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Published Aug 26, 2026, 8:42 PM EDT
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The Rookie has been following the life of Nathan Fillion's John Nolan throughout the show's run, and in the show's upcoming ninth season, the ABC hit is officially set to fix the biggest issues they've run into with the character over the past few years. As the anchor of The Rookie, Nolan is the emotional center of the series, but that doesn't mean his storylines are always the most fun or interesting. Despite the amount of chaos that happens from episode to episode on the ABC hit, which often sees the Mid-Wilshire division dealing with disaster, Nolan can be boring.
Even with Nolan's relationship with Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) complicating things for the LAPD's one-time oldest rookie in the past few seasons, it can sometimes feel like more of a chore to watch Nolan storylines than the other characters on the series. Some of this has to do with the fact that Nolan is thrown into storylines that push him to be a heroic figure, which doesn't always mean they're fundamentally the most interesting. The past few seasons have put Nolan in an odd position, as he's working with new rookies and simultaneously tasked with bigger stories within each episode.
While The Rookie season 9 isn't coming until mid-season, the next installment of the series could easily make a major shift when it comes to Nolan and the way his character impacts the larger story. Fixing the Nolan piece of the puzzle could push The Rookie into a new era.
The Rookie Season 9 Is Set To Put Nolan On Another New Path
ABC (via MovieStillsDb)After the back and forth of the past few seasons of The Rookie, which have seen Nolan teaching another rookie of his own and struggling in his marriage to Bailey, the next season of the series has the chance to right the biggest wrongs of the character's journey. When The Rookie started, Nolan was meant to be a perpetual rookie himself. As the oldest rookie in LAPD history, Nolan was set up to be a character who was always learning something new. As he moved through his training, he became a better officer, made new relationships, and found himself changed.
The Rookie season 9, after seeing Nolan and Bailey's struggles, appears to be putting the character back onto a different path. With a new class of rookie officers coming into Mid-Wilshire, Nolan will have another officer to teach, which should ground him back into his job rather than pushing him out into bigger cases so consistently. Similarly, Nolan will have to deal with new issues in his relationship, which could paint a very different picture as he moves forward in his marriage. Regardless of whether his new path is difficult or not, Nolan being grounded again is the right move.
Nolan's Eternal Rookie Status Is A Quintessential Part Of The Series
ABC (via MovieStillsDb)Throughout the run of The Rookie, one of the show's biggest themes is that the characters are eternally starting over in some capacity. Nolan is meant to be a perpetual rookie, starting over and trying new things as he moves through his career in the LAPD and in his personal life. While that perpetual rookie-ness has felt like a somewhat less prevalent theme in the past few seasons of the series, The Rookie season 9 has the opportunity to lean into Nolan starting over again. Nolan's life has been changing, and the show needs to continue following his movements consistently.
The Rookie may not make big moves with Nolan's character in terms of changing up his position or giving him a whole new relationship, but the show has the chance to kick start his storyline again with his newest rookie. Giving Nolan a challenging officer in the coming season, someone he has to figure out how to work with in a different way than he's trained in the past, could create a compelling storyline for the character. Nolan's story anchors the series, and with The Rookie moving into its ninth season, the show could use a different foundational style.
Release Date October 16, 2018
Showrunner Alexi Hawley
Directors Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro
Writers Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff
English (US) ·