The kick-off of the upcoming 2026-’27 TV season is just two months away, and one network TV series that has its fanbase buzzing is “The Rookie.”
Along with previously announced news of an exciting new spinoff, details of Season 9 are already indicating that viewers can expect to see some big changes in store.
A Rookie No More
On Wednesday, July 15, cast member Deric Augustine shared some photos via Instagram Stories indicating that his character will be undergoing a big shift in the upcoming season.
That, Augustine explained, is because his character, Miles Penn, will no longer be a rookie when “The Rookie” returns.
“I think he’s going to be thrilled that he’s not a rookie anymore,” Augustine told TV Insider. “Especially in Season 8, we see him make a lot of mistakes and learn from them. So, I’m excited about that journey to see how he not relies on his cowboy instincts, but really relies on the teachings of his TOs, the three TOs he had and the intellect he learned from the mistakes that he has fortunately learned from,” Augustine
Extended Cut
Meanwhile, ABC recently announced plans to give fans a little something to tide them over until the new season arrives.
An extended cut of Episode 810, “His Name Was Martin,” will be released July 20 on Hulu. As Deadline reports, the extended episoide will be found in the Extras section of the series’ landing page on the streaming site.
The extended version will contain about five-and-a-half minutes of footage that didn’t make it into the final cut when the episode originally aired on ABC.
Per Deadline, this “pivotal episode” was written and directed by the series creator, Alexi Hawley. John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and the team battle to contain the cleaning crew at a psychiatric facility, where exposure to toxic chemicals has made them behave like zombies out of “The Walking Dead.”
The pivotal episode, written and directed by The Rookie creator and executive producer Alexi Hawley, features
“When one of the affected workers, the eponymous Martin, violently attacks Lucy (Melissa O’Neil), she kills him in self defense, an incident that has a profound psychological and emotional impact on her,” notes the outlet.
A Message From Series Creator Alexi Hawley
Accompanying the announcement was a special message from Hawley, explaining why the scenes added to the extended cut needed to be excised for broadcast..
“One of the many fun things about making ‘The Rookie’ is that we have such a broad playground story and tone-wise,” states Hawley.
“For 810, I knew I wanted to make something fun and scary and unexpectedly emotional. But tension takes time to play out on screen, and I found myself in the editing room with hard choices to make. I can count the number of scenes we’ve dropped in eight seasons on one hand (maybe two?), but I was up against a wall on this one,” he continues.
“Network run times are set in stone,” he explained. “But Hulu’s are not. So, I picked up the phone and pitched the idea of releasing an extended cut as a reward to our amazing fans, who are so invested in the show. Now they’ll be able to go deeper into the character journeys (especially for Tim and Lucy) and see the previously unaired scenes that enhance the episode in a unique way.”
When Will ‘The Rookie’ Return?
The ninth season won’t arrive until midseason. While an official premiere date has yet to be set, look for “The Rookie” to debut in January 2027.
