The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley has seemingly confirmed that Jenna Dewan’s Bailey Nune will miss the early episodes of season 7, which could hinder the return of a major villain. Dewan portrays the firefighter character who is also now John Nolan’s wife. However, she also has a past enemy in the form of Jason, her ex-husband, who was broken out of prison by Monica in The Rookie season 6 finale. This puts her life in danger, as he’s now liable to come looking for her, setting the stage for what happens in season 7.
However, speaking with TVLine, Hawley seemed to confirm that Dewan won’t be coming back for The Rookie season 7 right away. When asked about the return of key villains in the next season, the showrunner explained how Dewan is pregnant in real life. Because of this, Bailey won’t have as major a role in early episodes of the season, meaning Jason might not return right away either. Check out what Hawley had to say below:
They will definitely resurface at different times. As you know, Jenna [Dewan]’s about to have a baby in real life, so we probably won’t see [Bailey] for the first few episodes because of that. As a result, we aren’t sure when we’ll see Jason. But yes, I think we’re looking at how we can spread stuff out so we’re not just all diving into all of it at the beginning.
How Dewan’s Absence Will Impact The Rookie Season 7’s First Episodes
The final episode of season 6 established Monica as a key villain going into The Rookie season 7, perhaps the most well-connected antagonist of the show to date. Her letting Jason out of prison coupled with her connections to other threats in the show are setting the stage for the most dangerous batch of episodes yet. However, Dewan’s absence could mean many of these looming antagonists stay in the shadows for the first few weeks of the new season.
Given the centrality Bailey plays in Jason coming back, her ex-husband probably isn’t going to come back for quite some time during season 7. Instead, the first few episodes could directly explore the fallout of Monica’s actions, perhaps with her taking center stage once again. While there are still plenty of antagonists for the show to pull from, her centrality would make the most sense given the events of season 6. They can also keep the team busy prior to Jason showing up for his own story arc.
Although The Rookie season 7’s release date won’t be until 2025, Dewan’s absence will still be felt, especially depending on what direction the story goes to accommodate. Since there are so many different storylines that could be focused on instead, there’s no telling how the next episodes are going to play out. However, with Monica still on the run, it’s only a matter of time before something she’s done results in major consequences.
