‘The Rookie’ Star Lisseth Chavez on Hopes for Celina in Season 9

Meredith Jacobs June 18, 2026, 10:00 am

Lisseth Chavez as Celina — 'The Rookie' Season 8 Episode 10 'His Name Was Martin' — Disney/Mike Taing

What To Know

Lisseth Chavez, who plays Celina Juarez on The Rookie, shared her hopes for her character in Season 9.
The ABC drama returns in 2027.

The Rookie has, over the years, done a great job of watching its younger or less experienced officers grow. Such is the case with Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez), who has not only come into her own and been able to pass along the knowledge she gained as John Nolan’s (Nathan Fillion) rookie, but also taken initiative to go after cases like she did in Season 8.

When TV Insider caught up with Chavez after the Season 8 finale, we had to talk to her about Celina’s arc and where she wants to see her go next. (The Rookie is part of ABC’s midseason 2026-2027 midseason schedule, meaning a Season 9 premiere date of January, the earliest.)

“She is showing interest in becoming a detective, although I guess we’ll see,” Chavez told us. “I personally would love to dive into undercover just because I love the idea of fully transforming, being undercover where I’m unrecognizable. I don’t know if that would come true, but I personally would like to dive into that.”

We spoke with her alongside the stars who play two characters who know undercover work well, Melissa O’Neil (Lucy) and Mekia Cox (Nyla). In fact, Season 8 saw those two on an extended undercover operation. Who better to perhaps take Celina under their wings and help her do exactly what Chavez is hoping for?

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Those three would also love to have more group scenes together. They clearly have fun together, as you can see in the video below, but, as O’Neil told us, they wouldn’t let that interfere with their work.

With Cox and Chavez agreeing, she said she wants “more group scenes [in Season 9]. We love spending time together and they separate us because we have too much fun. So we want more group scenes. We promise to behave and we’ll do our jobs.”