The Rookie’s primary concept revolved around a misfit in a place that did not have any use for misfits. Seven seasons later, John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) is not the rookie fans were introduced to in the first season. He has accomplished a lot in his career as a police officer. Season 7 is like a soft reboot for the procedural dramedy. New rookies join the team while Nolan’s age disadvantage rears its head again on the job. Meanwhile, the show focuses on things that make it The Rookie. ABC released a full-length trailer for the season, debuting on January 7.
An extension of the teaser released a few weeks ago, the new trailer below leans into the arcs the show seeks to explore this season. Nolan’s age is catching up with him, resulting in some improvisations on his part to get the job done. Meanwhile, Mid-Wilshire receives new rookies who come with their quirks. One is not entirely a rookie, having worked as a police officer in Texas before joining the LAPD. The other is fresh off the academy, and everything he experiences during his training period hits home harder than the academy could have prepared him.
‘The Rookie’ Returns After a Relatively Long Hiatus
Meanwhile, some arcs from the previous season carry over to the current. Several villains made a clean break in the Season 6 finale, and they are not done. Bailey’s (Jenna Dewan) ex is out of prison with Oscar (Matthew Glave), and his first order of business is to get even with Bailey. Nyla (Mekia Cox) and Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) face a huge task when a discovery about a serial killer is made, and it’s a race against time to do some damage control.
On the #Chenford front, the pair broke up in the previous season, but now they must work together, and their new duties put them in the same lane. They bet on who emerges as the best training officer for their respective rookie to battle the awkwardness. “[The bet] allows us to play the banter, the chemistry. It allows us to lean into the competition between them that has been baked into them since the beginning, even when he was her boss, basically,” showrunner Alexi Hawley told TV Line of keeping the chemistry alive.
The trailer leans heavily on classic The Rookie themes, which include exhilarating action and hilarious interactions. Hawley directed the first episode of Season 7, which features a change of pace for the show. “I wanted to “re-pilot” a bit on several fronts; one of them was I kind of wanted to go bigger, more action-y in places, so that’s what you definitely feel,” he said of the thrilling feeling attached to the episodes.
Catch the Season 7 premiere of The Rookie on ABC when “The Shot” airs on Tuesday, January 7, at 8 p.m. ET. Catch up with past episodes on Hulu before new ones begin airing in four days.
