At The Rookie panel at the San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Nathan Fillion revealed that season 5 will feature a new character. The series was created by Alexi Hawley for ABC and stars the ever-charming and likeable Fillion, of Firefly fame, as John Nolan, an over-40-year-old rookie police officer, the oldest at the Los Angeles Police Department. The premise is inspired by real-life LAPD officer William Norcross who moved to Los Angeles in 2015 and became a police officer in his mid-forties.
The series first premiered in 2018 followed by four successful seasons airing in the next few years. In March of 2022, The Rookie was renewed for a season 5, which is expected to premiere in September of 2022. The new season promises to keep up the dangerous and unpredictable nature of The Rookie, Nolan's, police job with new twists and turns ready for both the character and fans to experience.
During The Rookie panel at the SDCC, Fillion spoke about the new season of the show where his character becomes a training officer who is charged with training a new rookie. The casting of that rookie has not been revealed quite yet, but Fillion did let it slip that it is a woman. In response to a moderator's question about the new character, he begins with, "She..." The crowd reacts to that one word, making the actor backtrack a bit and say, "Sorry, spoiler."
It is a very small piece of information: Fillion's Nolan is training is a woman. However, it is more than fans previously knew, and it sets up an interesting dynamic for the coming season. An older, wizened male officer and a young, bright-eyed woman working together could set up lots of conflict and misunderstandings that will drive the show moving forward. It will open up many new possibilities and directions that were previously unavailable.
This development also means that The Rookie from the title of the series is no longer Fillion's character; it is likely now referring to the new rookie. In whatever case, it will certainly be interesting to see Nolan in a teaching position, which will highlight his character growth from the start of the show until now. A female rookie joining the cast will add something new and different, hopefully revitalizing the series to last many more seasons moving forward. With season 5 of The Rookie gearing up along with its spinoff series The Rookie: Feds starring Niecy Nash-Betts, fans of the series can get excited for what is in store.