Although one actor is leavingThe Rookieahead of season 7, the ABC series gains two more, who join 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 Rookiemostly 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 ofThe Rookieseason 7 air on Tuesdays at 10 pm ET. Season 7 has 22 episodes.
Like many other police procedurals,The Rookiefeatures 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 asTru Valentino exitedThe Rookieduring the season 7premiere.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: June 23, 2025
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 inOne 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 Reynoldsinthe cult TV showFireflyin 2002.
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Character:Since the pilot episode, Fillion has starred asJohn Nolan inThe 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).
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 13, 2025
Actress:Melissa O’Neil was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When she was in high school,O’Neil auditioned forCanadian Idol(Canada’s version ofAmerican Idol) season 3and 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 inThe Rookie.
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Lucy Chen
Character:O’Neil has been a part ofthe main cast ofThe Rookiesince 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 thatLucy is acting as a training officerand 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: August 01, 2025
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 onDays of Our Livesin 2002. Since then, Winter has appeared in various films and TV series.
Tim Bradford
Character:Winter stars as Tim Bradford inThe Rookieseason 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 inTim and Lucy’s breakup inThe Rookieseason 6. However,Tim has been attending therapyand working on himself.
Alyssa Diaz As Angela Lopez
Date Of Birth: July 15, 2025
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 inRed Dawnin 2012.
Angela Lopez
Character:Diaz reprises her role as Angela Lopez inthe cast ofThe Rookieseason 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.InThe Rookieseason 7, Angela is a detectiveand an integral part of the team.
Mekia Cox As Nyla Harper
Date Of Birth: August 13, 2025
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 likeKenan & KelandAll That. She later graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in music and began partaking in theater. WhileCox got her start in dance and on the stage,she soon began appearing in more TV series, like90210andChicago Med, as she got older.
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Nyla Harper
Character:Cox plays Nyla Harper inThe Rookieseason 7. She joined the ABC police procedural series whenAfton Williamson’s Talia Bishop leftThe Rookieafter 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: August 09, 2025
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' firstprominent role came in 1999 when he began playing Bruce Calvin van Exel inJudging Amy.
Wade Grey
Character:Jones has starred as Wade Grey inevery season ofThe 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: July 16, 2025
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/Icemanin four of the 10X-Menmovies(not countingDeadpool), including the first three.
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Character:Ashmore joined the cast ofThe Rookiein season 1 as Wesley Evers, but he wasn’t promoted to series regular status until season 3.Wesley is the Assistant District Attorneyand 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: July 09, 2025
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 joined 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 filmStep Up.
Bailey Nune
Jenna Dewan’s husband in real life, Steve Kazee, stars as her character’s ex-husband, Jason Wyler, inThe Rookie.
Character:Unfortunately, whenThe Rookieseason 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: August 23, 2025
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 whenshe was cast to play Vanessa Rojas inChicago PD.Since then, Chavez has been landing various significant TV roles.
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Celina Juarez
Character:Chavez’sThe Rookiecharacter, 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 inThe Rookieseason 7, Celina is almost done with her training.
The Rookie Supporting Cast & Characters
Deric Augustine as Miles Penn -FollowingAaron’sThe Rookieseason 7 exit, two new actors joined the show’s supporting 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 inCloak and DaggerandAll American.
Patrick Keleher as Seth Ridley -Patrick Keleher plays the other rookie cop inThe Rookieseason 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 inShameless,Mad Men,The West Wing, orNCIS.
Arjay Smith as James Murray -James, Nyla’s husband, is played by Arjay Smith inThe Rookieseason 7. Smith is most known for starring inThe Journey of Allen Strange,24, andPerception.
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 duringthe season 6 finale ofThe Rookie, andas of season 7, episode 1, the antagonist was last seen in Bolivia.Aside fromThe Rookie, Regan has appeared inThe Last Ship,White Collar, andJane the Virgin.
Steve Kazee as Jason Wyler -Steve Kazee reprises his role asThe RookievillainJason 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 inOnce, which won him the 2012 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.
Cast
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.
