Nathan Fillion is back in the saddle as John Nolan! With production commencing on season seven of The Rookie, the actor has returned to set, and he's given fans a peak behind the scenes.
Taking to Instagram on Monday, Nathan poked fun at onlookers trying to discreetly film the cast and crew at work – click the video below to see him on location. "I have learned that an excellent metric for how well a show is doing is the measure of shamelessness of looky-loos and paparazzi when on location," Nathan jested in the caption.
Sending fans into hysterics, one replied: "Everyone loves The Rookie and can't help themselves."
"Your POV makes this so much funnier," added another. "That's what popularity brings you," quipped a third.
Nathan isn't the only cast member who's been posting from the set. It was Mekia Cox – aka Detective Nyla Harper – who announced that production had begun last Friday. "Day 1 of The Rookie Season 7!" she penned alongside a photo of her co-stars. Among them, Eric Winter, Melissa O'Neill and Richard T. Jones were pictured in costume.
Eric, known and loved for playing Tim Bradford, has been sharing snippets too. "Nothing but mid-Wilshire's finest back on our game for season 7 of @therookieabc! Let's go! Director @alexihawley crushing it as usual!" he raved on Instagram.
It was initially confirmed in April that The Rookie had been renewed, prompting the cast and crew to celebrate on social media. "It's a good feeling to have work. It's even better to be able to take pride in that work," Nathan said at the time.
"If you are among those who are enjoying The Rookie, we owe you our thanks. Thank you, for having excellent taste in entertainment. Season 7, here we come. (And let's not forget ABC! Thanks for being so supportive!)"
Set to premiere in January 2025, the next instalment will consist of 18 episodes, and this time the weekly schedule will go uninterrupted.
Explaining the decision, Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, told TV Line: "The Rookie and Will Trent are two of the cornerstones of our schedule. The Rookie is an amazing story, where at this point in its life cycle [six seasons in] it continues to grow.
Craig added that "the best way to platform those shows for success was to launch them in January" in order to give the shows an uninterrupted run. "They're going to go straight through," he continued. "And that kind of momentum of original episodes week-in and week-out is just a very powerful engine for both of these shows."