Nathan Fillion's new show The Rookie doesn't have a release date yet, but it's getting even closer to premiering on ABC with each passing day. Today the series took another big step forward as it cast another one of the show's female leads, who will also serve as a potential new love interest for Fillion's character. The Rookie has brought former Dark Matter actress Melissa O'Neil into the series to play another new officer by the name of Lucy.
Lucy is a rookie cop in the LAPD who has been getting a lot of heat from her training officer, which is never fun. Other details about the character reveal she might just have the hots for Nathan Fillion's John Nolan, who is the oldest rookie on the force. Deadline throws a "might" into that character description, so no guarantees that Lucy and John hit it off in The Rookie right out of the gate. Then again, why even mention it if there's not even going to be a small spark between the two?
The Rookie tells the tale of a 40-year-old small town man who joins the LAPD to fulfill his dream of becoming a cop. The show, which was given a straight-to-series order by ABC, stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, who is the aforementioned aged rookie on the police squad, and now Melissa O'Neil as Lucy. Fillion will executive produce the series. No release date has been given at this time.
Melissa O' Neil's casting as Lucy comes just one day after The Rookie announced two other cast members to the series: Eric Winter and Afton Williamson. Winter's character, Tim Bradford, is described as an overbearing training officer, so it's possible he could be the one giving O'Neil's Lucy so much grief. As for Williamson, the actress was announced to play Talia Bishop, the newly promoted training officer assigned to John Nolan. Williamson's character description did not feature any notes about a love dynamic with Nathan Fillion's Nolan, so as of now, it doesn't appear Lucy has any competition for Nolan's love.
A lead role on The Rookie is another notch in Melissa O' Neil's belt, as the actress is still a bit of a rookie when compared to other actors like Nathan Fillion. O' Neil's film and television credits date back to 2015, which is the same time her show Dark Matter was first broadcast. Since Dark Matter's cancellation, O' Neil has found work, but ABC's The Rookie will be one of the larger projects on her resume.
The Rookie is headed to ABC but does not have a release date at this time. For more information on shows premiering or returning to television in 2018, head on over to our midseason premiere guide.
