The Rookie is going international — at least to kick off season 8 — with the upcoming premiere taking place in Prague.
Showrunner Alexi Hawley and star Nathan Fillion, who plays LAPD officer John Nolan, confirmed the overseas adventure during San Diego Comic-Con in July 2025.
Both Nolan and his wife, firefighter Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), will be part of the Czech-filled episode, according to TVLine.
The rest of the international cast includes, Mekia Cox’s Detective Nyla Harper, Bridget Regan’s villainous Monica Stevens and Felix Solis’ FBI Supervisory Special Agent Matt Garza, who has previously crossed over from The Rookie: Feds, which is no longer on the air.
Prior to the season’s January 6, 2026, premiere, Hawley has teased what’s to come. Scroll down for everything Us Weekly knows about season 8 of The Rookie so far:
Where Did Season 7 Plot of ‘The Rookie’ Leave Off?
The season 7 finale aired in May 2025 and brought back two villains: Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave) and Monica (Regan). After being kidnaped by Oscar, Nolan managed to get away with his life and Oscar’s stolen diamonds. Oscar, who had escaped prison before his battle with Nolan in the desert, managed to escape.
Corrupt attorney Monica, meanwhile, shocked the LAPD when she revealed during the finale that she made an immunity deal with the FBI in exchange for the stolen data she illegally acquired earlier in the season.
Who Is Part of the Cast of ‘The Rookie’ Season 8?
In addition to Fillion, Dewan and Cox, series regulars Alyssa Diaz, as Detective Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones, as Lieutenant Wade Grey, Melissa O’Neil, as Sergeant Lucy Chen, Eric Winter, as Sergeant Tim Bradford, Shawn Ashmore, as ADA Wesley Evers, and Lisseth Chavez, as Officer Celina Juarez, are expected to return.
Deric Augustine, who began playing rookie officer Miles Penn during season 7, has been promoted to a series regular, according to TVLine.
What’s Next for The Rookie’s Villains?
Hawley exclusively told Us in May, “It’s not the last we’re gonna see” of Oscar, teasing that he will return at some point during season 8. “Oscar’s always very focused on what’s good for Oscar,” he said, explaining that he’s not as “revenge oriented” as other baddies.
He also confirmed that Monica’s story would continue to start the season. “It’s maddening to our people who want nothing more than to put her in jail where she deserves to be,” Hawley said of how the LAPD will react to Monica’s immunity moving forward.
Jones agreed with the showrunner, exclusively telling Us in March 2025 that the police won’t understand “Monica’s influence” or why she’s “stirring the pot” right away.
Fillion, meanwhile, told TVLine in July 2025 that Monica being “free and smug feels like an injustice” and therefore “people will be anxious to see her pay for what she’s done.”
Where Do the Fan-Favorite Romances Stand?
During the season 7 finale, Tim asked Lucy to move in with him, but she fell asleep after a long night shift as a newly minted sergeant and didn’t hear the question. Their romance, however, is in good shape heading into season 8, according to Hawley.
The showrunner told Us in May, “Cementing that conversation at the top of the next season and figuring out what the right next step is” for “Chenford” won’t be overlooked. “Whatever the definition of end game is, I think we’re getting there for sure,” Hawley added of the couple’s story arc.
When it comes to Nolan and Bailey’s romance, Hawley said that the “door is closed” for now on a possible pregnancy or baby.
Hawley told Us in May 2025 that fans could get more from Celina and musician boyfriend Rodge Bronson’s (Zander Hawley) romance even though he got a gig overseas during the season 7 finale. “They’re super fun together and I think it’s very real for people to come in and out and that they’re dating,” the showrunner explained.
The last time fans saw Grey and his wife, Luna (Angela Parker), they were happy and Harper and her husband, James Murray (Arjay Smith), were also back on track. Only time will tell if they remain that way.
Will There Be a Time Jump?
“I don’t think it’ll be months later,” Hawley told TVLine in July 2025. “I think it’ll be fairly continuous — not literally next day, but within a fairly short amount of time.”
He teased, “There’s some time-sensitive stuff that we left hanging, that feels like we should [resolve soon] for the audience. I don’t think we should jump forward too far in time.”
What Did We Learn From ‘The Rookie’ Season 8 Trailer?
ABC released the official trailer for season 8 in December 2025, revealing that the season kicks off with Bailey (Dewan) and Nolan (Fillion) babysitting villain Monica (Regan) as they prepare for a “global operation” to take down terrorists targets with the FBI.
“Whether you believe it or not, I’m here to help law enforcement get a legendary weapons trafficker off the streets,” Monica tells Bailey and Nolan, who admit they still don’t “trust” her and plan to watch her “like a hawk.”
Fans later see Monica escape police custody after a fight erupts with even more bad guys overseas. “Where’s Monica?” Nolan innocently asks.
Elsewhere in the trailer, Nolan reveals that Bailey has been offered a job in Washington, D.C., and inquires what that would mean for him if he wanted to transfer.
Tim (Winter), for his part, asks Lucy (O’Neil) to move in with him for a second time, but she admits the wounds from their breakup are “so deep” they “might never fade.”
As Grey (Jones) helms up the joint taskforce, he also gets news that could disrupt his own marriage after seeing his wife get flirty with a doctor.
Nolan, meanwhile, will have more than just Monica to deal with this season as the trailer shows the return of convict Oscar (Glave) meeting him on a plane for transport. The bad news: the plane appears to have a malfunction that could cause them to crash.
When Does ‘The Rookie’ Season 8 Premiere?
ABC announced that The Rookie season 8 premiere will be part of its midseason 2026 lineup, airing on Tuesday, January 6, at 10 p.m. ET. Viewers will have 18 episodes to sink their teeth into when the show returns.
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