and iconic Big Bads at the beginning — Rosalind Dyer and Nick Armstrong. Since then, though,The Rookiehas failed to introduce any antagonists worthy of standing where they stood, posing a real threat to the main characters. The writers attempted to follow up Rosalind and Armstrong withvillains like Elijah Stone and Monica Stevens, but both of their arcs fell flat.Monica was exciting, but the season 6 finale dulled her villainous run.
But once Monica is gone, theRookiewriters must return to the drawing board and incorporate one unsuspecting, evil, complex Big Bad to cause chaos.
Throughout the past fewThe Rookieseasons, the show has tried again and again to make Elijah and Monica work, and they just haven’t. Both had great potential. However,Elijah and Monica’s stories were too drawn-out and convolutedfor the audience to care. Elijah can be left in the past, whileThe Rookieseason 7 has no choice but to close out Monica’s villain arc given her escape during the season 6 finale. But once Monica is gone, theRookiewriters must return to the drawing board and incorporate one unsuspecting, evil, complex Big Bad to cause chaos.
6Say A Proper Goodbye To Aaron
Tru Valentino Exited The Rookie After Season 6
OneThe Rookieseason 6 castmember won’t return in 2025 — Tru Valentino, who has played Aaron Thorsen since season 4, exited the show ahead of season 7. While losing Aaron is sad, the fact thatValentino didn’t get the chance to give his character proper closuremakes it all the more disappointing. However, season 7 can still do right by Aaron, even without Valentino around.
Patrick Kelehe
Seth
The Rookieseason 7 must genuinely say goodbye to Aaron.One person can’t simply explain Aaron’s absence with a throwaway commentthat’s easy to miss (although this will likely happen). He meant a lot tomany ofThe Rookiecharacters, especially Celina Juarez. Celina’s story in the premiere could easily revolve around Aaron leaving Mid-Wilshire, giving him a true sendoff before the show can move on to its new characters (Deric Augustine and Patrick Kelehe will joinThe Rookieseason 7 castas Miles and Seth, respectively).
5Give Lopez, Harper, & Grey Better Storylines
Lopez, Harper, & Grey Barely Got Any Action In The Rookie Season 6
A 10-episode season doesn’t allow much room for an ensemble cast to breathe,and Angela Lopez, Nyla Harper, and Sergeant Grey paid for it. To make up for their lack of screen time or memorable storylines,The Rookieseason 7 should prioritize them. Lopez, Harper, and Grey shouldn’t be around just to support the other characters, like John Nolan, Lucy Chen, and Tim Bradford. They need their own thoughtful, interesting arcs. Yes, Lopez and Harper crashing Nolan and Bailey’s honeymoon was one ofthe best moments ofThe Rookieseason 6, but it still primarily revolved around the couple.
Yes, Pete Davidson Was In The Rookie — His Absence In A Milestone Episode Caused A Fan Uproar
Comic actor Pete Davidson loaned his charms to The Rookie in a pivotal role. So it was strange when he was missing from a big milestone episode.
Most of Lopez, Harper, and Grey’s time inThe Rookieseason 6 was spent working on casesor chiming in on other characters' storylines. While complex and entertaining cases are also a must, it would also be fantastic if Lopez, Harper, and Grey were given plots not directly related to their job (or fighting over a babysitter). It’s unclear what awaits these three characters in the upcomingepisodes ofThe Rookie, but they deserve more than what they got in season 6.
4Chenford’s Reunion (But Not Too Soon)
Tim & Lucy Shouldn’t Rush To Get Back Together
Of course, one of the things at the top ofThe Rookieseason 7’s to-do list is getting Tim and Lucy back together. However, it comes with one condition —Chenford’s reunion must be a slow burn.They must go back to where they started, which is a good thing, given how well done Tim and Lucy’s initial slow burn was. Season 6 rushed through their breakup, making it hard for viewers to get truly invested in their drama. But by returning to a slow build-up concerning Tim and Lucy’s relationship,The Rookiecan pull the audience back in and make them care.
So, if the writers are smart (and they are), fans shouldn’t expect Tim and Lucy to get back together in the season 7 premiere.The Rookieseason 6 ended without a Chenford reunion, meaning that the couple likely has a long road ahead of them. However, viewers shouldn’t have to wait seasons for Chenford this time.Tim and Lucy should rekindle their relationship towards the end ofThe Rookieseason 7,and not a second sooner.
3Nolan & Bailey Adopt A Baby
The Couple Discussed Having A Baby In The Rookie Season 6
Aside from the Oscar and Jason jailbreak,The Rookieseason 6 finale ended with Bailey agreeing to at least consider adopting a babywith Nolan. As some may recall, the couple tried to conceive a child naturally, but Bailey would need to pay for expensive IVF treatments. So, Nolan and Bailey decided not to go down that route, leading to heartbreak for both of them.
Hopefully, Nolan and Bailey adopting a child will happen much quicker than it took for them to get married after their engagement.
At the beginning ofThe Rookieseason 6 finale, Nolan came up with the idea of adoption and presented it to Bailey. She didn’t get on board the adoption train until the episode’s end. But fans should still expect to see more of thisstoryline inThe Rookieseason 7. Hopefully, Nolan and Bailey adopting a child will happen much quicker than it took for them to get married after their engagement.
2Incorporate More Episodic Cases
Season 6 Was Too Serialized
ABC’s police procedural series tried out a serialized approach to its storytelling inThe Rookieseason 6,and it failed epically. With only 10 episodes to work with, it’s understandable why the writers would want to tell a season-long story. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work inThe Rookieseason 6. The entire plot with Monica became too convoluted and chaotic, making it hard to keep up with.
Jenna Dewan’s The Rookie Season 7 Return Tease Is Great News After Season 6’s Cliffhanger
Jenna Dewan is officially set to reprise her role as Bailey Nune in season 7 of the ABC TV series The Rookie after season 6’s cliffhanger.
The good news is that the writers have seemingly learned from their mistakes andpromised to present more standalone arcs inThe Rookieseason 7. This means that the season will feature many episodes with stories that begin and end within the hour. Of course, there will be serialized elements tying the whole season together. However,The Rookieseason 7 will return to an episodic format,which undoubtedly contributed to the early seasons' success.
1Nolan Gets A New Rookie
Celina Should Graduate
Nolan has been training Celina for about two seasons now, and it’s time for her to take off the training wheels.Celina has an okay dynamic with Nolan,but she would be better off interacting and working with some of the other characters (like Lucy, her new roommate).Tru Valentino exitingThe Rookieseason 7 cast is a blowto Celina’s arc, given how Aaron and Celina’s storylines often overlapped, and they were good friends. But if she is to stand out in season 7, Celina has to graduate and move on from Nolan.
Perhaps one of the two new characters inThe Rookieseason 7 will be Nolan’s new rookie, and they can form a better training officer/trainee dynamic than he and Celina had.
Nolan could also use a new rookie who is much better suited for him.It certainly shouldn’t be too hard to find someone who has good chemistry with Nathan Fillion’s character. Perhaps one ofthe two new characters inThe Rookieseason 7will be Nolan’s new rookie, and they can form a better training officer/trainee dynamic than he and Celina had.
The Rookie
Cast
The Rookie follows John Nolan, a small-town man who embarks on a new career as an LAPD officer after a life-changing event. As the force’s oldest rookie, Nolan faces skepticism from superiors who view his pursuit as a midlife crisis.
