The Rookie season eight will premiere on ABC on January 6, 2026 and fans have been counting down the days for the episode, which will mark a network first as it is mostly set internationally.
The show's stars have been teasing the episode, but Melissa O'Neil, who plays Sergeant Lucy Chen, tells HELLO! there is one report that she needs to clear up: There are no epic Chenford kisses in this episode.
"I said in an interview once – and this quote has been following me around, and publications are repurposing it – that the kisses are more epic than Superman in the season premiere, and I want people to understand that I'm talking about a Nolan kiss!" she shared.
"It's very important that this gets cleared up because I'm talking about a Nolan kiss [not a Chenford kiss]!"
© DisneyThe season opener, titled Czech Mate, follows Nathan Fillion's John Nolan and his partner Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) as they travel to Prague with John's wife, Bailey (Jenna Dewan) on an undercover mission to pursue high-profile terrorists with the help of antagonist Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan).
Some of the cast and crew including Nathan traveled to the Czech city to shoot across several days, while Melissa remained in Los Angeles with the rest of the cast. Viewers will see Lucy manning the station and helping the investigation on the ground, along with Sergeant Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) – with whom Lucy has had an ongoing will-they-won't-they that has captured fan attention.
© DisneyAt the end of season seven, the pair almost reunited, but Lucy fell asleep in the middle of Tim's heart-to-heart leaving his proposal that they move in together hanging.
But even though the "epic kiss" is not Chenford-related, Melissa shares that when season eight opens, the timeline is almost exactly where we left the show, meaning that fans will get an answer to that question.
© DisneyThe ABC series has been running for eight years, although spin-off The Rookie: Feds was canceled after one season. Showrunner Alexi Hawlyer will be hoping for a different reaction with his latest series, after going into development with The Rookie: North.
Jay Ellis, who most recently starred in the Kate Hudson-led comedy Running Point, will lead the show, whose official logline for the show reads: "Alex Holland (Jay Ellis) believed his mid-life wasn't worthy of a crisis. But after a violent home invasion ignites a dormant purpose, Alex battles a lifetime of failed commitments by joining the Pierce County Police Department as its oldest rookie. Policing from the urban coast to the rural forest where backup isn't just five-minutes away, Alex must prove to his skeptical training officer, his fellow rookies, and himself, that he's finally found something worthy of the fight."
Back in May, Alexi, speaking with TV Insider, shared that he felt "really good about the script" for the spin-off, however noted at the time: "Ultimately, we're waiting to hear what the needs are [at ABC], but I feel very positive about it."
It is unclear if anyone from The Rookie will crossover in the show to help create a backdoor pilot.
