'The Rookie' Season 6: When It's Coming Out and Everything Else to Know

Fans of The Rookie are anxiously waiting for the sixth season of the ABC procedural. The strikes have greatly put a damper on the upcoming season, but production has started on TV shows again with the end of the writers' strike. While the actors' strike is still continuing following a major negotiation setback, it's never too early to think about when The Rookie could return and what the storylines will consist of.

The wait for Season 6 has been agonizing after Season 5 ended with a cliffhanger. Aaron Thorsen had gotten shot after he and Lucy Chen were ambushed at the beginning of the episode. Everyone likely started to get flashbacks to when they lost Jackson West at the beginning of Season 4, and it was heartbreaking to see. Unfortunately, the episode ended with a code blue being called and viewers not knowing whether Aaron survived or died. A show like The Rookie could lean either way, but it's likely the show will jump right into what happened with the young cop when Season 6 premieres.

Something else The Rookie will need to catch fans up on is the newest little member of the family. Angela Lopez and Wesley Evers welcomed their bundle of joy in the finale as well, a daughter. Not to bring Aaron up again, but fans couldn't help but notice that Jackson died right before their first baby was born, and Lopez and Wesley named him Jack after Jackson. At one point, Aaron brought up to the couple that "Erin" could also be a girl's name, possibly foreshadowing the meaning behind her name, who has yet to be named. Then there's also the bad guys that the team had dealt with in the finale. There was an indication that they weren't quite done with the damage they had done, meaning that we will probably see the masked guys again. It's likely they will be in the beginning of the season or possibly throughout.

Even with the actors' strike, it's expected that the main cast will return, including Nathan Fillion, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O'Neil, Eric Winter, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, and hopefully, Tru Valentino, who portrays Aaron. Fillion has picked up a couple of roles in the midst of The Rookie's hiatus, like the upcoming DC film Superman Legacy and Disney+'s Monsters at Work. Creator and showrunner Alexi Hawley was firm on the fact that it would not put any delays on the sixth season, no matter when it's going to start filming. So, as for now, everyone should be returning.

As for when it could premiere, a spring date is likely, but it's possible it could also be in the summer. It's really hard to tell with the SAG-AFTRA strike still going on. Even though the series is back in production, nothing can really be done until the actors' strike is over. Hopefully, that's soon, but in the meantime, all five seasons of The Rookie are streaming on Hulu.