The Rookie season 9 premiere will stretch the cliffhanger into two parts
Alexi Hawley told Comic-Con the ABC drama’s January return will open with a two-part Season 9 premiere after Tim and Lucy’s abduction.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
The Rookie season 9 premiere will not tidy up that Tim and Lucy cliffhanger in a single hour. Creator Alexi Hawley told the show’s Comic-Con panel Saturday that ABC’s police drama is opening its next season with a two-part premiere.
Hawley appeared with the cast, led by Nathan Fillion, as the series returned to Comic-Con with its first big tease for the new season. Deadline reported that production began earlier in the week, with Fillion due to join filming Monday after reuniting with the cast at the panel.
Hawley said the premiere will be a two-parter, adding that “it won’t all be resolved in one episode” because “there’s a lot going on.” He described the opener as high-stakes and dramatic, with romance, comedy and some surprises in the mix.
When does The Rookie season 9 premiere?
The Rookie season 9 is set to launch in January on ABC, according to Deadline. The show has used January season launches in recent years, and Hawley’s panel comments pointed fans toward that same waiting game again.
That wait is extra spicy because season 8 ended with a romantic rug-pull. Tim, played by Eric Winter, proposed to Lucy, played by Melissa O’Neil, during a sunset beach scene, and Lucy accepted. Seconds later, the pair were abducted.
Comic-Con fans in the Indigo Ballroom did not hide their feelings. O’Neil asked the crowd about the finale’s “rollercoaster” ending, and Fillion jumped in by asking for a show of hands from viewers who had a “conniption” at home, Deadline reported.
After seeing the reaction, O’Neil joked that the cast would send fans magnesium and tea to calm down. She then told the audience, “We’re so sorry for that, but also thank you for going along for the ride.”
O’Neil also said reading the finale script, written by Hawley, sent her through the same emotional swing as viewers. She said she first thought the show was finally giving Tim and Lucy their romantic moment, then realized the scene was taking a harsher turn.
Filming the beach sequence was not some slow, misty TV dream, according to the actors. O’Neil said the crew had to rush through the shoot and was “chasing the light.” Winter said the scene was timed to the sunset and moved quickly, and that reading the script surprised him and made him laugh.
What did the cast say about The Rookie spinoff?
The panel also got a visit from Jay Ellis, star of the coming spinoff The Rookie: North. Deadline reported that the spinoff is also scheduled to premiere in January on ABC.
Ellis asked the original cast for advice as a newcomer to the franchise. Fillion told him to learn everyone’s name because it helps when apologizing for being late. Shawn Ashmore recommended stretching before stunt work. Richard T. Jones kept it practical and told him to use padding and kneepads.
Fillion also used the panel to thank fans for backing the show and said he was excited to start filming season 9 on Monday. For fans still stuck on that beach cliffhanger, January now comes with a two-part answer, and apparently not a quick one.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.