The countdown to The Rookie's return begins! ABC has confirmed the hit police procedural will return on Tuesday January 7 at 10pm after new seasons of Will Trent and High Potential.
Nathan Fillion and the cast all appeared in a new promo video, taken on the set which teases the return, with Nathan – who plays Officer John Nolan – opening the video inside a cast bus, telling the viewer: "The fact is we're back."
Eric Winter and Melissa O'Neil both then scream "season seven," before the video cuts to Melissa, Eric and others including Richard T Jones reminding those watching to tune in. Watch the video below:
Alongside fan favorites including John, Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford and Angela Lopez, season seven will also introduce two newcomers: Deric Augustine and Patric Keleher, who both appeared in an earlier teaser trailer.
Miles, played by Deric, has been billed as "one of the newest rookies at the LAPD" but is a "two-year veteran of the force" after working in Texas. Seth, meanwhile, "seems like the ideal police officer, but the job requires quick, decisive action — something that doesn't come naturally to Seth."
However one character who will not return is Officer Aaron Thorsen, as Tru Valentino left the show after joining The Rookie in season four. The actor confirmed his decision to quit in a statement on Instagram, thanking fans for their unwavering support.
Little else is known about season 7 although Eric did tell HELLO! that fans can expect to see Tim and Lucy, who ended their relationship in season six, "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?'" he 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," he added, suggesting Tim may be helping to mentor Seth and Miles.