The Rookie showrunner confirms season 7’s timeline following the ending of season 6. The Rookie is an ABC police procedural series about a man named John Nolan who ambitiously starts anew, following his dream to become an LAPD officer after a significant life event. The Rookie began airing in 2018 and features a leading cast including Nathan Fillion, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, and Melissa O’Neil.
Per TV Insider, The Rookie’s Alexi Hawley described when season 7 will pick up in the timeline. Hawley was asked whether he anticipated a potential time jump between The Rookie season 6 and season 7. According to the showrunner, there will be no major time jump in between the two seasons. However, the action will not necessarily pick up “the second after we left” season 6, but rather “within a week or two.” He also spoke about how he thinks that the 18-episode structure will aid The Rookie. Check out the full quote from Hawley below:
I don’t think so. I found out around the upfronts when they make those decisions, but I don’t think it needs to interrupt—I mean, it’s not a cliffhanger per se. We don’t have to come back the second after we left, which is kind of what we had to do going into Season 6. But it’s within a week or two that we’ll come back, time-wise.
I think we’re doing 18 [episodes]. I actually feel like I heard that everybody’s doing 18 this year. So my understanding is that except for maybe a State of the Union, we’ll be 18 in a row, we will be on every week, which is great. I’d love that. Obviously it’s early days and stuff might happen, but I get why to a certain extent why we’re waiting until [midseason]. A lot of it does have to do with the election. Tuesday nights of an election year are heavy preemptions, and everybody wants to protect the shows, which I appreciate. So yeah, we’ll be ready and it’s going to be great.
The Rookie Season 7 Has A Number Of Plots To Resolve
Season 7 Will Follow Up On A Prison Break
This timeline for The Rookie season 7 premiere makes sense. With an action-packed season 6 finale, most of the immediate action has been resolved already, so an episode picking up mid-action is not needed. By contrast, season 5 ended on a major cliffhanger with LAPD officer Aaron Thorsen’s fate up in the air after being shot, leaving The Rookie season 6 with an immediate resolution to pick up. TheRookie season 6 finale doesn’t have loose ends as significant, giving the timeline more space.
That said, The Rookie still has plenty to resolve as it enters season 7. One such plot point involved Oscar’s plan to break out of prison. Because Oscar’s plans were revealed, it will be important that The Rookie season 7 addresses this prison break, including its specifics and how successful Oscar’s plan was. Given this plot, it makes sense that The Rookie would not want a major time skip, as the series would not want to ignore the ramifications of Oscar’s prison break.
There are several other characters with major plots to be resolved in The Rookie season 7. This includes plots involving Monica, who has been on the run. With Oscar breaking out of prison, The Rookie season 7 will have even further interest in these two villains. Furthermore, the season will have to show the relationship between Tim and Lucy further while they reconcile their professional and platonic partnership after they broke off their romantic relationship in episode 6. With only a small time gap, it will be fascinating to see how these plots pick up in season 7.
