The Rookie adds Troian Bellisario and Dulé Hill for season 9
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The gist
The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley announced Troian Bellisario and Dulé Hill will join season 9, which returns January 6, 2027.
The ABC police drama's cast is expanding as it heads into its biggest season yet.
Background
The Rookie is an ABC police drama that premiered in 2018, created by Alexi Hawley, with Nathan Fillion playing John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Over eight seasons Nolan rose from rookie to training officer, and the show shifted from a fish-out-of-water story to a more classic ensemble procedural. The May season 8 finale drew 9.25 million viewers and hit a new high on streaming, and like the past three installments season 9 premieres mid-season.
How it unfolded
- Oct 11, 2026At The Rookie panel at New York Comic Con, Hawley announced Troian Bellisario will join season 9 as Nolan's new rookie, Stephanie "Stevie" Monroe, and Dulé Hill will join as the new watch commander.
- Oct 16, 2026A report said season 9 returns January 6, 2027, with Hawley calling it "might be our biggest season yet so far, just in terms of scope."
- Oct 20, 2026In an Instagram video posted to TV Line, Fillion said the cast gets "really wound up" watching co-star Jenna Dewan compete on Dancing With the Stars.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Hawley said season 9 "might be our biggest season yet so far, just in terms of scope" and called the first two episodes "pretty epic, pretty high."
- Official
- Hawley said Bellisario's character is "a rookie that we've never had before on the show, somebody who's not starting out from scratch."
- Party
- Fillion said the cast gets "very excited on Tuesdays" and "really wound up on Wednesdays" over Dewan's DWTS run, with discussions that "get loud."