The Rookie debuted on ABC in 2018, starring former Castle lead man Nathan Fillion.
Fillion is John Nolan, a rookie cop in his 40s who chooses to take on a role with the police department to make a difference.
After having to prove this wasn’t just a midlife crisis, he grew into one of the force’s most reliable police officers.
Following two seasons of one of the most-watched shows on ABC when accounting for DVR and Live+7 ratings, The Rookie is coming back for another season.
Here is everything we know so far about The Rookie Season 3.
This article provides everything that is known about The Rookie Season 3 and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s dig down into what is known so far.
Is there going to be a Season 3 of The Rookie?
The Rookie was renewed in May by ABC alongside 12 other series.
These shows included The Rookie, American Housewife, black-ish, mixed-ish, The Goldbergs, The Conners, A Million Little Things, Stumptown, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Shark Tank, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and 20/20.
ABC reversed its decision concerning Stumptown and canceled it after the fact.
“Our top priority now is to work with our studio partners to ensure a safe return to production so that we can build on the strong momentum of a winning lineup with measured bets on new series that will invigorate our air and continue to deliver the quality programming that our viewers have come to expect and love,” said Karey Burke, President, ABC Entertainment.
Release date latest: When does The Rookie Season 3 come out?
The Rookie Season 3 will premiere on ABC on Sunday night, January 3, 2021, at 10/9c.
ABC has started releasing dates for its scripted series to begin, including its Thursday night lineup of Station 19, Grey’s Anatomy, and A Million Little Things – all of which will premiere in November.
However, The Rookie was not listed in the new lineup for the 2020-21 season yet.
The other shows that are premiering in the next month all started production, but it appears that production for The Rookie was delayed.
The best chance right now is that The Rookie will show up in January 2021.
The Rookie Season 3 cast updates
Almost all the main cast members will return in The Rookie Season 3.
The drama, which follows John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the LAPD, stars Nathan Fillion, Mekia Cox, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Titus Makin, Melissa O’Neil, and Eric Winter.
Fillion returns as the lead, John Nolan, and he seems very happy about the renewal by ABC.
“Congratulations to some of the most incredible talent I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” Fillion said. “Cast, crew, writers, guests- it’s all an embarrassment of riches and I am truly grateful to be a part of your team. I’ll see you all in Season 3.”
Joining him is Alyssa Diaz as training officer Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Watch Commander Wade Grey, and Titus Makin Jr. as Jackson West, a fellow new recruit dealing with some serious issues in the new season.
The Rookie Season 3 spoilers
The big question about The Rookie Season 3 is how this series, a drama with a light touch, will deal with the world we live in now concerning police brutality and abuse.
John Nolan has proven to be a good cop who wants to help people, but those stories will be tougher to tell in today’s world, so that might be part of why the series production schedule was delayed.
“It’s a diverse writer’s room and I’m hearing that the conversations going on in that room are inspired and give me hope that that show will address and not ignore the conversations around policing,” said ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke.
The good news is that, unlike many shows from last season, The Rookie finished filming and fans saw the full season end how the producers planned.
There was a huge moment in Season 2 that will surely play out in the third season of the show. John came to his apartment and found the fact that someone set him up and the police showed to up find incriminating evidence planted in his home.
This suggests to the police that he is a dirty cop.
The hardest thing for Nolan to take is that his mentor Nick Armstrong (Harold Perrineau) was also a close friend and it turned out he was the dirty cop.
How Nolan handles this and clears his name will play a key part in Season 3 of The Rookie.
“John Nolan and Nick Armstrong have gone through a lot this season: They became friends, Armstrong was a mentor to him,” said The Rookie’s executive producer, Alexi Hawley.
“I think this sort of betrayal is profound. What you’re going to find is Nolan trying to make sense of [everything].”
ABC has yet to announce when The Rookie Season 3 will premiere.