Chenford is (virtually) again collectively. After a season of post-breakup heartache, informal hookups and fact serum-induced confessions, The Rookie‘s fan favourite couple took a large step to reconciliation within the finale, which solely bodily exhaustion prevented from completion.
Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) and Tim (Eric Winter) confronted one final impediment after she grew to become his peer by passing the Sergeant examination — engaged on reverse schedules as she was assigned the night time shift. Each wanted some encouragement from associates however lastly bought collectively. Tim cooked Lucy breakfast after her shift and poured his coronary heart out in a speech asking her to maneuver in with him to no response as Lucy had shortly dozed off. As Tim stated to himself whereas overlaying Lucy with a blanket, “To be continued.”
John Nolan’s (Nathan Fillion) had his palms full chasing a type of who bought away, as Oscar (Matthew Glave), who had escaped from jail alongside Bailey’s (Jenna Dewan) ex Jason in final season’s nearer with shady lawyer Monica’s (Bridget Regan) assist, got here again into the image. Satisfied that Oscar is taking out his former crew members from a Vegas diamond heist years in the past, Nolan and Nyla (Mekia Cox), his companion on the case, set a stakeout at a motel hoping to catch Oscar as he makes contact with the final remaining cohort, suspected to have hidden the loot, who was simply launched from jail.
Nevertheless, Oscar noticed Nolan and kidnapped him after killing his former mate and one way or the other ripped off the person’s arm together with his naked palms for the treasure map tattooed on it (versus, as Nolan urged later, simply taking a photograph of the tattoo together with his telephone). With Nolan in his trunk, Oscar headed to the desert in the hunt for the buried treasure.
For some motive, Nolan helped Oscar get again on the trail to the diamonds after he took a detour regardless of being instructed bluntly by the convict that he would kill him as soon as Nolan dug up the stones. In the meantime, with the help of a teen boy staying on the motel and his drone, Nyla tracked Oscar down with not a minute to spare as Nolan had simply retrieved the diamonds.
Within the taking pictures, Oscar managed to flee with a getaway helicopter whereas Nolan walked away together with his life — and a bag of diamonds.
That was not the one blast from the previous within the episode. Within the ultimate minutes, Nolan and Wesley (Shawn Ashmore) had been summoned by Rookie: Feds‘ Particular Agent Matt Garza (Felix Solis) to tell them of a current safety breach at a neighborhood NSA facility that resulted in somebody leveraging the U.S. authorities with delicate data as a way to get immunity.
That somebody was none apart from Monica, who, within the Velocity homage episode 11 earlier this season, employed a lady to stage a bus hijacking for the only real function of acquiring a authorities worker’s safety badge.
In a miscellaneous sub-plotline, a person was caught stealing money from a financial institution for the remedy of an unwell Bulgarian girl. Seems he was catfished by his personal spouse who felt entitled to the entire couple’s cash and didn’t need to share it in a divorce.
In an interview with Deadline, The Rookie creator, govt producer and showrunner Alexi Hawley discusses Tim and Lucy’s season arc and what’s subsequent for the (practically) reunited couple. He additionally addresses the massive finale cliffhanger, Monica’s return, her finish recreation, Oscar’s newest escape, Seth’s destiny and the opportunity of including extra rookies subsequent season.
Moreover, hhe seems to be again at Season 7 and its memorable film send-ups and talks about The Rookie’s shock rankings resurgence and newfound recognition amongst pre-teens, teenagers and younger adults. For the 2024-25 season, The Rookie completed as No.3 amongst all broadcast collection in multi-platform adults 18-49 rankings.
Tim & Lucy
DEADLINE: One of many essential overarching storylines of Season 7 was Tim and Lucy discovering a method again to one another. There was the post-gala hook-up, the kiss in the course of the wildfire and the entire April’s Idiot’s re-coupling, which I couldn’t perceive how that made sense that they may have intercourse that day.
HAWLEY: I can clarify it — or not, relying whether or not you care. I feel finally the breakup was heartbreaking, each for the followers, but additionally for Lucy and for Tim. We tried to determine that he did it to punish himself, and sadly, it actually punished her, but it surely felt like such an emotional bombshell that it simply didn’t really feel proper to have a number of episodes of mea culpas after which put them again collectively.
I felt like he had points that he needed to take care of primarily based on the entire lifetime of stuff. and it additionally had her reassess slightly bit her priorities and desirous to guarantee that her profession was necessary to her, and that she wasn’t sacrificing issues and all that.
And so it did really feel prefer it warranted a season-long story of them doing the work that wanted to be executed, and seeing if there was a method again to one another. I do assume that life is stuffed with hookups or exes getting again collectively after which regretting it or no matter. In order that was, I feel, what the try was there, that that after-gala hook-up, which, they each clearly nonetheless longed for one another, after which the April Idiot’s factor simply felt like a little bit of a egocentric act, which to me, felt human. Clearly, folks have completely different opinions on it. Does that reply your query?
DEADLINE: Yeah, it was a joke however I nonetheless don’t understand how that falls into April Idiot’s in the event that they need to have intercourse for someday…
HAWLRE: We leaned into that, as a result of he’s like, I don’t perceive. She’s like, do you need to discuss this, or do you need to take off your pants.
DEADLINE: I’m with Tim on that one. When there’s a large breakup like that, new persons are usually launched for a love triangle or rectangular earlier than the exes return to one another. You didn’t do this. Why? Did you contemplate it?
HAWLEY: Within the writers room, we’re clearly very aware of what has come earlier than and the place we’re. I labored on Fort for a number of seasons, and it at all times felt just like the makes an attempt to introduce a love triangle, and even someone else that both of them is relationship by no means felt good on the present, the followers didn’t prefer it and it was not profitable.
And finally for us, I feel it was that the difficulty wasn’t about they broke up as a result of someone wished one thing else. It was he ruined it. After which, finally, didn’t really feel like there was a necessity for to introduce one thing else into that dynamic.
We did, we introduced Rachel again, and I feel the viewers was instantly going to imagine that she was going to be that love triangle. However for us once more, that wasn’t the purpose of that story, despite the fact that we had been aware of what the viewers would assume we had been going to do there.
DEADLINE: That was a blip, I forgot about that.
HAWLEY: Sure, I really feel you.
DEADLINE: We’ll discuss The Rookie’s enjoyable film style homages in a bit however the finale performed like a basic rom-com for Tim and Lucy. There was the perfect good friend on either side attempting to encourage their cost to inform the opposite how they really feel. After which Tim’s speech and Lucy falling asleep, we’ve seen it in so many films. Speak about the way you got here up with that.
HAWLEY:I feel on the finish of the day, it made me chortle within the writers room once we talked about it. We’re all chasing tales which were instructed earlier than. They clearly turned a nook within the final a number of episodes of the season, we knew that they had been heading again to one another.
It felt like, given the storytelling of her working nights and him working days and all that simply lent itself to that decision — figuring out, clearly, that it’s not like she’s gonna say no. So, it simply felt like a enjoyable method to take care of that. I do know the web thinks my definition of enjoyable isn’t their favourite factor.
DEADLINE: Lucy and Tim’s final scene ended with “to be continued,” so what are you able to inform us about what comes subsequent? Them working reverse shifts isn’t working very nicely. Is that this one thing you’ll be persevering with, creating extra obstacles for them?
HAWLEY: It’s nonetheless early days, we simply began the room final week for Season 8, however in all probability not. I do really feel like finally, the Season 7 journey of their repairing their relationship is nearly at an finish, and so I don’t need to simply introduce obstacles to introduce obstacles..So, no, in all probability not. I feel, we’re heading for a very good place in Season 8.
DEADLINE: Okay, each working days as a result of we don’t care about these lazy night time shift cops Lucy was put answerable for.
HAWLEY: I do know which was the purpose. And likewise, actually, we don’t do a variety of night time shoots on Rookie. We strive to not for numerous causes, some that are, the affect it has on the crew and the solid. And likewise…
DEADLINE: On the finances?
HAWLEY: Not as a lot on the finances. The turnaround occasions now, the wins that the unions bought, particularly IATSE over the last negotiations and the strike, the turnaround makes it arduous to get again to a 7AM begin, and so it snowballs. However I additionally really feel like we’re a daytime motion patrol present for probably the most half.
DEADLINE: So Lucy again on day shift, and her and Tim transfer in collectively. Have I discovered subsequent season?
HAWLEY: I’m not going to say sure, I’m not going to say no, however we’re each smiling. So…
Oscar, Monica & Felix
DEADLINE: This 12 months’s finale appears a bit like a repeat of final 12 months’s, which additionally concerned Oscar escaping, Monica stirring bother, and Felix making a go to. Was this intentional, one thing that you just’re trying to do each season now?
HAWLEY: No, it wasn’t essentially intentional. We ended final season with the escape, Monica and all that sort of stuff. Coming into Season 7 — as nice as characters as they’re, and we love having them — I additionally felt like we wished to inform some newer tales, and that Jason, Bailey’s ex-husband, was meant to be extra of the main focus, and the results that she didn’t even understand that she had suffered from that abusive relationship; that to me was the story to inform that felt recent.
We did introduce Monica in Episode 11 as being on the market, we wished to maintain that alive. However it simply felt, finally, that we’ve got loads of story to inform, and driving in direction of them within the finale felt like the proper factor to do.
DEADLINE: What’s Monica’s finish recreation? Understanding her, immunity appears slightly small for her. Are you able to tease what sort of bother she’s going to stir this time?
HAWLEY: Once more, it’s early days. However I feel Monica is at all times a little bit of a gadfly. I feel the immunity deal was her 11-and-a-half hour, pulling it out of the fireplace, so to talk, and getting leverage on the federal government.
However I feel what we’ll discover in Season 8 is that there’s different story to inform together with her. There may be different sides to that immunity deal, which might play out in Season 8, after which additionally, what does the subsequent chapter seem like for her and us?
As a result of she’s not getting her regulation license again, so what? That’s stuff we’re investigating within the room within the coming weeks, what’s the fallout? Once more, [Bridget]’s an enormous useful resource for us within the present, in the identical method that Matthew Glave, who performs Oscar, is and Felix, who performs Garza, is, we love having these actors who’re so good round and accessible to us.
DEADLINE: Talking of Bridget Regan, do you know that she was additionally getting used on 9-1-1? She’s turn out to be ABC’s villain of the spring; she simply killed Bobby.
HAWLEY: I really didn’t know that till you simply stated that so, no, I used to be not conscious of that. However what are you going to do about that? She’s been a part of our household, and you may’t begrudge her the work, and clearly she’s actually good at that character. We had been fortunate sufficient to work with Annie Wersching earlier than she tragically handed away; she is one other actress who was so good at a particular tone and particular characters. It’s arduous to search out villains who don’t chew the surroundings and don’t really feel arch, who you imagine and who’re intimidating and scary and all that sort of stuff, however nonetheless really feel grounded.
DEADLINE: Oscar escaped once more. Will he be this white whale? Will he stay on Nolan’s board and proceed to be large a part of his life, or might be he simply parachute in in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later?
HAWLEY: We’ll positively see him once more. We are able to solely get so many bites the apple of him getting away, so I feel we’ll see some decision in some form or type subsequent 12 months. However look, we love Matthew, he’s an ideal instance, we’ve got a lot of them. You write a job and also you rent an actor, and it was by no means meant to be greater than that.
He was a prisoner, escaped from a jail, bus crash, after which he simply popped on display screen, and also you’re like, oh, I need to see that man once more. Actually, it’s the enjoyment of community tv, and doing as many episodes as we get to do. You actually can develop characters and convey characters alongside; you simply can’t do on streaming the place you solely have six or eight or ten episodes.
DEADLINE: You talked about Felix as Garza. With the finale’s cliffhanger, it looks as if the worlds of Rookie and Rookie: Feds are converging once more. Do you assume you’ll incorporate the Feds group extra subsequent season and convey again different characters, possibly Niecy Nash’s Simone?
HAWLRE: We noticed Britt, we’ve seen a number of of the characters this season. A part of my dialog with ABC after Feds was tragically canceled was mainly saying, I like these characters, I might like to nonetheless see them. It’s not like we’re not going to have FBI brokers in our present, so reasonably than having to reinvent the wheel, can’t we simply embrace… And, to their credit score, they stated sure.
I feel we took a season in between, bringing them again. There may be shorthand with these characters; they exist in our world, they’ve relationships. Felix and Richard [T. Jones], the Garza-Gray relationship is particular, and it’s simply good to see them once more. After which when it comes to Niecy, she is a really busy girl. I might doubt that we’d be capable to get her again on the present, simply given how a lot she’s working however clearly, I might like to work together with her once more. By no means say by no means.
Misc finale questions
DEADLINE: Why would Nolan assist Oscar with studying the map after they went astray in order that they discover the treasure quicker and Nolan will get killed sooner? That was shocking to me.
HAWLEY: Okay, that’s truthful I assume. I feel he was attempting to string it alongside, searching for his alternative, however, yeah, I don’t know that I’ve a satisfying reply for you on that one.
DEADLINE: Second one, will the mother of that teenage boy file a lawsuit in opposition to the LAPD as a result of the boy was positively not stored out of hazard in that firefight?
HAWLEY: No, I really feel you. I really feel you. So sure, to be continued.
DEADLINE And one other miscellaneous word. Thanks for giving a shoutout to my homeland, I’m from Bulgaria, and for not dragging it into the catfishing conspiracy. Was the nation picked randomly or was there a motive for that?
HAWLEY: It wasn’t essentially picked for a motive. I feel Jap Europe was the dialog, and Bulgaria as being a reputation that we would not hear as a lot made it really feel slightly unique. And once more, I preserve praising actors, but it surely’s one other second the place that actor got here in, and that second of the AI, seven fingers and three fingers, and he’s like, “delivery defect;” that was a humorous second.
New rookies & justice for Seth
DEADLINE: You’ve talked about preserving the present recent by biking rookies out and in. Will we see new rookies launched subsequent season with Celina graduating and Seth getting injured?
HAWLEY: I don’t know is the trustworthy reply. Miles remains to be a rookie, and so I feel that might be for many of — if not all — of Season 8, I’m unsure but, it’s nonetheless early days. I feel it’s tremendous necessary to point out that we preserve that alive, clearly, however the trustworthy reply is, I’m not fairly certain but.
DEADLINE: I’d prefer to get some justice for Seth. Sure, he was a vilified character however I’m unsure he deserved what occurred to him with the leg wound after he did the proper factor and saved Nolan’s life. Did you need him to be punished? And since he’s doubtlessly getting desk responsibility because of the harm, will he be coming again and proceed to be a part of the Rookie universe?
HAWLEY: I feel Seth’s journey for us was A: a few pathological liar. I actually do imagine that as a personality, Seth noticed himself as a sufferer on a regular basis, which might be his story, however I do assume he confirmed up within the academy desirous to be a special particular person and to not be a liar anymore.
And I do assume that he simply panicked when he was getting in bother. And finally it was a weak spot of character, that at any time when he was pushed, he couldn’t come clear, he simply needed to lie extra.
So it did really feel like if we wished to discover a flip, a redemption journey for him, that there did should be some repercussions of his actions, and I did really feel like we wanted one thing surprising to occur. However I additionally assume that finally, within the LAPD, if he can find yourself passing the bodily checks to get again into the pressure with a prosthetic, then he generally is a cop once more.
For us, it was actually about creating this character who actually simply f*cks up stuff, however but attempting to… We at all times need them to be human beings. We at all times need to see behind the their eyes that there’s grief and regret. And if that’s relevant, after which problem ourselves to see if we are able to flip them round.
Film Spoofs & bodycam footage
DEADLINE: One of many issues that stood out this season had been the film homages: there was the Velocity episode, which hit season excessive rankings, The Purge. Is it one thing that you just’re going to attempt to do regularly since followers are clearly responding to it?
HAWLEY: We perceive the homages after they occur. I do really feel like tonally, I love to do every thing, and as a present, we do sort of every thing — we clearly do humorous, we do motion, we attempt to do horror the place we are able to.
There’s an episode this season the place Lucy and Celina went to research a lacking woman and ended up in that home, which was very a lot an homage to The Silence of the Lambs, the Jame Gumb basement sequence.
So we’re very aware of the tales and the flicks or TV exhibits that we’re bumping up in opposition to. We don’t essentially go down the highway of like, what’s the film we’re doing this week? The bus episode particularly, we name them “pod automobile episodes,” they’re one or two.
Through the pandemic once we had been attempting to determine how — or if — we are able to even make tv, a part of my course of was, how do I invent a number of episodes the place the actors are the most secure, unmasked. We shoot our driving stuff with a stunt driver on the roof and actors really behind the wheel, which permits us to essentially drive across the metropolis and do all that stuff with out course of trailers or rear projection.
In the end, it meant that there was one or two actors in a automobile unmasked with no different crew round them. And so I’m like, Okay, we’re going to do an episode in Season 3 the place we solely inform tales from physique cams and sprint cams and safety cams, and that’s type of how the pod automobile episodes began.
So we’re at all times searching for episodes which are cellular in a method that warrants that sort of storytelling. And clearly Velocity is considered one of them. In order that’s how that course of got here round, searching for one of the simplest ways to inform a narrative wherein we are able to put all our characters in these vehicles and having them transferring goal, so to talk. And I really feel like that was considered one of our most profitable pod automobile episodes, it actually did lend itself to the storytelling.
DEADLINE: Additionally Velocity is an iconic LA film, in order that made made good sense for a LA present like The Rookie. There was additionally the documentary episode, which freaked me out a bit, I don’t do scary.
HAWLEY: That’s one other one which I got here up with as a method, you probably have these static interviews with the characters, which take up an enormous portion of it, and it’s simply Nathan on display screen, or it’s simply two of them. It’s one other one the place we’re like, okay, on the time of the pandemic, that was the most secure factor for the actors. However it permits us, each season, to do one thing slightly unconventional, slightly enjoyable.
DEADLINE: I like the body-cam footage thought. We didn’t seen it a lot within the second half of the season. Are you phasing it out?
HAWLEY: No, under no circumstances. It will depend on the storytelling, Clearly you want the actors to be in uniform and have it on. Typically editorially, it doesn’t, like within the sequence I used to be speaking about, the Silence of the Lambs scene. They had been each in plain garments, they weren’t sporting the physique cam. That will have been an amazing physique cam second, however we didn’t have it.
So, no, it’s nothing aware. It’s simply the best way the storytelling fell. Similar factor within the finale, clearly, Nolan and Harper on the market within the desert, they’re not sporting physique cams. So it simply didn’t work out that method.
Scores success
DEADLINE: Throughout a earlier interview you talked about CNN’s Jake Tapper reaching out in the course of the pandemic to let you know what large followers of The Rookie he and his 12-year son had been. That isn’t an remoted incident. Earlier than the pandemic, Nathan Fillion stored joking. “I’m in all probability a very large deal to your mother.” Then issues circled, and now the present retains getting found by younger folks, it’s factor on TikTok, How did you handle to make broadcast hip once more?
HAWLEY: I respect the best way you formatted that. I feel it’s a mixture of issues. I do assume that the present is enjoyable to observe, despite the fact that there are stakes. In a day and age the place it appears like nervousness and awfulness is round us on a regular basis, it feels slightly bit like an escape. I do assume that we lend ourselves to the clip era, which is what TikTok and all these issues are. We’ve got teasers, we’ve got little moments. Anytime they get out of their automobile, one thing humorous can occur.
We do have a variety of moments which have managed to go viral. “Daddy Cop” was a giant a type of. yeah, all I hear nowadays is like, my 13-year-old loves to point out, it’s my 11-year previous’s favourite present. I really feel tremendous fortunate that we’ve gotten to put now, as a result of exhibits don’t get extra standard as they get older. And but, beginning in Season 5, our rankings actually began to go up and and have continued to and I’m tremendous grateful about that.
