One of The rookie‘s most notable villains are getting an intriguing returning update from creator and showrunner Alexi Hawley. The rookie Season 8 will make network television history when it debuts in January. The proceedings will take place in Europe, as the first episode takes place partly in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, with filming on location over the summer.
The big milestone ties into a recurring villain. John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) will attempt to gain the upper hand over Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan) after the antagonist blatantly displays her apparent immunity in The rookiethe season 7 finale. But there’s another villain viewers would also like to see more of.
In an interview with ScreenRant’s Tatiana Hullender for The rookie In Season 8, which premieres January 6, 2026 on ABC at 10 p.m. ET, Hawley was asked if Elijah Stone, a recurring character played by Brandon Jay McLaren, could return, given that his recurring presence is still often cited by audiences.
Hawley responds that, although he hasn’t spoken directly to McLaren, the answer is yes, and the writers are working on a way to bring Elijah back. Hawley explains that the main problem is finding a way to organically involve Elijah in the story since he’s behind bars. The creator and showrunner also acknowledges that Elijah played an important role in the hit ABC drama series. Read Hawley’s response below:
I haven’t spoken to him directly, but I will say the answer is yes. Brandon played an important role in our series for several seasons.
The problem is always that when you put someone behind bars on the show, how do you organically interact with them? In a way that doesn’t involve a prison break for every bad guy, which we can’t do. But we love Elijah on the show and we’re definitely looking to figure out how to bring him back in a powerful way.
Elijah was featured in a pivotal episode of The rookie during season 4’s “Life and Death.” He is a crime boss, known for his difficult history with Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore). Although the cartel leader had altercations with several main characters, including an attempted assassination of Evers, he stood out thanks to McLaren’s performance.
He is part of a long line of villains from The rookie which fits well because of what the actors bring to the role. But on another front, the screenwriters have always known when to lean in and move away from familiar faces. In total, between seasons 4 and 5, Elijah makes 11 appearances.
Monica was Elijah’s lawyer at one point, so there could be the start of a cameo idea there. But, in any case, season 8 will be very busy for the confirmed actors returning from The rookieincluding Fillion, Dewan, Ashmore, Lisseth Chavez, Mekia Cox, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter and Deric Augustine.
The rookie Season 8 premieres Tuesday, January 6, 2026 on ABC at 10 p.m. ET.
- Release date
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October 16, 2018
- Showrunner
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Alexi Hawley
- Directors
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Garret, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa White, Lunre Olabisis, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Lizis, Lizis, Fraeras, Renton, Monier, Renton, Choodenglan, Ch Shomlan. Brown, McCormick, Marcus, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro, Adamson, Anna Mastro.
- Writers
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Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff
