Posted in: ABC, Hulu, TV | Tagged: The Rookie

The Rookie: Melissa O'Neil on Season 8 "Strides," Stunt Driving Course

ABC and Showrunner Alexi Hawley's The Rookie star Melissa O'Neil on Tim making "some strides" and stunt driving course work ahead of Season 8.

As series star Deric Augustine showed us this past week with a post teasing the script cover for the return episode, even with ABC and Showrunner Noah Hawley's The Rookie not returning until 2026, it's never too early to start collecting Season 8 intel. Speaking with CTV's Jee-Yun Lee during the Bell Media upfronts, Melissa O'Neil touched on what Lucy went through during the seventh season (while looking to avoid spoilers for those catching up on Netflix). Beginning at around the 1:05 mark in the interview above, O'Neil notes how Eric Winter's Tim has made "some strides" and that he "definitely wants to move things forward (and it sounds like Hawley wants to move "Chenford" forward, too). Regarding what's to come for the eighth season, it sounds like Lucy might be getting some serious action behind the wheel. "This year, actually, when I get home from this trip, I am going on a three-day stunt driving course, so I'm really excited. I want to do some crazy maneuvers on camera," O'Neil added.

Here's a look back at Augustine's two tweets, with the first revealing the script cover to The Rookie Episode 801 and a Sharpie to signal that early work on Season 8 is already underway. Following that? A fun surprise celebrating the occasion:

ABC's The Rookie stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey, Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, and Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez. Deric Augustine (Godfather of Harlem) and television-debuting Patrick Keleher are set as the newest rookies for the season. Augustine's Miles is one of the newest rookies at the LAPD. As a Texas transfer, Miles is a 'rookie' despite being a two-year veteran of the force. Keleher's rookie Seth seems like the ideal police officer, but the job requires quick, decisive action — something that doesn't come naturally to Seth. In addition, Ivan Hernandez (Max's And Just Like That…) has joined the cast as Detective Graham and is set to appear in several episodes.

Alexi Hawley is the series creator, writer, and executive producer. Mark Gordon, Nathan Fillion, Michelle Chapman, Jon Steinberg, Bill Norcross, Bill Roe, and Brynn Malone are executive producers of the series. Entertainment One (eOne) is the lead studio on The Rookie, a co-production with ABC Signature.

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