The Rookie's Nathan Fillion reunited with his co-stars Eric Winter, Melissa O'Neill, Mekia Cox and Shawn Ashmore on Thursday, as they teamed up at the SAG-AFTRA picket lines. After posing for selfies together, Melissa, who plays Officer Lucy Chen, shared a couple of photos from the cast's reunion on Instagram, which Nathan promptly reshared.
Sporting a completely different look in the snaps, fans were quick to spot Nathan's impressive moustache. It's unclear whether the actor is growing his facial hair for an upcoming role, or whether he simply fancied a change, but either way, he's rocking it!
Prior to Nathan's appearance at the picket lines, the star had been noticeably absent from social media in recent months, and fans have been eager to find out why.
Among the comments section on posts that remain on his feed, many asked the same thing. "Where have you gone?" one follower recently wrote: "How are you doing? You have been quiet. I hope all is well with you. Keep us posted," added another. Meanwhile, a third penned: "Can you post something or a selfie please? We miss you and your ruggedly handsome face."
Nathan’s mini-reunion with The Rookie cast comes as a welcome surprise amid the show’s ongoing filming delays. While season five aired earlier this year, the sixth instalment is currently on pause, as the writers' and actors' strikes rage on. Currently, The Rookie is not included in ABC's fall schedule, so it's highly likely that series six will get a 2024 mid-season release date.
New episodes were reportedly due to start filming at the end of June, ready to air in the fall, but that has now been pushed back. As for the show's spin-off drama, The Rookie: Feds, ABC has yet to reveal whether the second season will go ahead at all.
On the bright side, industry insiders have predicted that the strike will be settled by the fall, and if this is true, it's very possible that filming for the new episodes will be well underway towards the end of the year. Looks like we'll have to wait and see!
Reacting to concerns from fans, the show's creator Alexi Hawley has also made assurances that production on season six wouldn't be impacted by Nathan Fillion's casting in James Gunn's Superman: Legacy movie.
The writer responded to a post on Twitter from TV Line, who shared an article asking if Nathan's part in the film could further delay the release of season six. "Nope!" he simply commented, and fans were grateful for his reassurance. One person wrote: "Thank you for clarifying, we appreciate you so much, Alexi."