Season 5 of The Rookie is right around the corner, and it looks to be a good one. The season will see Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan in a different role, as he’ll officially be a training officer and not a rookie. While keeping the title of The Rookie might be a bit hard now that Nolan is not an actual rookie anymore, Fillion addresses how it will stay relevant post-career change.
To promote both The Rookie and new spinoff, The Rookie: Feds, Nathan Fillion and Niecy Nash-Betts interrogated each other during an interview with EW. They discussed their respective shows and crossovers, and when Nash-Betts asked Fillion about what Nolan as a training officer will look like, he previewed just what it would be like and how Nolan will still be a rookie:
Yes, John is going to be a training officer. Training officers were certainly a big part of the start of his career and how he started being a cop. It’s the next logical development in his career. He wants to be a training officer because he wants to give back. Also, because he sees that there needs to be some changes in the department, and he wants to be a part of that change. He feels that’s the best place he can do it. Thirdly, and probably the most important reason, is all the people that come up to me and go, “Hey, how long is Nolan going to be a rookie?” They’re really concerned about whether or not he’s a rookie. When you advance in your career, and you’re doing a new thing, you’re automatically a rookie all over again. It’s more of a metaphor, I guess.
While Nolan may not be a rookie in the police department anymore, he is still a rookie when it comes to being a T.O., so seeing how he navigates that and does his own training will be something new. And it sounds like he will still want to make some changes to the department, which could make for some interesting storylines as he is still a rookie. Nathan Fillion and Niecy Nash-Betts went back and forth about it:
- “Sure. It’s the beginning of a new chapter in his life.” – Niecy Nash-Betts
- “He’s a rookie training officer. It works for me.” – Nathan Fillion
- “Back at the bottom. Not the bottom, but the beginning. A new beginning.” – Nash-Betts
We know how great of an officer Nolan is, and with his different experience coming in as a rookie at such a late time, he definitely has some things to teach whomever he’s training. Chicago P.D. and Legends of Tomorrow vet Lisseth Chavez will be a new rookie in the upcoming season, so how those two will work together will be something to look forward to.
Meanwhile, Nathan Fillion has been hyping up Season 5 of The Rookie, and it’s even included comments from a former Castle co-star. The upcoming season will also feature Lucy and Tim going undercover as their doppelgängers, where they might finally address the elephant in the room about their relationship. Fans should also expect a crossover or two with Feds, which will make things even more interesting.
Although The Rookie and The Rookie: Feds won’t be teaming up on the same night of ABC’s fall 2022 schedule, it looks like we will keep getting of the stars together, whether it’d be to promote their respective shows or in a crossover. And we definitely know that John Nolan will give Simone Clarke some advice about being the oldest rookie at her job.
Season 5 of The Rookie premieres Sunday, September 25 at 10 p.m. EST on ABC! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to look forward to.