The Rookie star Jenna Dewan has returned to set ahead of the upcoming seventh season of the show – and fans are delighted. The actress was on maternity leave during the first few weeks of filming, having welcomed her third child, a baby daughter named Rhiannon, in June.
The actress, who plays Bailey Nune, took to Instagram on Thursday as she celebrated being back at work. "Back to work… with a +1," she penned, alongside several behind-the-scenes snaps which show the star introducing her newborn baby to her cast and crew members.
Fans were pleased to see Jenna back on set with the rest of the cast, with one person writing: "Glad ur back!!!" while another added: "Yes!!!!! I am ready for the return."
Jenna announced the birth of her daughter, whom she shares with her fiancé Steve Kazee, with a sweet post on social media. Alongside pictures taken from Rhiannon's first moments in the delivery room, the actress penned: "Rhiannon Lee Kathryn Kazee. June 14, 2024.
"From the moment you arrived, you have brought immense joy and love into our lives… your gentle grace, sweetness, and beauty have captivated our entire family. Our hearts are overflowing with love, and we are truly blessed by your presence. Welcome to our world baby girl."
Earlier this year, showrunner Alexi Hawley revealed that Jenna would be missing from the first few episodes of season seven amid her pregnancy. "Jenna [Dewan]'s about to have a baby in real life, so we probably won't see [Bailey] for the first few episodes because of that," he told TV Line in May.
Alexi also gave fans an idea of what to expect from Bailey and John's (Nathan Fillion) adoption journey in the upcoming episodes. Sharing his personal connection to the storyline, the writer said: "I think we'll get into the real of it a bit. I have an adopted daughter, so I wanted to sort of champion that idea because I feel like adoption is such a valuable thing. I wanted to get into the fact that, when Bailey felt like a door had closed, that they hadn't all closed.
"But it is a very real thing, whether you adopt domestically, where there are certain restrictions and rules. And there's actually an ability for a parent who is giving up a child to change their mind," he added.
Jenna's return to set comes amid some recent changes to the cast. It's been announced this week that Tru Valentino, who has played rookie cop Aaron Thorsen since series four, will not be returning for season seven.
Meanwhile, two fresh faces have joined the cast as the LAPD welcomes new recruits Miles and Seth (played by Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher respectively). Watch their debuts in the video below.
Deric (All American and Shameless) will play Texas transfer Miles, who is a two-year veteran of the force. Meanwhile, Patrick, a theatre star, takes on the role of Seth, who "seems like the ideal police officer, but the job requires quick, decisive action — something that doesn't come naturally to him".