The finale of the 6th season of The Rookie aired in the USA just a few days ago, and fans are already thinking about the 7th season of the successful police series with Nathan Fillion. Fortunately, it is already in the bag and should provide us with new episodes in 2025. However, fans have to wait at least for the early episodes of the season do without an important figurewhich could have wider implications for one of the main villains of the new season.
Jenna Dewan will not appear in the first episodes of The Rookie Season 7
As showrunner Alexi Hawley revealed to TV Line, Jenna Dewan will not be able to take part in the filming of the first episodes of season 7. This means that her character Bailey Nunn can only be seen to a limited extent at the beginning of the new season. According to Hawley, there is a very understandable reason for this – but it has far-reaching consequences:
As you know, Jenna [Dewan] in real life soon a baby, so we will [Bailey] probably won’t see in the first few episodes. As a result, we are not sure when we will see Jason. But yes, we are thinking about how we can spread things out so that we don’t tackle everything right at the beginning.
ABC
Nathan Fillion and Jenna Dewan in The Rookie
This means that Bailey’s ex-husband Jason (Steve Kazee) may not appear in the early episodes of The Rookie Season 7. Warning, there are spoilers for the finale of season 6: In the season 6 finale, Jason was released from prison by Monica (Bridget Regan). This means that Jason has established himself as a villain for the coming episodes – but this will only be explored in more detail later in the season.
How can The Rookie season 7 deal with Jenna Dewan’s absence?
As Hawley explains in the interview, the new season will initially focus on other things. After all, the 6th season left numerous loose ends and a lot of fodder that can be eaten up in the new episodes. So the season opener could initially focus on the Betrayal by Monica who established herself as the main villain in season 6 and also freed Jason from prison.
With Bailey Nunn’s return in later episodes, Jason could also appear as her dangerous ex-husband, who turns the life of her current husband John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and the entire LAPD upside down.