The Rookie has officially entered production on season seven, with Nathan Fillion, Eric Winter and Melissa O'Neill all posting from the set in LA. And now, in an exciting new development, Variety has announced that Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher are joining the cast.
Both signed on as recurring guest stars, Deric – who has previously appeared in episodes of Shameless, Godfather of Harlem and All American – will play Miles. Billed as "one of the newest rookies at the LAPD. As a Texas transfer, Miles is a 'rookie' despite being a two-year veteran of the force."
Meanwhile, Patrick – a theatre star – will make his TV debut as Seth in The Rookie. Per the show's description, Seth "seems like the ideal police officer, but the job requires quick, decisive action — something that doesn't come naturally to Seth."
Following the announcement, Deric and Patrick have been celebrating with friends and fans on Instagram. Introducing her new co-stars, Melissa O'Neill, known and loved for playing Lucy Chen, has shared the news on her Stories, writing: "Everybody welcome @dericaugustine @patrickkeleher."
On June 21, Mekia Cox – aka Nyla Harper – confirmed that the cast and crew had returned to the set. "Day 1 of The Rookie Season 7! #TheRookie @therookieabc," she penned alongside a photo of her co-stars.
Slated to premiere in January 2025, the next instalment will consist of 18 episodes, and this time the weekly schedule will go uninterrupted. Currently, details about the plot are limited, although Eric Winter has shared some updates on his character, Tim Bradford.
Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, the actor said: "I do know we're gonna see Tim back in the field training rookies, which I think is what people always loved about Tim, I think people liked Metro Tim, but I think people do like training officer Tim, so we'll get him back out in the field."
Addressing Tim's season six breakup with Lucy, Eric explained that season seven will see them "continue to learn how to navigate their feelings while being on the job."
"We'll see them pick up in a place where they've shown that they care about each other and now they have to figure out, 'can we give each other space to do our job and allow our feelings to stay in a safe place but not rush anything and hope one person doesn't go astray?'"
As for how he felt about their breakup in the first place, Eric said: "I think this kind of storytelling is authentic and real. It brought me back to Ross and Rachel and Friends, where fans want to see relationships that they can relate to, even if it hurts their feelings – and fans got really upset about it."
"When I was informed about it by Alexi, I thought it was a great opportunity for us to learn more about Tim and why he would even go through that or put her through that," continued the star.
"It's not that he didn't love her. It's not that she doesn't love him. He's so lost in his identity a bit and doesn't even love himself and if you can't love yourself, you can't really be in a relationship and treat that person with respect. I think that's what made the break up unique and I thought it actually played out really well because it was uncomfortable."