‘The Rookie’ Cast Begins Filming Season 8 (PHOTOS)

Ahead of The Rookie Season 7 finale, showrunner Alexi Hawley promised TV Insider a cliffhanger that “hopefully will make people very excited about what’s going to happen in Season 8.” That was certainly true, with Monica (Bridget Regan) throwing everyone for a loop with her latest move. The bad news? It’s going to be a bit of a wait to see the fallout, as it will once again be part of ABC’s midseason lineup for the 2025-2026 season. The good news: Filming began in July.

With that in mind, what do we know about The Rookie Season 8? When will it premiere? What’s the latest cast change (someone’s been promoted!)? Read on for all of those details and more.

When will The Rookie Season 8 premiere?

An exact premiere date has yet to be announced, but we do know that it will be in 2026, in ABC’s midseason. That’s when Season 7 also aired, for a nearly continuous run of 18 episodes.

Who will be in The Rookie Season 8 cast?

The Season 7 cast consists of Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers, and Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez.

Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher joined in recurring roles as the show’s new rookies, Miles and Seth, respectively. Seth’s repeated (and serious!) lies got him kicked out, but Miles isn’t going anywhere. Deadline reports Augustine has been upped to a series regular.

So, barring any announcements between seasons, we expect to see everyone back.

How did The Rookie Season 7 end?

The Season 7 finale ended with the shocking reveal that Monica made a deal in exchange for immunity after she got her hands on classified intel.

Meanwhile, Oscar (Matthew Glave) remains at large, having escaped after kidnapping Nolan. But the good news: Tim and Lucy are so close to getting back together. He started talking to her about moving in together, only to realize the new sergeant had fallen asleep after working the night shift.

What will The Rookie Season 8 be about?

With her deal in place, Monica “will definitely play a part in Season 8,” Hawley told TV Insider after the finale. “I think there are facets to the immunity deal that we can play with that keep her sort of active in our world that really work with our storytelling.”

As for Chenford, there is a question of whether or not Tim and Lucy are on the same page about moving in together. “I do think that we’ve put those characters through a lot on their journey back, and I think we’re almost there,” Hawley teased, adding that while he can say that a reunion is in their future, he couldn’t share anything else.

It also sounds like Lucy won’t be on night shift for too long. “I think ultimately that obstacle would get old fairly quickly, so it’s on us to figure out a way to move past that at some point,” the showrunner explained.

Is The Rookie Season 8 filming?

Yes! On July 2, Melissa O’Neil shared a behind-the-scenes look as they were “ramping for season 8,” adding, “Still a few days out till I’m back on set but we’re getting ready.” Then, on Monday, July 7, Deric Augustine revealed that filming on Season 8 has started, sharing photos and a video. See them below.

 

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A post shared by Melissa O’Neil (@missoneil)

Day one darling 👮🏾‍♂️🤠 #TheRookie pic.twitter.com/uSkPjhJwc2

— Deric Augustine (@DericAugustine) July 7, 2025

Howdy 👋🏾 👮🏾‍♂️🤠 @therookie pic.twitter.com/O0Af6lkGws

— Deric Augustine (@DericAugustine) July 7, 2025

The dynamic duo is back @brenthuff11 @therookie #TheRookie #Miles #Smitty pic.twitter.com/vlcZf4WGPQ

— Deric Augustine (@DericAugustine) July 7, 2025

Is there a The Rookie Season 8 trailer?

Not yet.

Is there going to be another Rookie spinoff?

Possibly! In December 2024, there was one announced to be in the works.

All Alexi Hawley would share when TV Insider asked for an update ahead of the Season 7 finale was, “Just that there’s a script that I’ve been going back and forth with ABC about. They give notes and I do the work and I’m an ever-hopeful human being. And so I would love nothing more than to expand the universe and go make it. So we’ll see. I don’t know. I mean the business right now is a little what it is, but I mean, I remain hopeful. We’ll see what happens.”

In December 2024, this potential new spinoff was described as being set in the state of Washington and following “a male cop who is stepping into a new phase of life in his second act.”

In Hawley’s May 2025 update to TV Insider, he confirmed the plan is for it to be “another patrol show set somewhere else. All I can really say is, I think the magic of Rookie does live in the fact that anytime they get out of their police cars, anything can happen. And I think that  that’s something that I would try and replicate in a spinoff.”