10 The Rookie Characters Who Deserve More Screen Time In Season 9

MovieStillsDB Published Aug 14, 2026, 12:45 PM EDT Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Although The Rookie season 9 is still months away, there are number of characters who weren't the main focal point of the previous season and need to appear more consistently in the next. The Rookie season 8 had a ton of moving parts, and while the majority of the characters did get their day in the sun, there being an influx of storylines and so much going on left some without as much screen time as usual. The Rookie season 9, which will be released in early 2027 with ABC's mid-season schedule, has some major character ground to make up. While the series will always feature the titular rookie, John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), at its center, over the years, there has become a clear hierarchy when it comes to storylines for the larger ensemble cast. With Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil), becoming the secondary main characters on the series, especially as their characters went from a professional pair to a romantic one, the rest of the cast has fallen into a different category. While they all still get time on screen, there's definitely room for improvement with the next season of the show coming to life. 10 Tamara Colins MovieStillsDB Introduced during The Rookie season 3, Tamara Colins (Dylan Conrique) came into Lucy Chen's (Melissa O'Neil) life with a lot of baggage. A homeless teen who'd stolen Lucy's infamous old orange two-door sports car, Lucy made it clear to Tamara that she could come to her if she ever needed help. While Lucy was still living with Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr.) at the time, she moved into the apartment and wound up becoming Lucy's permanent roommate after Jackson's death. Tamara has appeared sparsely in recent years, but seeing her check in would be exciting for The Rookie season 9. 9 Miles Penn ABC (via MovieStillsDb) As the most recent graduate of the FTO program at Mid-Wilshire, Miles Penn (Deric Augustine) is certain to have some semblance of a storyline in The Rookie season 9, but seeing more of him could be a great way for the series to make a subtle change. After years of featuring the same set of central characters, bringing Penn into the spotlight a bit more firmly and focusing on him, along with some other underdeveloped characters, could pave a path for The Rookie to move forward fresh. The Rookie season 9 and beyond could lay fresh groundwork for the show. 8 Wesley Evers Custom image by Milica Djordjevic As one of the main components of The Rookie season 8, it's likely Wesley (Shawn Ashmore) will have more screentime during the next season, it's just a matter of how. Throughout The Rookie's last season, viewers saw Wesley running for District Attorney of Los Angeles, but after losing the race, his story took a much more interesting turn. In helping his wife, Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz), Wesley worked undercover for the show's most recent villain, Heath Everett (Jeffrey Vincent Parise), which, for a time, puts him at odds with Bradford. The Rookie season 9 should continue Wesley's double agent work. 7 Wade Grey Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones) spent a lot of The Rookie season 8 working on a task force to take down Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan), and while he was still present on the show, he was removed from a lot of the day to day operations at Mid-Wilshire. With Tim (Eric Winter) stepping up to be the Watch Commander during his time away, seeing Grey back in his role during The Rookie season 9 would be the right move. While the task force took up a fair bit of Grey's attention, repairing his fragile marriage should take precedence next season. 6 James Murray Although viewers got the chance to see James Murray (Arjay Smith) throughout The Rookie season 8, Nyla's community-focused husband is someone that should always be getting more screen time. While James is more of a side character than a main, he's often been able to set up some intense stakes for the Mid-Wilshire team. From building community events to sharing his takes on big issues, even if they contradict his wife's, James' character and his sense of social justice is able to rotate the series' point of view. More of James would set the tone for The Rookie season 9. 5 Celina Juarez While Celina has become a mainstay on The Rookie over the past few years, her screen time in the upcoming season should refocus her character. Throughout the past couple seasons of the show, Celina's storyline has been focused more on her relationship with Rodge (Zander Hawley) and establishing herself as an officer, but as she becomes more of a seasoned officer, things should shift for Celina. With an interesting dynamic between herself and her roommate, Penn, Celina's storyline during The Rookie season 9 should attempt to focus on taking new steps to pursue a career path, whatever that may be. 4 Luna Grey MovieStillsDB Although Luna Grey (Angel Parker) had more screen time during The Rookie season 8 than she did in previous seasons, seeing her even more in the upcoming season would be ideal. Luna's storyline throughout The Rookie season 9, which saw her marriage to Wade strained when she found herself attracted to a colleague, was one that deepened her character in a new and interesting way. A major feat after so long on the air, seeing Luna return to The Rookie season 9 after working on her marriage and moving through some difficulties would be an exciting shift for the character. 3 Smitty Mike Taing / ©ABC/Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection Although Smitty (Brent Huff) is often the comic relief of The Rookie, there's always room for more of his presence on the show. Throughout The Rookie's last few seasons, Smitty has had some iconic moments, but bringing the comedic character into the fold for a bigger storyline could be an interesting twist for the long-running series. Building an entire episode around Smitty, one that has ramifications for the other characters and their independent storylines could be a fun way to incorporate him into more story throughout the season. Regardless of how it happens, The Rookie season 9 needs more Smitty. 2 Angela Lopez As one of the leading ladies of The Rookie, Angela is always someone that viewers hope to see more of. During The Rookie season 8, the majority of Angela's storylines that didn't revolve around her casework were about Wesley's run for District Attorney, which brought up a lot of difficulties both in their professional lives and their personal relationship. Moving into The Rookie season 9, seeing Angela more settled in her role as detective could make for a great shift, especially as she continues to work with Nyla on cases. Angela should be a focal point of season 9's story. 1 Nyla Harper ABC While Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) always has something to do on The Rookie, she's been one of the shows most under-utilized characters in recent years. Nyla, a detective who's done a little bit of everything within the LAPD, has elite undercover skills and makes it clear that she's able to adapt to any situation as she moves through her work. In her more recent years, however, The Rookie hasn't used Nyla as consistently, and as it moves forward, the show should invest more time and energy into its most interesting character. The Rookie season 9 needs to give more Nyla. Release Date October 16, 2018 Network ABC Showrunner Alexi Hawley Directors Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro Writers Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff Creator(s) Alexi Hawley