Although one actor is leaving The Rookie ahead of season 7, the ABC series gains two more, who the veteran cast during the premiere. The police procedural show, created by Alexi Hawley, follows the personal and work lives of the law enforcement officers who work at the Mid-Wilshire Patrol Division in Los Angeles. However, as its name implies, The Rookie mostly revolves around first-year cops. As time goes on, though, newbies filter in and out of the station (or are promoted and remain a part of the list of characters).

New episodes of The Rookie season 7 air on Tuesdays at 10 pm ET. Season 7 has 22 episodes.

Like many other police procedurals, The Rookie features an ensemble cast. Some play police officers (at any level) in Mid-Wilshire, while others are the spouses of said cops. Unfortunately, though, fans have to say goodbye to one of those officers as Tru Valentino exited The Rookie during the season 7 premiere. Valentino, who played Aaron Thorsen, is no longer on the show, but his departure has resulted in the addition of two new rookies.

Nathan Fillion As John Nolan

Date Of Birth: March 27, 1971

  • Active Since: 1993

Actor: Nathan Fillion was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where he grew up. After college, Fillion moved to New York City, where he participated in theater and pursued an acting career. One of his first roles was as Joey Buchanan in One Life to Live, which landed him a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series in 1996. Fillion's breakthrough came when he was cast as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the cult TV show Firefly in 2002.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Nathan Fillion's Movies & TV Shows

Role

One Life to Live

Joey Buchanan

Saving Private Ryan

Pvt. James Frederick "Minnesota" Ryan

Firefly

Malcolm Reynolds

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Caleb

Serenity

Malcolm Reynolds

Castle

Richard Castle

The Rookie

John Nolan

The Suicide Squad

Cory Pitzner/T.D.K. (The Detachable Kid)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Master Karja

Superman

Guy Gardner/Green Lantern

Character: Since the pilot episode, Fillion has starred as John Nolan in The Rookie, and that hasn't changed in season 7. When the show began, Nolan was a rookie and now, he's training them. Nolan will finish out Celina Juarez's first year in season 7, but he also has other things to worry about (like Jason Wyler and Oscar Hutchinson's escape from prison and his and Bailey Nune's desire to adopt).

Related
Aaron's The Rookie Season 7 Exit Is A Complete Disservice To His Character

Tru Valentino exited the ABC procedural drama series The Rookie after season 6, and season 7 handled his character’s exit quite poorly.

Melissa O'Neil As Lucy Chen

Date Of Birth: July 12, 1988

  • Active Since: 2005

Actress: Melissa O'Neil was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When she was in high school, O'Neil auditioned for Canadian Idol (Canada's version of American Idol) season 3 and ended up winning the competition at 17 years old. She subsequently released a self-titled album, and a few years later, O'Neil began acting in theater. The actress eventually started auditioning for onscreen roles, later landing the part of Lucy Chen in The Rookie.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Melissa O'Neil's Movies & TV Shows

Role

Canadian Idol

Herself

Dark Matter

Two/Portia Lin

iZombie

Suki

A Simple Favor

Beth T.A.

The Rookie

Lucy Chen

Character: O'Neil has been a part of the main cast of The Rookie since season 1, and she continues playing Lucy in season 7. As some may recall, Lucy and Tim Bradford broke up in the previous season. However, romantic tension remains between them, especially now that Lucy is acting as a training officer and she and Tim make a bet about whose rookie will be better. Lucy's trainee is newcomer Seth Ridley.

Eric Winter As Tim Bradford

Date Of Birth: July 17, 1976

  • Active Since: 1999

Actor: Eric Winter was born in Los Angeles County, where he stayed throughout his adolescent years. When he was first starting out, Winter modeled and was relatively successful. However, Winter's acting career really took off when he landed the role of Rex Brady on Days of Our Lives in 2002. Since then, Winter has appeared in various films and TV series.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Eric Winter's Movies & TV Shows

Role

Days of Our Lives

Rex Brady

Brothers & Sisters

Jason McCallister

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Colton Graham

The Ugly Truth

Colin Anderson

Witches of East End

Dash Gardiner

Rosewood

Adrian Webb

The Rookie

Tim Bradford

Character: Winter stars as Tim Bradford in The Rookie season 7. Back in season 1, Tim was Lucy's training officer, and seven years later, he's training rookies right alongside her. This season, his "boot" is Miles Penn. Tim had a rough time in previous episodes, which resulted in The Rookie season 6. However, Tim has been attending therapy and working on himself.

Alyssa Diaz As Angela Lopez

Date Of Birth: September 7, 1985

  • Active Since: 2001

Actress: Alyssa Diaz was born in Los Angeles. Aside from that, though, not much is known about her early life. As for her acting career, Diaz has appeared in various TV shows, varying from soap operas to crime dramas. However, Diaz's breakout role was as Julie Goodyear in Red Dawn in 2012.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Alyssa Diaz's Movies & TV Shows

Role

As the World Turns

Celia Ortega

The Nine Lives of Chloe King

Jasmine

Red Dawn

Julie Goodyear

Army Wives

Gloria Cruz

Ray Donovan

Teresa

Zoo

Dariela Marzan

Narcos: Mexico

Mika Camarena

The Rookie

Angela Lopez

Character: Diaz reprises her role as Angela Lopez in the cast of The Rookie season 7. Like many others in the show, Angela has been a staple character since the beginning. She has come a long way from training Jackson West in season 1, though. In The Rookie season 7, Angela is a detective and an integral part of the team.

Mekia Cox As Nyla Harper

Date Of Birth: November 18, 1981

  • Active Since: 1994

Actress: Mekia Cox was born in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, but moved with her family to Orlando, Florida. Cox started dancing and acting when she was young — she starred as a kid actor in shows like Kenan & Kel and All That. She later graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor's degree in music and began partaking in theater. While Cox got her start in dance and on the stage, she soon began appearing in more TV series, like 90210 and Chicago Med, as she got older.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Mekia Cox's Movies & TV Shows

Role

90210

Sasha

Almost Human

Anna

Secrets and Lies

Amanda Warner

Chicago Med

Dr. Robin Charles

Once Upon a Time

Princess Tiana/Sabine

The Rookie

Nyla Harper

Character: Cox plays Nyla Harper in The Rookie season 7. She ed the ABC police procedural series when Afton Williamson's Talia Bishop left The Rookie after season 1. Nyla became Nolan's new training officer, but since then, she has returned to her detective work and partnered with Angela.

Richard T. Jones As Wade Grey

Date Of Birth: January 16, 1972

  • Active Since: 1992

Actor: Richard T. Jones was born in Kobe, Japan, but grew up in Carson, California. His father, Clarence Jones, was a professional baseball player for the Nankai Hawks in Osaka when his son was born. Upon returning to the United States, Jones graduated from Tuskegee University and started auditioning for films and TV series. Jones' first prominent role came in 1999 when he began playing Bruce Calvin van Exel in Judging Amy.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Richard T. Jones' Movies & TV Shows

Role

What's Love Got to Do with It

Ike Turner, Jr.

Ally McBeal

Matt Griffin

Judging Amy

Bruce Calvin van Exel

Girlfriends

Aaron Waters

Why Did I Get Married?

Mike

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

James Ellison

Hawaii Five-0

Governor Samuel "Sam" Denning

Nikita

Commander Evan Danforth

American Horror Story: Hotel

Detective Andrew Hahn

Criminal Minds

Officer Lionel Wilkins

The Rookie

Wade Grey

Character: Jones has starred as Wade Grey in every season of The Rookie. He begins the ABC police procedural TV show as a sergeant, but at the start of season 7, Grey is promoted to lieutenant. Grey is still in charge, of course. However, unfortunately for Grey, the new title comes with a lot more paperwork.

Shawn Ashmore As Wesley Evers

Date Of Birth: October 7, 1979

  • Active Since: 1989

Actor: Shawn Ashmore and his identical twin brother — fellow actor Aaron Ashmore — were born in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The two Ashmore brothers have appeared in various projects together over the years. However, Shawn Ashmore is most recognized for a film series he worked on without his sibling — X-Men. He starred as Bobby Drake/Iceman in four of the 10 X-Men movies (not counting Deadpool), including the first three.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Shawn Ashmore's Movies & TV Shows

Role

X-Men

Bobby Drake/Iceman

Cadet Kelly

Brad Rigby

Smallville

Eric Summers

X2

Bobby Drake/Iceman

X-Men: The Last Stand

Bobby Drake/Iceman

Frozen

Joe Lynch

The Following

Mike Weston

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Bobby Drake/Iceman

The Rookie

Wesley Evers

The Boys

Lamplighter

Character: ​​​​​​​Ashmore ed the cast of The Rookie in season 1 as Wesley Evers, but he wasn't promoted to series regular status until season 3. Wesley is the Assistant District Attorney and Angela's husband. Despite being in a loving relationship, Wesley gets jealous when one of his wife's fellow detectives confesses his feelings for her during a therapy session with Dr. Blair London (which Wesley is forced to listen to for his job).

Jenna Dewan As Bailey Nune

Date Of Birth: December 3, 1980

  • Active Since: 1980

Actress: Jenna Dewan was born in Hartford, Connecticut, but she moved around a lot when she was young. After high school, though, Dewan attended the University of Southern California and began working as a professional dancer. One of Dewan's first music video appearances was for Janet Jackson's song, "Doesn't Really Matter." Afterward, she ed Jackson for her All for You Tour in 2001. However, Dewan's breakout on the screen was when she starred opposite Channing Tatum in the 2006 film Step Up.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Jenna Dewan's Movies & TV Shows

Role

Step Up

Nora Clark

American Horror Story: Asylum

Teresa Morrison

Witches of East End

Freya Beauchamp

Supergirl

Lucy Lane

The Resident

Julian Booth

Berlin, I Love You

Mandy

The Wedding Year

Jessica

The Rookie

Bailey Nune

Jenna Dewan's husband in real life, Steve Kazee, stars as her character's ex-husband, Jason Wyler, in The Rookie.

Character: Unfortunately, when The Rookie season 7 opens with episode 1, Dewan's character, Bailey Nune, is overseas, deployed with the National Guard. However, Bailey returns in episode 3, just as Jason Wyler is still on the loose. Nolan and Bailey also discussed adopting a baby during the season 6 finale, suggesting this storyline will return in season 7.

Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez

Date Of Birth: May 25, 1989

  • Active Since: 2009

Actress: Not much is known about Lisseth Chavez's upbringing, but she got her start in showbiz as a model. Chavez started acting in 2011, and her breakthrough came eight years later when she was cast to play Vanessa Rojas in Chicago PD. Since then, Chavez has been landing various significant TV roles.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Lisseth Chavez's Movies & TV Shows

Role

Murder in the First

Skylar Jennings

The Fosters

Ximena Sinfuego

Chicago PD

Vanessa Rojas

DC's Legends of Tomorrow

Esperanza "Spooner" Cruz

The Rookie

Celina Juarez

Character: Chavez's The Rookie character, Celina Juarez, was introduced in season 5 when she became Nolan's rookie. The actress was bumped to series regular status in season 6, and in The Rookie season 7, Celina is almost done with her training.

The Rookie ing Cast & Characters

Deric Augustine as Miles Penn - Following Aaron's The Rookie season 7 exit, two new actors ed the show's ing cast, including Deric Augustine as Miles Penn. Miles is one of the new rookies who has the pleasure of having Tim as his training officer. Before appearing in the ABC show, Augustine starred in Cloak and Dagger and All American.

Patrick Keleher as Seth Ridley - Patrick Keleher plays the other rookie cop in The Rookie season 7 — Seth Ridley. Lucky for Seth, Lucy is his training officer. Keleher mostly starred in shorts prior to being cast in the police procedural series.

Brent Huff as Quigley Smitty - Brent Huff returns as Officer Quigley Smith, a role he has played since the beginning, in season 7. Viewers might recognize Huff from his roles in Shameless, Mad Men, The West Wing, or NCIS.

Arjay Smith as James Murray - James, Nyla's husband, is played by Arjay Smith in The Rookie season 7. Smith is most known for starring in The Journey of Allen Strange, 24, and Perception.

Bridget Regan as Monica Stevens - Although not seen in the season 7 premiere, the main characters have unfinished business with Bridget Regan's Monica Stevens. Monica escaped during the season 6 finale of The Rookie, and as of season 7, episode 1, the antagonist was last seen in Bolivia. Aside from The Rookie, Regan has appeared in The Last Ship, White Collar, and Jane the Virgin.

Steve Kazee as Jason Wyler - Steve Kazee reprises his role as The Rookie villain Jason Wyler in season 7. He escaped from prison with Oscar Hutchinson at the end of season 6 and headed to Los Angeles for revenge. Although Kazee has starred in various TV shows, the actor is most known for starring as Guy in Once, which won him the 2012 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.

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The Rookie
Release Date
October 16, 2018
Network
ABC
Showrunner
Alexi Hawley

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

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.

Creator(s)
Alexi Hawley
Seasons
7